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{{short description|Italian opera singer}}
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'''Cesare Siepi''' (born ], ]) is an ] opera singer, generally considered to be one of the finest ] 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 ], among his many other roles.
'''Cesare Siepi''' (10 February 1923{{spaced ndash}}5 July 2010<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/9/Departments/Obituaries.html|title=Obituaries: The great Siepi dies at eighty-seven|journal=]|date=September 2010|volume=75|number=3|author=F. Paul Driscoll|access-date=2011-04-30|archive-date=2010-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223182923/http://operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/9/Departments/Obituaries.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>) was an Italian opera singer, generally considered to have been one of the finest ] 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 ] made him a natural for the role of ]. He can be seen in that role on ]'s 1954 film of the opera made during an edition of the Salzburg Festival under the baton of ].


== Early career== == Early career==
Born in ] (his year of birth is debated between 1919 and 1923, though 1923 is given as official), he began singing as a member of a ] 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 debut in 1941 (in Schio, near Vicenza, as Sparafucile in '']''), Siepi, an opponent of the fascist regime, fled to Switzerland.


After the end of the war his career immediately took off. Success as Zaccaria in '']'' at ] in Venice was followed by the first of many engagements at ], Milan. His early engagements there were in the ] bass roles, the title role in ]'s '']'' under ], as Colline in '']'', and in ], '']'', and '']''.
Born in ], he began singing as a member of a ] 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 '']'') Siepi, an opponent of the fascist regime, fled to Switzerland.

After the end of the war his career immediately took off. Success as Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'' at ] in Venice was followed by the first of many engagements at ], Milan. His early engagements there were in the ] bass roles, the title role in ]'s ''Mefistofele'' under ], as Colline in '']'', and in ''La Gioconda'', ''La Favorita'', and ''I Puritani''.


== International success== == International success==
Siepi debuted abroad in 1947, at the ] in ] in Donizetti's '']'', but his international reputation was established in 1950, when Sir ] brought him to the ] in New York to open the 1950 season as King Philip II in '']''. He was to remain principal bass at the Met until 1974, adding roles such as ] (in English) and Gurnemanz in '']'' (in German), and singing all the major roles of the bass repertoire.

His debut at the ], ], was in 1950, and he appeared there regularly until the mid-1970s.

In 1953, Siepi debuted at the ] with a legendary production of ''Don Giovanni'' conducted by ], staged by ], and designed by ]. He made an immediate impact in the title role of the opera, which became perhaps his best known role, as it had been for the most famous Italian bass of the generation before, ]. This performance has been released on CD, and a 1954 mounting of this production was filmed in color and released in 1955.

Siepi was a frequent guest at the ]. In 43 performances he sang Don Giovanni, more often than any other singer in modern times except for ]. In 1967 Siepi was Don Giovanni in a controversially received production staged by ] and designed by ] that showed Mozart's masterpiece in the light of the ], emphasizing the comic and ironic elements of this opera (conductor ] strongly opposed this production's concept). In Vienna he also sang Basilio ('']''), Colline ('']''), Fiesco ('']''), Figaro ('']''), Padre Guardiano ('']'' 1974 in a new production conducted by ]), Gurnemanz ('']''), Méphistophélès ('']''), Filippo II ('']''), and Ramphis ('']''). His final performance at Vienna was in Norma (Oroveso) at the Austria Center Vienna in 1994.

He was a particularly fine recital artist, especially in Community Concerts under Columbia Artist Management, and a sensitive interpreter of German Lieder. He married Met ballerina Louellen Sibley and they had two children.

Siepi enjoyed a long career, and performed regularly until the 1980s, including lead roles in the ill-fated Broadway musicals '']'' and '']''. In addition to his studio recordings, there are also many live recordings of performances of his major roles.

Siepi's formal farewell to the operatic stage occurred at the Teatro Carani in ] on 21 April 1989. Indeed, Capon's List shows live recordings made as late as 1988.

Siepi's last studio recording was as the old King Archibaldo in ]'s 1976 taping of ]'s '']'', with ] and ] in the cast.

Siepi died at Piedmont Hospital in ], ] on 5 July 2010 after suffering a stroke more than a week earlier.


