Cesare Siepi was born on February 10, 1923, and passed away on July 5, 2010. He was an Italian opera singer who specialized in bass roles and was often considered one of the best bass singers after World War II. His voice was known for having a deep, warm sound. He could sing low notes with a rich, full tone and a smooth vibrato. His high notes were clear and strong. Though he was famous for singing roles from the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, his tall, impressive appearance and the way he sang made him well-suited for the role of Don Giovanni. He appeared in a 1954 film of the opera, which was made during a performance at the Salzburg Festival. The film was directed by Paul Czinner and conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Early career
Born in Milan, his birth year is uncertain, with some sources saying 1919 and others saying 1923. The official record lists 1923 as his birth year. He started singing in a musical group called a madrigal group. He said he learned mostly on his own, though he studied briefly at a music school in his hometown. His career in opera was stopped by World War II. His first performance was in 1941, in Schio near Vicenza, where he sang the role of Sparafucile in the opera Rigoletto. Because he opposed the fascist government, he moved to Switzerland.
After the war ended, his career quickly grew. He gained fame for playing the role of Zaccaria in Nabucco at La Fenice in Venice. This success led to many performances at La Scala in Milan. His early roles there included Verdi’s bass parts, such as the title character in Mefistofele by Boito, performed under Arturo Toscanini. He also sang Colline in La bohème, and roles in La Gioconda, La favorite, and I puritani.
International success
Siepi first performed outside his home country in 1947 at the Liceu in Barcelona in Donizetti's Anna Bolena. His international fame began in 1950 when Sir Rudolf Bing invited him to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to open the 1950 season as King Philip II in Don Carlos. He remained the main bass singer at the Met until 1974, performing roles such as Boris Godunov (in English) and Gurnemanz in Parsifal (in German), and singing all the important bass roles in the operatic repertoire.
He first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1950 and appeared there often until the mid-1970s.
In 1953, Siepi performed for the first time at the Salzburg Festival in a famous production of Don Giovanni conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, staged by Herbert Graf, and designed by Clemens Holzmeister. He played the title role in this opera, which became his most well-known role, just as it had for the famous Italian bass of the previous generation, Ezio Pinza. This performance was recorded on CD, and a 1954 version of the same production was filmed in color and released in 1955.
Siepi often performed at the Vienna State Opera. He sang Don Giovanni in 43 performances, more than any other singer in modern times except for Eberhard Wächter. In 1967, he performed Don Giovanni in a production directed by Otto Schenk and designed by Luciano Damiani, which presented the opera through the style of commedia dell'arte, focusing on its comic and ironic elements (the conductor, Josef Krips, disagreed with this approach). In Vienna, he also performed roles such as Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Colline (La bohème), Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Padre Guardiano (La forza del destino in 1974 in a new production conducted by Riccardo Muti), Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Méphistophélès (Faust), Filippo II (Don Carlos), and Ramphis (Aida). His final performance in Vienna was in Norma (as Oroveso) at the Austria Center Vienna in 1994.
Siepi was especially skilled in recital performances, particularly in Community Concerts managed by Columbia Artist Management, and he performed German art songs with sensitivity. He married Louellen Sibley, a ballerina at the Met, and they had two children.
Siepi had a long career and performed regularly until the 1980s, including leading roles in the Broadway musicals Bravo Giovanni and Carmelina. In addition to his studio recordings, many live recordings of his major roles exist.
Siepi's final performance on the operatic stage was at the Teatro Carani in Sassuolo on April 21, 1989. Records show live performances as late as 1988.
His last studio recording was as the old King Archibaldo in RCA's 1976 recording of Italo Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re, with Anna Moffo and Plácido Domingo in the cast.
Siepi passed away at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 5, 2010, after suffering a stroke more than a week earlier.
Videography
Opera: Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Performers include Grümmer, della Casa, Berger, Dermota, and Edelmann. Conductor: Furtwängler. Production year: 1954. VAI.
Aria from Don Carlos (1970) titled "Six Great Basses." Performed by the Bel Canto Society.