Such sad news that Luciano Pavarotti, blessed with such a divine voice, finally succumbed to the fate of all mortals. Can any of us imagine what it would be like to be born with a voice like that? To be the greatest tenor in the past 70 years? Since I don’t run an opera company, his diva antics and his unreliability don’t have any effect on me (I might feel differently if I’d had opening night tix and he couldn’t haul his carcass out of the bathtub to perform.) I’d say we’re lucky that the diva antics were as predictable as they were, given the temptations of celebrity these days. At least they didn’t ruin his voice.
Oh what a thrill it must have been to see a titan like that in his prime, on stage in “Turandot” or “La Boheme”. That’s one big reason I love opera, and live performing in general: The chance to see finely trained talent at its peak, bring down a spark from the heavens. I saw John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in “True West” many years ago–so long ago that Malkovich still had some of his hair. Stupendous. And I’ve been lucky enough to see Sam Ramey a number of times at the Lyric Opera, along with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming and many others. Vita brevis, baby. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to see someone as electrifying as Pavarotti cross the stage again. I doubt I will, but it’s fun watching and waiting.
His passing has had one bright spot: continuous programming on WFMT featuring his operas, concerts, and interviews. Check out their home page for highlights.