Pavarotti: The Passing of an Icon

I am a little surprised how saddened I am to hear of the death of Luciano Pavarotti. I sang opera as a voice major in college, but his recordings had no special place in my studies or listening habits.

Still today when I read the news that he died, I loaded 25 Pavarotti recordings on my iPod and played them all day at work. I especially listened to my favorite, "Caruso." See the video below.

Tonight I plugged the pod to the stereo and cranked up "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's Turandot. His voice was incredibly powerful.

I gave up singing, and maybe because he is an icon of opera, his death reminds me of the death and disappointment of that part of my life. Maybe the loss just reminds me of all the emotion in his voice. I empathize with his fans and the professional classical music community. I'm sure many people are telling their Pavarotti stories tonight.

Below are lyrics written for Caruso, but tonight - they apply to Pavarotti!

Ah si, e' la vita che finisce
ma lui non ci penṣ poi tanto
anzi si sentiva felice
e ricomincị il suo canto:
Te voglio bene assai
ma tanto tanto bene sai...

But, yes, it is life that ends
and he did not think so much about it
on the contrary, he already felt happy
and continued his song:
I love you very much,
very, very much, you know...

"Caruso" [lyrics and translation]

"Nessun dorma:" [video] [lyrics and meaning]