== Repertoire ==
His international reputation was established in 1950, when ] brought him to the ] in New York to open the 1950 season as King Philip II in '']''. He was to remain principal bass at the Met until 1974, adding roles such as ] (in English) and Gurnemanz in '']'' (in German), and singing all the major roles of the bass repertoire.
{| class="wikitable" border="0" style="background:#ffffff" align="top" class="sortable wikitable"
|+ align="center" style="background:DarkSlateBlue; color:white" |<big>'''Operatic roles'''</big>
|-
! width="200 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black"|Role
! style="background:Lavender; color:Black"| Opera
! width="70 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black" |Composer
|-
|Conte Rodolfo || '']'' || ]
|-
|Oroveso || '']'' || Bellini
|-
|Sir Giorgio || '']'' || Bellini
|-
|Mefistofele || '']'' || ]
|-
|Enrico VIII || '']'' || ]
|-
|Raimondo Bidebent || '']'' || Donizetti
|-
|Marin Faliero || '']'' || Donizetti
|-
|Baldassarre || '']'' || Donizetti
|-
|Méphistophélès || '']'' || ]
|-
|Le Cardinal de Brogni || '']'' || ]
|-
|Giulio Cesare || '']'' || ]
|-
|Marcel || '']'' || ]
|-
|Archibaldo || '']'' || ]
|-
|Figaro || '']'' || ]
|-
|Don Giovanni<br>Leporello || '']'' || Mozart
|-
|Sarastro || '']'' || Mozart
|-
|Boris Godunov || '']'' || ]
|-
|Dosifei || '']'' || Mussorgsky
|-
|Alvise Badoero || '']'' || ]
|-
|Colline || '']'' || ]
|-
|Don Basilio || '']'' || ]
|-
|Mosè || '']'' || Rossini
|-
|Il vecchio ebreo || '']'' || ]
|-
|Lothario || '']'' || ]
|-
|Zaccaria || '']'' || ]
|-
|Don Ruy Gomez de Silva || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Attila || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Roger || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Sparafucile || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Giovanni da Procida || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Jacopo Fiesco || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Padre Guardiano || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Filippo II<br>Grande Inquisitore || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Ramfis || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Pistola || '']'' || Verdi
|-
|Pogner || '']'' || ]
|-
|Gurnemanz || '']'' || Wagner
|}


==References==
His also gave his debut at the ], ], 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, ].
{{reflist}}


==External links==
He was a particularly fine recital artist, especially in Community Concerts under Columbia Artist Management, and a sensitive interpreter of German Lieder. He married Met ballerina Luellen Sibley and they have two children.
* (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
*


== Videography ==
Siepi enjoyed a long career, and performed regularly until the early 1980s, including lead roles in the ill-fated Broadway musicals '']'' and '']''. In addition to his many studio recordings, there are also many live recordings of performances of his major roles. A dispute with the Met appears to have made the Met recordings that included Siepi unavailable for further release.
* Mozart: ''Don Giovanni'' (Grümmer, della Casa, Berger, Dermota, Edelmann; Furtwängler, Graf, 1954) VAI
* "Six Great Basses" Bel Canto Society


==See also==
]
*]
]
{{Authority control}}
]
]
]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Siepi, Cesare}}
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Latest revision as of 22:17, 6 August 2024

Italian opera singer
Siepi in 1951

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 Paul Czinner's 1954 film of the opera made during an edition of the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Wilhelm Furtwängler.

Early career

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 debut in 1941 (in Schio, near Vicenza, as Sparafucile in Rigoletto), Siepi, an opponent of the fascist regime, fled to Switzerland.

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 bohème, and in La Gioconda, La favorite, and I puritani.

International success

Siepi debuted abroad in 1947, at the Liceu in Barcelona in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, but his international reputation was established in 1950, when Sir Rudolf Bing brought him to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to open the 1950 season as King Philip II in Don Carlos. He was to remain principal bass at the Met until 1974, adding roles such as Boris Godunov (in English) and Gurnemanz in Parsifal (in German), and singing all the major roles of the bass repertoire.

His debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, was in 1950, and he appeared there regularly until the mid-1970s.

