These far-from-the-opera house performances, including memorable nights under the stars at Rome’s ancient Baths of Caracalla with Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, in the “Three Tenors” concert, rescued musical art from highbrow obscurity. But his legacy reached beyond the opera houses to reach the masses, working with fellow opera stars and pop icons alike.
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Pavarotti’s classical career, with his imposing presence, emotional depth and boyish, charming ease all adding to his technical prowess, was the stuff of opera legend. The tenor was to be buried in Montale Rangone cemetery, near Modena, where members of his family, including his parents and stillborn son Riccardo, are buried.
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It’s a collection of important things that Modena has given to the world,” said Susy Cavallini, a 43-year-old Modena resident as she emerged Saturday from the cathedral. “Modena is known for its cappelletti (a type of tortellini), balsamic vinegar, Ferrari and Pavarotti. Modena city officials estimated that roughly 100,000 people viewed Pavarotti’s body over two days. “The maestro was and will always be a symbol for our city.” “The death of Luciano Pavarotti has made us feel more impoverished,” he said. The applause, he said, “was not joyous as in other occasions, but intense and sincere.” Flautist Andrea Griminelli played the “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from Gluck’s “Orfeo e Euridice.”Ĭocchi said the presence of so many dignitaries at the funeral was a sign “of the esteem, of the affection and of the gratitude that universally surrounds the great artist.”īut he said it was also significant how local Modenese had rendered homage to their native son, applauding out of respect when Pavarotti’s casket was brought to the cathedral on Thursday for public viewing. Tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” while the Rossini Chorus performed hymns throughout the service, which was celebrated by Modena Archbishop Benito Cocchi and 18 other priests.īulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska, a fellow Modena resident who had worked with Pavarotti, cried as she sang the “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s “Otello” as the ceremony began. He was 71 and was beloved by generations of opera-goers and pop fans alike for his breathtaking high “Cs” and his hearty renditions of folk songs like “O Sole Mio,” and popular tunes like “My Way.” Pavarotti died on Thursday in his home on Modena’s outskirts after battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year. I will hold you dear to my child’s heart every tomorrow,” it said. “Papa, you have loved me so much, I know you will always protect me. Also invited were Stephane Lissner, general manager of Milan’s La Scala Opera House, where Pavarotti appeared 140 times, once receiving boos and the Metropolitan Opera’s former general manager Joe Volpe.Ī message from Pavarotti’s 4-year-old daughter, Alice, was read out during the service as Mantovani sobbed. Sitting nearby were Pavarotti’s three daughters from his first marriage.Īlso on hand were the Italian premier, Romano Prodi, U2 lead singer Bono, film director Franco Zeffirelli and former U.N. Pavarotti’s white maple casket, covered in sunflowers - his favorite - lay before the altar during the service, with his wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, looking on.
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Italy’s air force precision flying team flew over the cathedral at the end of the service, releasing red, white and green smoke in the colors of the Italian flag. Thousands watched the invitation-only service from a huge television screen erected in Modena’s main piazza, where a recording of the tenor’s most famous works had boomed out during two days of public viewing. The duet was one of the most poignant moments of the funeral, which began with a moving rendition of Verdi’s “Ave Maria” and a message of condolences from Pope Benedict XVI saying Pavarotti had “honored the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent.”
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Guests gave the tenor one last standing ovation when “Panis Angelicus,” the 1978 duet Pavarotti sang with his father, Fernando, inside Modena’s Duomo came to a close. Luciano Pavarotti’s voice rang out a final time Saturday inside Modena’s cathedral, as a recording of the great tenor singing with his father highlighted a funeral attended by family, dignitaries and close friends.