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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Cesare Siepi 1923 to 2010 - The KING Is Gone

I just learned about the passing yesterday, in Atlanta, of the opera singer who many called the greatest of them all in the post-WWII era, Grande Italian Basso Cantante, Cesare Siepi.

I never had the privilege of hearing this legend live. On recordings, I have heard his approximate equal of eras past (and just a small handful of singers of later days), but never anyone to surpass him. The range, the smoothness, the elegance, the gorgeous color, the power,  and the idiomatic style of the voice in Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, French Grand Opera and more, was absolute perfection.

My mother studied to be a coloratura soprano. She never "made it" because "life intervened," but one of her aspirations was to sing Zerlina to Siepi's one-and-only Don Giovanni--a role in which he truly was unsurpassed in his era and most others. My grandfather's wife, Lena (originally from Austria, who I call "Grandma Lee"), had memories of Siepi regular playing cards in smoke-filled social clubs in New York, and being a true "Grand Seigneur."

I thought the great Kurt Moll, probably the most perfect opera singer I ever heard live, was, after Gottlob Frick and Ludwig Weber, the DEFINITIVE Gurnemanz in Wagner's Parsifal. Out of the kindness of his heart, a fellow member of the OPERA-L list sent me a copy of an historic 1970 MET Radio Broadcast of Parsifal with Siepi as Gurnemanz--a departure for Siepi. My breath was taken away. Someone not only to equal the refulgent voice of Moll, but almost barely to best him. I had always heard that Siepi brought tears to the eyes of attendees of/listeners to these performances, but with his more commonly "lighter" (a.k.a. higher-ranged, but still enormous and powerful) bass sound, I never expected Siepi to match the darkness and richness of the "blacker" bass voice of Moll or his other famous predecessors. What a shock when I heard that smooth, beautiful Siepi sound wrapped around that luxurious Wagnerian score, and with the added quality of deep darkness--something only someone with his vocal technique could "create" for such a demanding role. I was floored, absolutely floored.

We will miss the King of them all. Rest-in-peace Cesare.

From YouTube--GET READY to be BLOWN AWAY if you've never heard this man before!





With Mirella Freni (in honor of my mom)--note that this is late-career Siepi:

2 comments:

Stella said...

I'm glad there're still people who love, remember and appreciate these giants of opera -- the highest art form in the universe. My paradise is inhabited by such great artists.

Karl Ufert said...

I can't agree more, Stella. Thank you for your feedback!

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