THOUSANDS CELEBRATE PAVAROTTI'S ART & HUMANITYT
A portrait of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti was displayed near the cathedral in Modena, Italy, where his funeral was held on Saturday.
This story, and above photo, from The New York Times:
Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian tenor, was eulogized on Saturday as a “great artist” with “a profound sense of humanity” in the same cathedral where he once sang in the children’s choir.
During a musical career that spanned nearly 50 years, Mr. Pavarotti bridged highbrow and pop culture. He died near here on Thursday at 71 after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.
The celebrity guest list at the funeral on Saturday reflected the diverse worlds straddled by Mr. Pavarotti, who was distinguished as much by his powerful voice as by his boyish charm.
In the pews of Modena’s 12th-century Romanesque cathedral sat Franco Zeffirelli, who directed Mr. Pavarotti in Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera in 1985; Joseph Volpe, the Met’s former general manager; Bono, the lead singer of U2; and the Italian rock stars Zucchero Fornaciari and Jovanotti. Political leaders included Romano Prodi, Italy’s prime minister; Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general; and two Italian government ministers.
“For years, many famous but also common people were united by his voice,” said Mr. Prodi, who called the tenor “a messenger of peace and fraternity.”
All of Italy grieves for the singer, said Mr. Prodi, “but we are proud of him.”
During a musical career that spanned nearly 50 years, Mr. Pavarotti bridged highbrow and pop culture. He died near here on Thursday at 71 after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.
The celebrity guest list at the funeral on Saturday reflected the diverse worlds straddled by Mr. Pavarotti, who was distinguished as much by his powerful voice as by his boyish charm.
In the pews of Modena’s 12th-century Romanesque cathedral sat Franco Zeffirelli, who directed Mr. Pavarotti in Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera in 1985; Joseph Volpe, the Met’s former general manager; Bono, the lead singer of U2; and the Italian rock stars Zucchero Fornaciari and Jovanotti. Political leaders included Romano Prodi, Italy’s prime minister; Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general; and two Italian government ministers.
“For years, many famous but also common people were united by his voice,” said Mr. Prodi, who called the tenor “a messenger of peace and fraternity.”
All of Italy grieves for the singer, said Mr. Prodi, “but we are proud of him.”
Footnote from Bookman Beattie:
I was most fortunate to have met the great tenor on two occasions, once in Auckland and the other time in New York. He was a remarkable man, charismatic is an appropriate word to describe him.
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