Classical Music

(Newser) - Armed ballerinas and a song by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin today celebrate the opening of Beijing's controversial National Grand Theater, a $360 million modern arts complex built in the shadow of the Forbidden City. The Red Detachment of Women , however, is a traditional touch—it's one of eight plays permitted under the watchful eye of Mao's wife, reports the Guardian. More »

(Newser) - Pavarotti’s obits called him “King of the High C’s,” a nickname he earned for hitting a note that many tenors have to fake in falsetto. “It’s the absolute summit of technique,” says a coach. “More than anywhere else in your voice, you have to know what you’re doing.” The alluring note has made and ended operatic careers, and even helped drive one star to suicide, the New York Times reports. More »

(Newser) - Modena's main piazza was filled with throngs of Luciano Pavarotti fans today as invited mourners gathered at the cathedral for the tenor's funeral. The service, which was shown on huge screens in the piazza and broadcast live, was attended by an ecclectic group of dignitaries and artists with whom the opera star had collaborated, including former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U2 lead singer Bono. More »

(Newser) - Thousands lined up today to pay respects to opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti at the cathedral in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Though the tenor's family wants a private funeral tomorrow, an international array of celebrities and fans–among them Bono, Andrea Bocelli, and Kofi Annan–are planning to attend, Reuters reports. The tenor died of cancer yesterday at age 71. More »

(Newser) - Placido Domingo is the better musician, but no other voice could match the late Luciano Pavarotti's, Anthony Tommasini writes in today's Times . The music critic looks at a career dotted with highs as lofty as the high Cs Pavarotti "tossed off" with "ease, pinging tone and utter glee" and concludes his take on Pavarotti's "Nessun dorma" with an unapologetic "Wow!" More »

(Newser) - Opera star Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of the last century, died early this morning of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his wife, sister and four daughters, in his hometown villa in Modena, Italy. He was 71. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle," said his manager. "Fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness." More »

(Newser) - It's not exactly  CSI , but the classical era now has its own forensic murder investigation. A new Austrian study has concluded that Ludwig von Beethoven died from overdoses of lead administered by his doctor with the intention of healing him. Beethoven suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, and that organ's absorption of the lead killed him. More »

(Newser) - Tenor Luciano Pavarotti has decided to extend his stay in the hospital a few more days, his wife said, saying the star feels “more tranquil” there and denying rumors that he had pneumonia. The opera luminary, who had surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2006, was hospitalized last week when a checkup revealed he had a fever. Doctors cleared him to go home yesterday. More »

(Newser) - American tenor Jerry Hadley suffered severe brain damage after shooting himself in the head with an air rifle outside his upstate New York home, the New York Times reports. The Grammy Award-winning opera star, 55, is on life support, and police are treating the case as an attempted suicide. Hadley's career was in decline. More »

(Newser) - Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti is recording songs for what could be his last album as the 71-year-old tenor battles pancreatic cancer. His elder daughter reportedly told a magazine that he "knows he will die soon," but later insisted her words had been twisted. Doctors discovered the cancer last summer during a break in the singer's farewell tour. More »

(Newser) - Soprano Beverly Sills, whose ebullient personality and brilliant singing