OT: Pavarotti Has Died

Pavarotti story

Way back in the late 70's/early 80's my dad developed a passion for Pavarotti, completely out of the blue. One fine morning, he wakes up (around 6 AM) and decides we all need to be up too, including my then boyfriend who is sleeping in the living room - where the stereo is. One goes the Pavarotti album and the volume is on 11 (Spinal Tap joke). Luciano sings "Finculi -

Aieressera, oì nè, me ne sagliette, tu saie addò? Addò 'stu core 'ngrato cchiù dispietto farme nun pò! Addò lo fuoco coce, ma si fuie te lassa sta! E nun te corre appriesso, nun te struie, 'ncielo a guardà!... Jammo 'ncoppa, jammo jà, funiculì,

Funi-ripppppppppp

As the speaker cones shred from being overdriven...

Dad did not understand why we thought that was poetic justice..

My Pavarotti story

Our firm was having an all-office Christmas party, with each office responsible to provide a few minutes entertainment. One office played snippets of Christmas music and gave prizes for naming the singer.

My boss, who (a) was not an opera fan and (b) mispronounced everything, recognized Pavarotti. I'm not sure if we were more surprised that he knew who it was, or that he pronounced the name correctly. (Now, then, if you can pronounce Pavarotti, why can't you handle "inoculate"?)

Because he's heard Pavarotti pronounced, but not inoculate; he may have read the word, known the meaning, but not pronoucation. I'd have been likely to accent the word as "ino" "culate" not "in" "ocu" "late" before learning to read the guide in the dictionary.

Not even close. He "illuminated" children against measles.

But you may be right, he probably heard Pavarotti more than he saw it in print.

Wonder where that came from....I'd bet good money that has an interesting backstory.

Or - heard and saw it (like a subtitle) on TV... Cheryl

One hates to think how George Bush would have mangled it!!!

Pat

He couldn't pronounce anything properly. Every time the office manager tried farming out his dictation, I'd wind up gathering all the tapes and taking them back to my desk because I was spending so much time running around translating that it was faster to do them myself.

Very time I heard him sing my eyes would tear up. He WILL be missed.

Fred

OTOH I much prefer Placido Domingo who is not a vain, tempermental man. After the Mexican earthquake he took a year away from music to go and help (help as in getting dirty and doing muscle work) because he spent much of his youth in Mexico. Apart from anything else, instead of petulance he has sex appeal. The Spanish Stallion rules lol

Our local newscasters (DH and DW) mentioned that they had interviewed Pavarotti and he struck them as a nice guy "not a prima donna in the least".

OK, Darla, I'll nitpick, that it is impossible for a man to be a prima DONNA under any circumstances....

Apart from anything else,

Since I come from a looooong line of hombres who LISTEN to tenors versus SLEEPING with them I beg to differ.

Fred

He was known for throwing tantrums about dressing rooms, accommodations, other singers, you name it. IIRC he once stood the Met up about some trivial matter. If not prima donna, a man with an over inflated idea of his importance. Not to mention, one of the silly ones who left a wife and mother of his children for a bimbo.

Unfortunately I can't say I have had any luck with the SS but he sure is easy on the eye ! You will have to admit Pavarotti was a big blob by comparison.