Pavorotti has died and other news.......

ROME (Sept. 6) - Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's. Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.
His wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among family and friends at his side, manager Terri Robson said. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer," Robson said. "In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness."

Pavarotti's charismatic personna and ebullient showmanship - but most of all his creamy and powerful voice - made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since the great Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar. "He has been, of course, one of the greatest tenors ever, one of the most important singers in the history of opera," colleague Jose Carreras told reporters in Germany. "We all hoped for a miracle ... but unfortunately that was not possible, and now we have to regret that we lost a wonderful singer and a great man."

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 thrilling performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about. "Nessun Dorma" turned out to be Pavarotti's last aria, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006. His last full-scale concert was at Taipei in December 2005, and his farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004. Instantly recognizable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth, Pavarotti radiated an intangible magic that helped him win hearts in a way Placido Domingo and Carreras - his partners in the "Three Tenors" concerts - never quite could.

"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles. Pavarotti, who seemed equally at ease singing with soprano Joan Sutherland as with the Spice Girls, scoffed at accusations that he was sacrificing his art in favor of commercialism.

"The word 'commercial' is exactly what we want," he said after appearing in the "Three Tenors" concerts. "We've reached 1.5 billion people with opera. If you want to use the word 'commercial,' or something more derogatory, we don't care. Use whatever you want." In the annals of that rare and coddled breed, the operatic tenor, it may well be said the 20th century began with Enrico Caruso and ended with Pavarotti. Other tenors - Domingo included - may have drawn more praise from critics for their artistic range and insights, but none could equal the combination of natural talent and personal charm that so endeared Pavarotti to audiences.



Well gang with the sad news of Pavorotti another great voice is lost and to a large degree I wished I had taken the time to see him in concert, well I guess somethings are not meant to be.

I wanted to share a note I got from a very dear friend of mine about some of the posts I have done in this blog, and especially if anyone else is feeling what I have been the last few months at all. Her name is Christina and she has been battling cancer for some time now, and has actually been be ridden for over a year.

Christina writes--- "It is about what you are experiencing. Charlie there is a book called The Collected works of St.John of The Cross. You should get a copy and read it. What you are going through is called "the dark night of the soul".

When people reach a higher level of faith (than most people experience) God calls them to journey on a dark path where they do not feel Him and they go through many trials where he refines them to His image.I can tell you that the feeling you are experiencing of loneliness, emptiness, and separation from God are part of this dark night. He has not forgotten you or left you.

He actually trusts you at this point in your faith, that like a parent letting a young adult get more freedom without them, He has given you that freedom. That is why you don't feel him. You probably won't for the rest of your life. Because the closer you get, the less you will feel him. Mother Theresa felt this same "dark night of the soul"."

First of all thank you Christina for the lovely note and then taking time to talk to me on the phone as well, it meant so much just being able to talk with you. I go Friday to get the stint removed and I am hoping the worst of it is behind me and that recovery will go little faster than it has so far, while the burning feeling and frequency will also diminish. Well today's blog is running rather lenghty so I guess I will close for now---Keeping you in my thoughts.

Charlie

EXPRESS YOURSELF--do it today