Death of a Legend

This is a sad day for opera lovers. Luciano Pavarotti has died at the age of 71.

For those of us who were lucky enough to see him in his prime, Pavarotti was as great as any Italian tenor in the second half of the 20th Century -- a great artist in the tradition of Caruso and Gigli. But we're far luckier with Pavarotti than we were with his predecessors, since with Caruso we're only left with arias recorded at a time when you had to sing into a horn, and Gigli, while leaving us with some spendid complete opera recordings (I'm partial to his "La Boheme"), wasn't able to leave behind anything like the body of work that Pavarotti has.

Not only his recordings, but also his opera broadcasts from the Met and other houses around the world will ensure that his artistry will live on for future generations. In an age of ersatz singers who are more the creation of media hype than genuine talent (consider the oaf on "Britain's Got Talent" who became an instant celebrity by mangling Puccini's "Nessun Dorma"), Pavarotti was the real thing.

His career spanned almost my whole life, and I was lucky to have seen him several times at the Met, most notably in one of his greatest roles, as the doomed king in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera." It was one of the great experiences of my opera-going life, and I will never forget it. Neither I suspect, will millions more, both alive and unborn, who will thrill to the many superb performances he left behind.

Tom Moran