MUSIC

Pavarotti Pulls Out: Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who has been told by doctors to lose weight, has pulled out of Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, two weeks before opening night because of knee trouble. The singer may undergo exploratory surgery Sunday for an acute pain in his right knee that has left him virtually unable to walk, newspapers reported. Pavarotti said doctors have told him to rest for two weeks and not to return to the opera for two months. The late withdrawal caps an unfortunate Italian season for the tenor, who was jeered by Milan’s notoriously fickle opera fans after he reportedly fluffed some notes during a performance of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in December.