A Great Loss: Luciano Pavarotti passes away at the age of 71

The News.

這位歌劇巨星因為胰臟癌去逝。我的阿姨十年前也因為胰臟癌去逝。有醫生說過，胰臟癌末期的病患很難活超過八個月。

我記得我第一次聽到Pavarotti唱歌是我幼稚園的時候。我當時還住在紐約，而紐約的公共電視非常喜歡播放 "三大男高音" 的表演。我記得我被他們的聲音深深的感動，甚至在洗澡間，邊洗邊模仿。

這非常有趣:

.....what appears to have been a normal childhood with a typical interest in sports — in Pavarotti's case soccer above all — he graduated from the Schola Magistrale and faced the dilemma of a career choice. He was interested in pursuing a career as a professional soccer player, but his mother convinced him to train as a teacher. He subsequently taught in an elementary school for two years but finally allowed his interest in music to win out.

During his years of study Pavarotti held part-time jobs in order to help sustain himself — first as an elementary school teacher and then, when he failed at that, as an insurance salesman.

我們應該很慶幸，他選擇了音樂這條路!