Cesare Siepi (Cesare Siepi) |

Cesare Siepi

He made his debut in 1941 (Venice, part of Sparafucile in Rigoletto). In 1943 he emigrated to Switzerland as a member of the Resistance. Again on stage since 1945. Successfully sang the part of Zechariah in Venice (1945), La Scala (1946). He performed the part of Mephistopheles in Boito’s opera of the same name conducted by Toscanini at a performance dedicated to the memory of the composer (1948). In 1950-74 he was a soloist at the Metropolitan Opera (debut as Philip II). Among the best parts of the singer is Don Juan. He repeatedly performed this part at the Salzburg Festival (1953-56), including under the baton of Furtwängler (this production was filmed). He performed at Covent Garden in 1950 and 1962-73. In 1959 he performed the role of Mephistopheles at the Arena di Verona festival. He also performed at this festival in 1980 as Ramfis in Aida. In 1978 he performed for the last time at La Scala (Fiesco in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra).

Among the parties are also Boris Godunov, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Gurnemanz in Parsifal and others. In 1985, in Parma, he performed the part of Roger in Verdi’s Jerusalem (second version of the opera Lombards in the First Crusade). In 1994 he sang Orovesa in a concert performance of “Norma” in Vienna. Among the recordings of the part of Mephistopheles in the opera are Boito (conductor Serafin, Decca), Philip II (conductor Molinari-Pradelli, Foyer), Don Giovanni (conductor Mitropoulos, Sony). One of the leading Italian singers of the mid-XNUMXth century.

E. Tsodokov