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Luciano Pavarotti: a
great loss for the whole world
by Luigia Storti
It was on
the notes of Puccini's "Nessun dorma" aria that Luciano
Pavarotti's funeral ceremony ended this afternoon. In the
square in front of the cathedral of Modena, Pavarotti's
hometown, more than 50.000 persons who followed the service
from two big screens were waiting for the coffin to be taken
out of the church to pay homage to the great tenor. And it
was on the notes of the end of the aria, the famous "Vinceṛ"
passage, that the sky was filled with the colours of the
Italian flag. The "Frecce Tricolore," the Italian Air Force
Acrobatic Flight Team, that always use this aria to conclude
their exhibitions were saying in that way the last good-bye
to Big Luciano in behalf of all Italians.
The funeral
ceremony was touching. The eleventh century cathedral
dedicated to San Geminiano was crowded. Around the coffin,
covered with white and red roses, red anthurium and
sunflowers, relatives, friends, artists, politicians and
common people listened to soprano Raina Kabaivanska
introducing the religious service singing Verdi's "Ave
Maria." Touching were also the words of the Archbishop of
Modena, Mgr. Benito Cocchi who commemorated Luciano
Pavarotti's artistic and human greatness and who read Pope
Benedict XVI's words about the tenor: "a great artist who
was honoured with the Divine gift of music." Deep-felt was
tenor Andrea Bocelli's interpretation of Mozart's "Ave Verum
Corpus" but when in the church resounded the melody of
Frank's "Panis Angelicus" in a recorded version sung by
Pavarotti himself together with his father Fernando, who was
a baker and an amateur tenor who made his son love opera,
the composed sorrow of all the people attending the ceremony
became tears and a five minutes long standing ovation.
Since two
days ago, when the media gave the news of Pavarotti's death,
something strange happened in Italy. From the open windows,
the doors of the shops, the cars passing by, classical
musical notes could be heard. Since then the smooth harmony
of his voice has become the soundtrack of our days. The
notes of Verdi's "Celeste Aida" aria reminded us the great
loss that his death represents for Italy, and for the whole
world too. Pavarotti was "Big Luciano" not only for his
mole, his coloured big scarves or the white handkerchief he
used to keep in his hand while singing, for his tipically
italian love for good food, women, football and Ferrari.
He was
great because he was also able to make people who didn't
know opera love it. He took the "bella musica" out from the
opera houses and was criticized for this, but it was because
he accepted to sing old and new popular, rock and pop songs
alternated to the most famous opera arias that many of us
had to chance to appreciate the musicality of Verdi, Puccini
and all the other Maestros who made the history of opera
art.
He was
great also because he spent time and energies organizing
concerts, the worldwide famous "Pavarotti and friends" the
aim of which was to raise money for charity as it was, for
example, in May 2003 when the "S.O.S. Iraq" concert raised
money for UNHCR helping Iraqi families living in Iran as
refugees and wishing to go back to their country.
The whole
world, and especially we, as italians, will never forget Big
Luciano.
How could
we forget his "Vinceṛ" during the opening ceremony of
"Italia 90" world football championship? How could we forget
his last public exhibition, on the 15 of February 2006, when
on a stage framed by red curtains and lighted with a huge
crystal chandelier and the glare of the olympic flame he
concluded the opening ceremony of Torino Olimpic Winter
Games? It was again "Vinceṛ." His voice was still clear,
perfect, no one could say by then that in a few months he
was going to discover to suffer from the pancreatic cancer
that in the end killed him.
It is
reported that 100.000 persons, Italians but also foreigners
who came here on purpose or were here for work or tourism,
paid homage to Big Luciano visiting his funeral chamber to
see his remains dressed in a stage tail-coat and a colured
scarf and with a silver rosary in his hands.
"World is
poorer since today. These are the most heard words that
accompanied the past mourning days. The Cathedral of Modena,
as UNESCO proclaimed "World Heritage Site" was the right
place to celebrate the farewell to Luciano Pavarotti, a
great artist, a great man, himself a "World Heritage."
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