Cesare Siepi (February 10th, 1923 - ) is generally considered one of the finest operatic basses of the post-war period. His voice was characterised by a deep, warm timbre, and a ringing, vibrant upper register. On stage, his tall, striking presence and his great elegance of phrasing made him a natural Don Giovanni, among his many other roles. Image File history File links CesareSiepi_DonGiovanni. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bass can refer to many different things. ... Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ...

Early career

Born in Milan, he began singing as a member of a Madrigal group. He often claimed to be largely self-taught, having attended the Conservatory of Music in his home city for just a short time. His operatic career was interrupted by World War II. After his debut in 1941 (in Schio, near Venice, as Sparafucile in Rigoletto) Siepi, an opponent of the fascist regime, fled to Switzerland. Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... Madrigal may refer to: Madrigal, Spain Trecento-Madrigal, a musical form of the 13th and 14th centuries Madrigal (music), an unrelated musical form of the 16th and 17th centuries Madrigal (literature) Madrigal may also be: A city in the computer game Myth The fictional character Anna Madrigal from Armistead Maupin... Rigoletto is the name of an opera and a film, which are unrelated. ...

After the end of the, war his career immediately took off. Success as Zaccaria in Nabucco at La Fenice in Venice was followed by the first of many engagements at La Scala, Milan. His early engagements there were in the Verdi bass roles, the title role in Boito's Mefistofele under Arturo Toscanini, as Colline in La Boheme, and in La Gioconda, La Favorita, and I Puritani. Teatro La Fenice (the phoenix) is an opera house in Venice, Italy. ... La Scala This article is about the opera house. ... VERDI is an acronym for the Italian unification movement, named after the composer Giuseppe Verdi (ardent supporter of the movement) VERDI stands for Vittorio Emmanuelle, Re D Italia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy) Categories: Historical stubs ... Arrigo Boito (February 24, 1842 – June 10, 1918) was an Italian poet, novelist and composer, best known today for his opera libretti and his own opera, Mefistofele. ... Arturo Toscanini was featured on the cover of Time magazine on April 26, 1948 Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was considered by many of his contemporaries — critics, fellow musicians, and the public alike — as the greatest conductor of his era. ... La Bohème, French for The Bohemian Life, is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on La Vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. ...

International success

His international reputation was established in 1950, when Rudoloph Bing brought him to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to open the 1950 season as King Philipp in Don Carlos. He was to remain principal bass at the MET until 1974, adding roles such as Boris Gudunov (in English) and Gurnemanz in Parsifal (in German), and singing all the major roles of the bass repertoire. A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ... Don Carlos is an opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi to a French libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller. ... Boris Godunov Boris Fyodorovitch Godunov (Бори́с Фёдорович Годуно́в) (c. ... Amalie Maternam Emil Scaria and Hermann Winkelmann in the 1882 premiere production of Parsifal Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. ...

His also gave his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1950, and appeared there regularly until the mid 1970s. He made an immediate impact at the Salzburg Festival in the title role of Don Giovanni, which became perhaps his best known role, as it had been for the most famous Italian bass of the generation before, Ezio Pinza. The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Covent Garden is a shopping and entertainment complex in central London. ... Ezio Pinza The Italian bass Ezio Pinza (18 May 1892 - 9 May 1957) was one of the outstanding opera singers of the first half of the 20th century. ...

Siepi enjoyed a long career, and performed regularly until the early 1980s. In addition to his many studio recordings, there are also many live recordings of performances of his major roles.