La calunnia cesare siepi biography

There are some singers that grab a hold of you from the very first time you hear them, turn you into a rabid fan, inform you of art at the highest level as you know it, and mark you for life. I clearly remember the day I first heard the voice of Cesare Siepi. 

In 1984, the then-new recorded format of the CD revolution was already firmly under way. Music shops were beginning to issue massive bins full of LP cutouts. Operatic treasures for a few bucks. Having begun my opera-listening career full-force the previous year, and spending practically all my extra money on collecting recordings, the LP cutouts gave me the opportunity to have more, for less.

Many’s the time I didn’t even know the artist or the work I was buying; I often took a “Hmm, this looks interesting” approach, and would just take chances on a purchase.

The album I selected at Discount Records on this particular shopping day was Siepi’s 1954 operatic recital, which was then issued in London/Decca’s low budget Treasu

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Cesare Siepi

Cesare Siepi (10 February 1923 – 5 July 2010) was an Italian opera singer, generally considered to have been one of the finest basses of the post-war period. His voice was characterised by a deep, warm timbre, a full, resonant, wide-ranging lower register with relaxed vibrato, and a ringing, vibrant upper register. Although renowned as a Verdian bass, his tall, striking presence and the elegance of phrasing made him a natural for the role of Don Giovanni. He can be seen in that role on a famous 1954 film of the opera made during an edition of the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Wilhelm Furtwängler.

Born in Milan (his year of birth is debated between 1919 and 1923, though 1923 is given as official), he began singing as a member of a madrigal group. He often claimed to have been largely self-taught, having attended the music conservatory in his home city for just a short time. His operatic career was interrupted by World War II. After his deb

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Group: rec.music.opera Date: Fri, May 7, 2004, 2:10pm (EDT+4) From:
***@aol.com (Adlerfh)

The great basso when inom first started to go to the Met during the 1960s
was Cesare Siepi, often neglected or overlooked in RMO discussions.

More than any other basso in the postwar period, he stood on the same
ground as Chaliapin and Pinza. Without taking anything away from
Ghiaurov or Ramy, both of whom I saw in their prime, and who gave
unforgettable performances, Siepi was in a class by himself.

He produced a huge tower of melifluous sound, always delivered with
impeccable taste and noble refinement. It was a broader, expansive voice
that cut through even thick Verdian orchestration without pushing, as
one would expect from a true basso, not a higher, more brilliantly
pointed voice. It is the same difference one could hear in baritones,
comparing, for example, Warren's top with that of Milnes at his very
best (I'm thinking of the Prologue from Pagliacci).

And yet Siepi was also