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Cesare Siepi (born February 10, 1923) is an Italian opera singer, generally considered to be one of the finest 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.
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. Template:Sample box start variation 2 Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end 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 Favorita, and I Puritani.
International success
His international reputation was established in 1950, when Rudolph 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 Godounov (in English) and Gurnemanz in Parsifal (in German), and singing all the major roles of the bass repertoire.
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.
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.
Siepi enjoyed a long career, and performed regularly until the early 1980s, including lead roles in the ill-fated Broadway musicals Bravo Giovanni and Carmelina. 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.
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