Hitting the high notes in BA

I could swear it was him: Pavarotti.
But no, he’s dead – or at least the flesh and blood of the man is dead. And Buenos Aires’ opera house closed in 2006 for renovations. Still, as I passed by the Teatro Colón late one night, something beckoned.
The doors are closed for now, though, at least until 2010. Too bad for those of us visiting Argentina: You need not be an opera lover to savor the Colón’s grandeur and mystery. The house opened in 1908 and has been on everyone’s short list of the world’s greatest ever since.
How to describe even a temporary closing? Search for “the saddest word you can find,” says my friend Lidia, a porteña who is an authentic opera expert.
Last night, this norteamericano got to continue his fledgling operatic education at a free Puccini recital at the Teatro Nacional Cervantes, a block away from the Colón. The Argentine tenor Dario Volonté, whose interpretation of “Nessun Dorma” is considered one of the best in recent years, according to the program notes, brought the crowd to a magical place.
I could only imagine what it would have been like at the Teatro Colón.
You can learn more about the opera house here and see inside the Colón via the video above (in Spanish) about the restoration project.
Posted by John P. Harrington, Globe staff