Opera's Loss - Off-Topic

Normally I try to keep up with news from the world of opera, but I missed one event early in September: the shocking death of Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra in a scooter accident in Sicily. I only learned about it on Saturday when the latest issue of Opera News arrived. Though I am not certain what happened, according to the article he suffered a stroke and then lost control of the scooter. He smashed against a wall and sustained serious head injuries, but I don't know if the injuries killed him or the stroke. He entered a coma for a couple of days before dying at age 43, and at the height of his career. The New York Times has his obituary.

Despite his obvious talent, some critics and opera-goers were not always pleased. At his best he was very good, but he had some vocal problems. The video below features the beautiful French aria "Je crois entendre encore", sung here in Italian, from the opera The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet. The person who uploaded the aria used illustrations by Salvador Dali as a backdrop. It took a while for me to acclimate myself to the strange and often garish images that clash with the exquisite melody, but I finally decided the video had merit. This is Licitra at his best.