Category Archives: Baritones
Tito Gobbi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 3rd April 2026I’ve been writing a lot about great baritones of the past century, while I’ve mentioned him a few times, this is the first post devoted exclusively to Tito Gobbi (1913-1984). A major figure of 20th-century opera, Gobbi combined vocal distinction with an acting ability rarely equaled among singers of any vocal category. His career, which…
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Renato Capecchi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 24th March 2026Renato Capecchi (1923–1998) was a distinguished Italian baritone, actor, and opera director celebrated for his vast repertoire and exceptional dramatic versatility. While he performed many major dramatic roles, he was particularly renowned for his mastery of “buffo” (comic) characters. He made his operatic debut in 1949 as Amonasro in Aida at Reggio Emilia. By 1951,…
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Nicolae Herlea
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd February 2026Nicolae Herlea (1927- 2014) was a distinguished Romanian baritone. He was admired for the burnished warmth of his voice, impeccable legato, and aristocratic stage bearing. Though he built a substantial international career, he remained deeply associated with the Romanian operatic tradition and is widely regarded as one of his country’s greatest vocal artists. Herlea studied…
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Aldo Protti
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 27th September 2025Aldo Protti (1920–1995) was a fine Italian baritone active in the middle of the last century. His prime coincided with that of a host of other outstanding Italian and American baritones. That is the reason he is not as well remembered as he deserves. But at his best he was a consummate artist who fully…
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John Charles Thomas
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 12th October 2024America had a profusion of baritones in the 20th century. One of the most prominent then is much less so today. He’s the subject of this article. John Charles Thomas (1891-1960) was born in Meyersdale, PA. He was interested in singing from an early age. From 1910 to 1912 he studied voice at Baltimore’s Peabody…
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Insieme – Opera Duets
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 19th September 2024Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier recorded nine tenor-baritone duets, released on a Sony Classics disc in June 2022. Insieme translates from Italian as together. The two singers are friends who have often performed together hence the title. The master of the tenor-baritone duet was Verdi. Accordingly, seven of the selections are by him. The CD starts with the…
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È sogno o realtà?
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 6th May 2023Verdi’s last opera Falstaff, written when he was almost 80, is opera’s greatest sport. It is unlike anything else by the composer or by anyone else, for that matter. Verdi had written all his previous with the expectation of pleasing his audiences while observing the highest artistic standards. But near the end of his life,…
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Robert Merrill Sings Porgy and Bess
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th March 2023Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is now a standard in the operatic repertory. In 1950 a complete performance of the opera was hard to find. The best known songs from the work were often done as recital pieces or on recordings. The Met didn’t mount its first production of the opera until 1985. In 1950 two…
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Matteo Manuguerra
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th March 2022Matteo Manuguerra (1924-1998) was born in Tunis to Italian parents. His family moved to Buenos Aires where he received his initial vocal training. Rare among great singers was his extremely late start. He didn’t begin studying voice until he was 35. He first was a tenor, but after moving to France in 1961 he returned…
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Mattia Battistini
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 16th February 2021Mattia Battistini (1856-1928) was born to an upper middle class Roman family. He dropped out of university studies (what he was studying is uncertain) to take singing lessons with Venceslao Persichini at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in 1877. By the end of the following year he had made such progress that he debuted as…
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