There are many talented people in the world. In fact, everybody has a talent of some sort. Some of us develop our talent to exceptional standards and become well known in our field. Others never get a chance to further their talents.
However, every now and then there is such a talent that is blessed with an extra sparkle that lifts this talent to extraordinary heights. It is a combination of a gift, extreme hard work and dedication from an early age and a personality that lights up everything and everybody around them. Such a talent was Luciano Pavarotti.
It is with great sadness that the music loving world has heard of Pavarotti’s death this morning. Blessed with a distinctive wonderful tenor voice he probably did more than anybody else in the history of classical music to introduce the world to opera. He was a true cross-over artist who performed with the best orchestras and with U2 amongst others. His performance of the aria ‘Nessun Dorma’ became the theme song of the BBC TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It became a pop hit.
His performances as part of the Three Tenors, with Domingo and Carreras, attracted huge audiences. He was the first in 1991, to bring a televised classical concert to Hyde Park playing to around 150 000 people in the pouring rain. His favourite fan in the front row, Princess Di, beaming up at him. In 1993 he drew more than half a million listeners to the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park. The performance was followed by millions on TV.
He was a passionate humanitarian. He hosted an annual ‘Pavarotti and Friends’ concert in his home town of Modena in Italy to raise funds for several worthwhile UN causes. He supported War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in various parts of the world including Bosnia and Iraq. In recognition for his work he received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees. He used his fame to support the UN and became a Messenger of Peace.
He was a larger than life personality and figure. A distinctive voice that one could identify within a few bars, he managed to interpret the music he sang in such a way and with huge passion, that it touched the hearts and minds of his listeners, no matter whether they were opera fans or not.
Despite all the fame, he somehow managed to keep ‘the common touch’ singing to his audience as if one of them. I think that that is what he will be remembered for mostly and what has made his passing today such a sad occasion.
Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK, having moved across from South Africa just over a year ago.
She now looks after the business interests of her daughter who is a Flash Developer and Accessibility expert. She started a blog at the beginning of the year under the heading of chatting to my generation. Although she is chatting to the baby boomer generation, she sometimes feels that all generations have the same issues to face, they just don't have hearing aids or walking sticks!
One of her pet peeves is the war in Iraq and in fact anything that causes innocent people to get hurt. But she also loves tech stuff, although only as an amateur. She considers herself a Silver Surfer Gadget Geek. She is even considering queuing for an iPhone in the UK later on in the year. But her daughter has offered, so she will only be taking hot food to the Brighton Geeks waiting in line.
Her musings may be found on http://www.anjamerret.com Her observations on personal power and self-development may be found on http://www.pinkblocks.com
Source: www.isnare.com
