Word comes to me that
Cesare Siepi has died, age 87. The great bass sang a wide range of Italian roles, especially those of Verdi and Mozart, and was
the Don Giovanni for many years. A
film of a Salzberg production of
Don Giovanni, with Furtwangler conducting, shows his special magnatism and the quality of his vocalism. His repertory also included Boris and Gurnemanz.
I saw him only once, as Don Giovanni in 1981 in San Francisco. His Leporello was Giuseppe Taddei, also the only time I saw Taddei. This was long before I knew much about voices and singing - I'm sad to have seen two of the greatest of their generation in that production without having a clue.
RIP, Cesare Siepi.
Thanks for reminding us about Siepi, whose name I hadn't heard in a while. A singer with real elegance to his sound!
ReplyDeleteThat Furtwa"ngler film of _Don Giovanni_ with Siepi in the title role is still vivid in my memory after 39 years. (Still, it's time for me to go back and watch it again, methinks! Once every 39 years seems not too often.)