Giuseppe Modesti
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Giuseppe Modesti (1915–1998) was an Italian
bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...
. Giuseppe Modesti made his
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic debut at
La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in 1940, as Schelkalov in ''
Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...
''. His career was then interrupted by conscription in 1942, but he resumed his career in 1945. For the next twenty-five years he sang a wide repertoire as a regular member of La Scala company, also appearing in the rest of Italy, as well as
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, the
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and
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. In 1954, he created the role of Abner in
Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
's ''David'', and in 1965 he took part in the first performance of
Piero Manzoni Piero Manzoni di Chiosca e Poggiolo, better known as Piero Manzoni (July 13, 1933 – February 6, 1963) was an Italian artist best known for his ironic approach to avant-garde art. Often compared to the work of Yves Klein, his own work anticip ...
's controversial stage work ''Atomted''. He can be heard in a number of live recordings, notably ''Parsifal'' (as Klingsor), ''Il trovatore'', ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (conducted by
Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...
), ''
La sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...
'' (conducted by
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
), and ''
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'' opposite
Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...
. He was also part of the first recordings of ''
Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic ''melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history '' ...
'', '' Oberto'', and ''Médée''.


Studio recordings

* Verdi: ''La forza del destino'' (Guerrini, Pirazzini, Campora, Colzani, Corena; Parodi, p. 1952) Urania * Verdi: ''Aida'' (Callas, Barbieri, Tucker, Gobbi; Serafin, 1955)
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* Cherubini: ''Medea'' (Callas, Scotto, Pirazzini, Picchi; Serafin, 1957)
Ricordi Ricordi may refer to: People *Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder *Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician Music *Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established in ...
/EMI * Puccini: ''La bohème'' (Stella, Rizzoli, Poggi, Capecchi; Molinari-Pradelli, 1957) Philips * Puccini: ''La bohème'' (Scotto, Meneguzzer, Poggi, Gobbi; Votto, 1961)
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...


Sources

*Evelino, Abeni, ''Giuseppe Modesti: I suoi personaggi (Giuseppe Modesti: His roles)'', Azzali, 2006. * Kutsch, K.J. and
Riemens, Leo Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...

"Modesti, Giuseppe"
''Unvergängliche Stimmen (Everlasting Voices)'', Francke, 1975, p. 447. *Palmer, Andrew, Liner Notes for '' Oberto'' (complete recording), GALA 880155. 1915 births 1998 deaths Operatic bass-baritones 20th-century Italian male opera singers {{Italy-opera-singer-stub