VARIOUS: As Italy prepares to bury Luciano Pavarotti, the music world reflects on the loss of great talent

The coffin of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti arrives at the cathedral in his hometown, where he will lie in state until his funeral on Saturday. In the meantime, music greats from across the industry pay tribute to the tenor. As night fell on Thursday evening (September 6) the coffin of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti was placed in the cathedral of his hometown Modena to lie in state. Applause rang out from residents who gathered to watch the solemn process in a traditional Italian show of respect for the dead. In the meantime, tributes to the great man came from around the music world - from opera divas to rock musicians. Opera diva, soprano Montserrat Caballe sang and recorded often with Pavarotti, but remembers him more as a friend. She said when she was ill, the tenor rang her often to ensure her recovery: "It is very sad for opera lovers, very sad for the lovers of lyrical music and very sad for his family, but also very sad for his friends," she said. "I count myself as a friend of Luciano. I have sung many times with him but I remember more him as a person than his voice.. We worked happily together but I remember him very much as human person," she said. The United States flag flew half mast outside the Metropolitan Opera. Luciano Pavarotti performed more times at New York's famous opera house, than anywhere else in the world. A day after his death, the Met staff and opera fans mourned the tenor's passing. His "was one of the most gorgeous voices anyone had," an archivist said. "And that always maintained a very high level." From the other end of the music spectrum Roxy Music Guitarist Phil Manzanera paid tribute to Pavarotti's talent: "He had a certain tone in his voice which just communicated, has a resonance with people regardless of whether you like classical music or opera or not. You could feel something special in the tone of his voice and it just came across the airwaves whether it was live or on record," he said. Pink Floyd Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour said his death was a "great" and "sad loss".

ITN Source | September 12, 2007

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