I am sure you have all heard; but

[savvytangerine]

There's a great special on him on PBS right now -- for anyone interested.

 

[NoHall]

I assume a Double Major?

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Master of Music Ed. Undergrad was Philosophy, minor in Commercial Piano. Occupation is gardening. I'm complicated.

 

[SHELLY]

Master of Music Ed. Undergrad was Philosophy, minor in Commercial Piano. Occupation is gardening. I'm complicated.

Indeed.


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[Ocean Lover]

Saw them in Houston...yes, it was incredible.

If folks just took just a little time to understand opera and the plot lines of the stories, I think they'd grow to appreciate the performances and become fans too. First, one should take some time to learn a little background information about opera (how some operas were based on then-present-day politics and how different voice types are matched to the character's personality, etc). Then select an opera...a good start would be Rigoletto. Read about the characters and the plot to get a good understanding of what's going on. Then rent the video from the library. There is a copy of Rigoletto featuring Pavarotti playing the role of the Duke of Mantua--yes it's sung in Italian, but there are English subtitles to make it easy to follow along. Then attend a live performance of the opera (more likely than not they'll have English subtitles projected on a screen above the stage)--but you won't need them, since you already know the story...just sit back and enjoy the show.

(BTW: Rigoletto was based on a play written by Victor Hugo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame fame)

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True, same goes for ballet..

 

[Paula]

I loved Pavarotti when we was singing opera on his own, with the three tenors, or with pop stars. My favorites (now on UTube) are:

Una Furtiva Lagrima sung by Pavarotti:
YouTube - Pavarotti - Una Furtiva Lagrima -L'Elisir d'Amore, Donizetti

Pavarotti singing the classic Panis Angelicus with Sting:


Pavarotti singing Miserere with pop star Zucchero:
YouTube - Zucchero + Luciano Pavarotti - Miserere

Pavarotti singing with the three tenors
YouTube - Nessun Dorma Three Tenors 1994 Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti

I liked it that he respected different kinds of music and enjoyed singing with others, not only by himself. You can see how much he enjoyed singing (what joy he shows!) with others in the Sting, Zucchero, and Three Tenors video.