In 1953, Siepi debuted at the Salzburg Festival with a legendary production of Don Giovanni conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, staged by Herbert Graf, and designed by Clemens Holzmeister. He made an immediate impact in the title role of the opera, which became perhaps his best known role, as it had been for the most famous Italian bass of the generation before, Ezio Pinza. This performance has been released on CD, and a 1954 mounting of this production was filmed in color and released in 1955.

Siepi was a frequent guest at the Vienna State Opera. In 43 performances he sang Don Giovanni, more often than any other singer in modern times except for Eberhard Wächter. In 1967 Siepi was Don Giovanni in a controversially received production staged by Otto Schenk and designed by Luciano Damiani that showed Mozart's masterpiece in the light of the commedia dell'arte, emphasizing the comic and ironic elements of this opera (conductor Josef Krips strongly opposed this production's concept). In Vienna he also sang Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Colline (La bohème), Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Padre Guardiano (La forza del destino 1974 in a new production conducted by Riccardo Muti), Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Méphistophélès (Faust), Filippo II (Don Carlos), and Ramphis (Aida). His final performance at Vienna was in Norma (Oroveso) at the Austria Center Vienna in 1994.

He was a particularly fine recital artist, especially in Community Concerts under Columbia Artist Management, and a sensitive interpreter of German Lieder. He married Met ballerina Louellen Sibley and they had two children.

Siepi enjoyed a long career, and performed regularly until the 1980s, including lead roles in the ill-fated Broadway musicals Bravo Giovanni and Carmelina. In addition to his studio recordings, there are also many live recordings of performances of his major roles.

Siepi's formal farewell to the operatic stage occurred at the Teatro Carani in Sassuolo on 21 April 1989. Indeed, Capon's List shows live recordings made as late as 1988.

Siepi's last studio recording was as the old King Archibaldo in RCA's 1976 taping of Italo Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re, with Anna Moffo and Plácido Domingo in the cast.

Siepi died at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on 5 July 2010 after suffering a stroke more than a week earlier.

Repertoire

Operatic roles
Role Opera Composer
Conte Rodolfo La sonnambula Bellini
Oroveso Norma Bellini
Sir Giorgio I Puritani Bellini
Mefistofele Mefistofele Boito
Enrico VIII Anna Bolena Donizetti
Raimondo Bidebent Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti
Marin Faliero Marin Faliero Donizetti
Baldassarre La Favorita Donizetti
Méphistophélès Faust Gounod
Le Cardinal de Brogni La Juive Halévy
Giulio Cesare Giulio Cesare in Egitto Handel
Marcel Les Huguenots Meyerbeer
Archibaldo L'amore dei tre re Montemezzi
Figaro Le nozze di Figaro Mozart
Don Giovanni
Leporello		 Don Giovanni Mozart
Sarastro The Magic Flute Mozart
Boris Godunov Boris Godunov Mussorgsky
Dosifei Khovanshchina Mussorgsky
Alvise Badoero La Gioconda Ponchielli
Colline La bohème Puccini
Don Basilio The Barber of Seville Rossini
Mosè Mosè Rossini
Il vecchio ebreo Sansone e Dalila Saint-Saëns
Lothario Mignon Thomas
Zaccaria Nabucco Verdi
Don Ruy Gomez de Silva Ernani Verdi
Attila Attila Verdi
Roger Jérusalem Verdi
Sparafucile Rigoletto Verdi
Giovanni da Procida I vespri siciliani Verdi
Jacopo Fiesco Simon Boccanegra Verdi
Padre Guardiano La forza del destino Verdi
Filippo II
Grande Inquisitore		 Don Carlo Verdi
Ramfis Aida Verdi
Pistola Falstaff Verdi
Pogner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Wagner
Gurnemanz Parsifal Wagner

References

  1. F. Paul Driscoll (September 2010). "Obituaries: The great Siepi dies at eighty-seven". Opera News. 75 (3). Archived from the original on 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2011-04-30.

External links

Videography

  • Mozart: Don Giovanni (Grümmer, della Casa, Berger, Dermota, Edelmann; Furtwängler, Graf, 1954) VAI
  • "Six Great Basses" Bel Canto Society

See also

Categories: