Giuseppe Valdengo (Torino 1914 - Aosta 2007)

He studied violin privately and oboe and singing at the ...

Giuseppe Valdengo (Torino 1914 - Aosta 2007)

He studied violin privately and oboe and singing at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Turin. Undertaken the tenor career, after a few appearances in supporting roles he initiated a prestigious career, appearing in 1936 in Parma as Figaro in The Barber of Seville in 1938 and made his debut at La Scala in La traviata. The career but had to suffer a premature interruption due to military obligations, recovering only in 1942 with La bohème, even in Parma. In 1946, with a performance of Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera, began the important international activities and, the following year, the long relationship with the Metropolitan, where he made his debut as Tonio in Pagliacci and which appeared regularly until 1954. He was present also in Philadelphia and San Francisco, in major European venues, such as Paris and Glyndebourne, and major Italian opera houses, including La Scala again (1953). The uncommon interpretative and musical qualities and perfect pronunciation, that allowed to understand every word, led him to specialize in the Verdi repertoire, becoming a favorite baritone Arturo Toscanini, with whom performed in New York for the N.B.C. Otello, Aida and Falstaff, of which records remain. He published the autobiographical book I sang with Toscanini (Peter Cairoli 1962). He left the stage in 1966, devoting himself to teaching (among his pupils the baritone Bruno Pratico and Alessandro Corbelli) and the latest recordings. He spent the last years of life in Casale Monferrato, where he is buried. Photography-signed in English by the famous baritone.Excellent condition