Officials hail late soprano Daniela Dessì

(ANSA) - Genoa, August 22 - Genoa Mayor Marco Doria on Monday lamented the death of renowned soprano Daniela Dessì, who passed away of a sudden illness on Saturday aged 59.
    "The opera world has suffered a very grave loss, as has our city where Dessì was born and in which she made her debut at a very young age," said Doria. "The city of Genoa will always preserve the memory of an extraordinarily beautiful voice and of a lyrical artist who was among the most talented and appreciated on the national and world stages".
    Also on Monday, the Siena-based Chigiana Musical Academy where the late soprano studied expressed "deepest sadness at the sudden loss" of Dessì.
    "Her voice and her magnificent interpretations will always remain in our memory".
    "We have lost a sublime artist, a devoted mother, a magnificent woman, a shining star," her life partner, tenor Fabio Armilato, said Sunday at a clinic in the city of Brescia where he and son Jacopo stood by Dessì until the end.
    Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said her "many interpretations and vast repertory gave luster and prestige to the tradition of Italian opera worldwide".
    Described by some as the greatest soprano of the last 20 years, Dessì has worked with the greatest conductors - including Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, and Riccardo Muti - conquering La Scala and New York's Metropolitan Opera Theater.
    Her funeral takes place tomorrow at Brescia's cathedral.