Luciano Pavarotti has received a special achievement award for raising £5 million for the war children of Bosnia.
Pavarotti was presented with the prize by fellow opera star Kiri Te Kanawa at the annual Gramophone Awards last night. Proceeds from his charity albums recorded with singers like Elton John and Liza Minelli went to the aid organisation War Child, started in 1991 by two cameramen shocked by what they saw in the war in former Yugoslavia.
At the awards ceremony at London's Alexandra Palace, a lifetime achievement prize was presented by Sir Edward Heath to Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this year.
Pavarotti handed out the award for the record of the year to Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna for their recording of Puccini's La Rondine. Paris-born cellist Yo-Yo Ma received the artist of the year award from Isaac Stern.