Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at age 71
Nessun Dorma

    Luciano Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since Caruso and one of the few opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71.

    His manager, Terri Robson, told the AP in an e-mailed statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5 a.m. local time. Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August.

    "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," the statement said.

    Pavarotti's assistant Edwin Tinoco told Sky TG 24 television that Pavarotti's final days had been calm and spent at home.

    For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his charismatic performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.

    In fact, "Nessun Dorma" was Pavarotti's last performance, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in February 2006. His farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004.

    It was the second monumental loss in the opera world in recent months. American soprano Beverly Sills died July 2 at her home in New York. She was 78 and suffered from cancer.

    "Pavarotti is the biggest superstar of all," the late New York Times music critic Harold Schonberg once said.

    In his heyday, he was known as the "King of the High C's" for the ease with which he tossed off difficult top notes.

    Pavarotti starred in a film called "Yes, Giorgio" and he wrote an autobiography, "I, Luciano Pavarotti."

    Just this week, the Italian government honored him with an award for "excellence in Italian culture".

    In his final statement, Pavarotti said the award gave him "the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life dedicated to the arts and it fills me with pride and joy to have been able to promote my magnificent country abroad."

    Pavarotti had three daughters with his first wife, Lorenza, Cristina and Giuliana; and one, Alice, with his second wife.

    At his side when he died were his wife, Nicoletta; his four daughters; his sister, Gabriela; his nephews and close relatives and friends, Robson said.

【翻译】
世界著名男高音歌唱家卢奇亚诺·帕瓦罗蒂于本周四逝世，享年71岁。帕瓦罗蒂凭借其激昂的“高音C”及热情洋溢的演唱成为继卡卢索之后最受人们爱戴和最著名的男高音歌唱家，并成为20世纪晚期最负盛名的几位歌剧大师之一。

    帕瓦罗蒂的经纪人特里·罗宾逊通过电子邮件给美联社发了一份声明，称帕瓦罗蒂已于当地时间本周四凌晨5点在意大利摩德纳的家中去世。去年，帕瓦罗蒂被诊断出患有胰腺癌，并于上个月接受了进一步治疗。

    声明中说：“大师与病魔进行了长期、艰苦的斗争，但最终被病魔夺去了生命。大师在患病期间，始终保持着他一贯的对待人生和事业的乐观态度，直到生命的最后阶段。”

    帕瓦罗蒂的助手埃德文·蒂诺克向“天空TG 24”电视台透露，帕瓦罗蒂在自己的家中平静地度过了最后的日子。

    对于专业乐迷来说，帕瓦罗蒂以他自然美妙和的令人激动的嗓音完美演绎了意大利歌剧，尤其在上世纪六七十年代，当时的帕瓦罗蒂在歌剧舞台上一举成名。而对于更广大的乐迷来说，帕瓦罗蒂精彩演绎的普契尼著名歌剧《图兰朵》中的咏叹调《今夜无人入睡》则是对歌剧真正内涵的最好诠释。

    帕瓦罗蒂去年2月在意大利都灵冬奥会开幕式上演唱了这首《今夜无人入睡》，这也是他最后一次公开演唱。2004年3月，帕瓦罗蒂在纽约大都会剧院演唱了普契尼的《托斯卡》，由此正式告别歌剧舞台。

    帕瓦罗蒂的逝世是近几个月来歌剧界的又一重大损失。7月2日，美国女高音歌唱家贝弗莉?希尔斯因患癌症在纽约的家中去世，享年78岁。

    《纽约时报》乐评人哈罗尔德?施恩伯格曾说：“帕瓦罗蒂是最负盛名的巨星级歌唱家。”

    帕瓦罗蒂在其演唱生涯的巅峰时期，凭借着对高难度高音举重若轻的把握被誉为“高音C之王”。

    帕瓦罗蒂曾出演过电影《卿卿佳人》，并撰写过一本自传《帕瓦罗蒂的世界》。

    就在本周，意大利G0vern.ment授予帕瓦罗蒂“意大利文化卓越贡献”奖。

    帕瓦罗蒂在最后的声明中说，这一奖项给了他“继续享受其艺术生命的机会”，他为自己能将祖国的辉煌文化推向世界感到十分自豪和欣慰。”

    帕瓦罗蒂与第一个妻子育有三个女儿，罗伦萨、克里斯蒂娜和古丽亚娜；与现任妻子生了一个女儿，爱丽丝。

    据罗宾逊透露，帕瓦罗蒂去世时，他的妻子妮可丽塔、四个女儿、妹妹加布丽拉以及他的侄子和亲朋好友都陪伴在他的身边。（英语点津姗姗编辑）

上帝亲吻过的嗓音，真是可惜了
但是他的遗产可能还是会上演另外一起悲剧