Giulietta Simionato, Opera Star, Dies at 99

Emily Langer, a Post reporter who frequently contributes to the obituaries section, writes:

Giulietta Simionato, 99, one of the finest Italian opera singers of the 20th century, died today in Rome.

She was a "legend in her own time," said Roger Pines, dramaturg of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a few moments ago on the phone. "That's a very overused phrase, but you can definitely apply it to her."

We'll have a full obituary later. In the meantime, here is Ms. Simionato singing the aria "Che faro' senza Euridice" ("What will I do without Eurydice?") from Gluck's opera based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It's the wrenching story of Orpheus's efforts to reclaim his wife, Eurydice, from the afterlife. This opera, and this song in particular, convey as well as any other piece of art the grief that comes when a loved one dies.