As many of you most likely know, Luciano Pavarotti (from Three Tenors fame) has died at the age of 71. His (I guess) web site has an interesting quote up right now:
I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.
He may not have been the best tenor ever, but he is surely among the most popular. I love classical music, but when I was young I maintained that I did not like opera and especially not this guy -- he reminded me of Stromboli from Disney's Pinocchio. I didn't speak Italian and I didn't like sopranos (chiefly because the piercing voice was unbearable).
However, as I grew older, I found myself liking a few pieces and found that they were Pavarotti. I might be less cultured and more willing to accept the mass-marketed appeal of Pavarotti and not be discriminating enough for the refined artists. But one thing is undeniable, the music that he did sounds beautifully. Here are my two favorite songs he did. Perhaps not the best of recordings, but the songs nonetheless.
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma
Ave Maria
What is most unfortunate is that apparently his life was devoted to music and not to the Lord. A search for "Pavarotti's religion," "Pavarotti's religious," and "Pavarotti's beliefs" all turn up no results. Searching his personal life reveals this:
Off-stage, Pavarotti's personal life was often as colourful as his performances. He was, as U2 rocker Bono said, "a great volcano of a man who had a love of life in all its complexity". -Mirror.co.uk
That makes me sad, quite unlike his music. With that in mind, here's an encore of perhaps his most famous song, Nessum Dorma.
1 comment:
Hey Guys,
I saw what you had said about Pavaroti's relgion and was saddened. He was an amazing musician who had realms of talent that came from the Kingdom above. However, I realized that there may have been a mistake in the "labeling" of Pavaroti as one who worships his music more than God. What if you or I were to google "Our name Religion." I know for a fact that you would find nothing on me. And while Pavaroti may not have any publicly published records of his love of Christ, he may have very well been a religious person! I found a story online that quoted Pavarotti, who stated, ""Now I only need God's help, and it really seems to me that he is giving it to me." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208481,00.html Now while anyone, whether secular or religious might quote a similar statement, none of us should jump to conclusions on the religion of others, regardless of what Google may have to say. Who knows? Perhaps Pavaroti is smiling upstairs at this very moment.
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