Nessun dorma ... One Now Sleeps

Driving into work this morning I heard the news that opera singer Luciano Pavarotti died last night at his home in Italy of complications from pancreatic cancer.

I'm not sad because I believe that the ending of a well-lived life is cause for celebration, not mourning (and by all accounts Pavarotti lived well). I am, however, reflective this morning because someone who did something truly amazing is no longer with us. Opera-wise, the 20th Century was ushered in by Enrico Caruso and completed by Pavarotti.

I saw and heard him sing in 2002 during a concert in Washington DC. In a way it was a rare privilege because out of the more than six billion people on this planet, only a fraction ever gets the chance to be personally inspired the way Pavarotti and his voice were so exceptionally capable of doing. In my experience, the inspiration of seeing him sing came freely; i.e. without strings attached and I've noticed that inspiration these days more often than not carries a price.

While I can revisit his music regularly, I also can’t help but consider that the world is now a tiny bit less beautiful as a result of his death.

His singing was simply goddamned glorious.

"E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir."