HE'S SUNG:

Pavarotti Dies a Final Time at the Met (ALLAN KOZINN, 3/14/04, NY Times)

Luciano Pavarotti offered his farewell to the opera stage with a performance of Puccini's "Tosca'' last night at the Metropolitan Opera, and when the curtain fell on the third act, the packed house gave him a 15-minute standing ovation, including several minutes of insistent rhythmic clapping when it appeared that he would not return to the stage.

There was, surprisingly, neither the tossing of bouquets or the rain of program-book confetti that often occurs on such occasions. But after the third of 10 curtain calls, a large red and white banner on the second tier was unfurled and spotlighted. It read, ``We Love You Luciano,'' with a heart-shaped "o'' in "Love.'' The banner was from the Met.

The performance was the 68-year old tenor's 379th at the Met since his debut in 1968. Of those, 357 were in full-fledged opera productions; the rest were in galas (which often include operatic scenes and arias), special concerts and recitals. Of his operatic appearances, 61 were of the doomed painter Mario Cavaradossi, the hero of "Tosca.'' He also sang the role at the Met last Saturday and on Wednesday.

To paraphrase Richard Nixon: You won't have Pavarotti to orbit around anymore.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 14, 2004 1:13 PM