Giuseppe Taddei was an Italian baritone

Baritone

Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

, who performed mostly the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...

 and Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...

.

Taddei was born in Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

, Italy, and studied in Rome, where he made his professional debut in 1936 as the Herald in Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

's Lohengrin

Lohengrin (opera)

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...

. He sang at the Rome Opera until he was conscripted into the army in 1942. After the war, he resumed his opera career and appeared for two seasons at the Vienna State Opera

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...

. He made his debut in London in 1947, at the Cambridge Theatre. The following year, 1948, saw his debut at the Salzburg Festival

Salzburg Festival

The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

, La Scala

La Scala

La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...

 in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, and the Teatro di San Carlo

Teatro di San Carlo

The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...

 in Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

.

His American debut took place at the San Francisco Opera

San Francisco Opera

San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...

 in 1957, followed by his appearance with Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...

 in 1959. He sang regularly at the Royal Opera House

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

 in London from 1960 to 1967.

Taddei was equally effective in comedy and drama. His acting repertoire included the two Figaros, from The Marriage of Figaro

The Marriage of Figaro

Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...

and The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...

, both Leporello and Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...

, both Belcore and Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore

L'elisir d'amore

L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...

, as well as Ernani

Ernani

Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...

, Macbeth

Macbeth (opera)

Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...

, Rigoletto

Rigoletto

Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...

, Amonasro in Aida

Aida

Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...

, Iago in Otello

Otello

Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....

, Falstaff

Falstaff (opera)

Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...

, Barnaba in La Gioconda

La Gioconda (opera)

La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835...

, Gérard in Andrea Chénier

Andrea Chénier

Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by the composer Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. It is based loosely on the life of the French poet, André Chénier , who was executed during the French Revolution....

, and Scarpia in Tosca

Tosca

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...

, among others.

His vocal longevity allowed him to continue singing into old age, including a debut at the Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...

, on 25 September 1985, in the title role of Falstaff, at the age of 69.

Taddei left many recordings, notably as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro and Leporello in Don Giovanni in the Carlo Maria Giulini

Carlo Maria Giulini

Carlo Maria Giulini was an Italian conductor.-Biography:Giulini was born in Barletta, Italy, to a father born in Lombardy and a mother born in Naples; but he was raised in Bolzano, which at the time of his birth was part of Austria...

 versions, as Macbeth, opposite Birgit Nilsson

Birgit Nilsson

right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...

, conducted by Thomas Schippers

Thomas Schippers

Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:...

, and as Scarpia in Tosca and as Falstaff, both conducted by Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...

.

Discografia

Year - Opera - Composer - Director - Singer - Character

1940 - 1949

• 1941 - Andrea Chénier (Giordano) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Giuseppe Taddei (Pietro Fléville)
• 1941 - Andrea Chénier (Giordano) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Giuseppe Taddei (Fouquier-Tinville)
• 1949 - Gianni Schicchi (Puccini) - Alfredo Simonetto: Giuseppe Taddei (Gianni Schicchi)

1950 - 1959

• 1950 - Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) - Fernando Previtali: Giuseppe Taddei (Figaro)
• 1950 - Falstaff (Verdi) - Mario Rossi: Giuseppe Taddei (John Falstaff)
• 1951 - La Bohème (Puccini) - Gabriele Santini: Giuseppe Taddei (Marcello)
• 1951 - Ernani (Verdi) - Fernando Previtali: Giuseppe Taddei (Don Carlo)
• 1951 - La traviata (Verdi) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Giuseppe Taddei (Giorgio Germont)
• 1951 - Aida (Verdi) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Giuseppe Taddei (Amonasro)
• 1952 - Guillaume Tell (Rossini) - Mario Rossi: Giuseppe Taddei (Guglielmo Tell)
• 1952 - Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilèa) - Gabriele Santini: Giuseppe Taddei (Michonnet)
• 1952 - La traviata (Verdi) - Gabriele Santini: Giuseppe Taddei (Giorgio Germont)
• 1953 - Madama Butterfly (Puccini) - Angelo Questa: Giuseppe Taddei (Sharpless)
• 1953 - Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti) - Alfredo Simonetto: Giuseppe Taddei (Antonio)
• 1953 - L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) - Gianandrea Gavazzeni: Giuseppe Taddei (Belcore)
• 1953 - Die Zauberflöte (Mozart) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (Papageno)
• 1953 - Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) - Nino Sanzogno: Giuseppe Taddei (Evgeni Oneguin)
• 1954 - Tosca (Puccini) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Giuseppe Taddei (Baron Scarpia)
• 1954 - Rigoletto (Verdi) - Angelo Questa: Giuseppe Taddei (Rigoletto)
• 1954 - Otello (Verdi) - Franco Capuana: Giuseppe Taddei (Yago)
• 1954 - L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) - Mario Rossi: Giuseppe Taddei (Il dottor Dulcamara) DVD
• 1955 - Don Giovanni (Mozart) - Max Rudolf: Giuseppe Taddei (Don Giovanni)
• 1955 - Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Nevers)
• 1955 - Andrea Chénier (Giordano) - Angelo Questa: Giuseppe Taddei (Charles Gérard)
• 1955 - Tosca (Puccini) - Vincenzo Belleza: Giuseppe Taddei (Baron Scarpia)
• 1956 - Moïse et Pharaon (Rossini) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Faraone)
• 1956 - Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Antonio)
• 1956 - Falstaff (Verdi) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (John Falstaff) DVD
• 1957 - I vespri siciliani (Verdi) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Guido de Monforte)
• 1957 - Moïse et Pharaon (Rossini) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Faraone)
• 1957 - Tosca (Puccini) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Baron Scarpia)
• 1958 - Otello (Verdi) - Thomas Beecham: Giuseppe Taddei (Yago)
• 1958 - L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) - Tullio Serafin: Giuseppe Taddei (Il dottor Dulcamara)
• 1959 - Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart) - Carlo Maria Giulini: Giuseppe Taddei (Figaro)
• 1959 - Don Giovanni (Mozart) - Carlo Maria Giulini: Giuseppe Taddei (Leporello)

1960 - 1969

• 1960 - Macbeth II (Verdi) - Vittorio Gui: Giuseppe Taddei (Macbeth)
• 1960 - Les Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) - Armando La Rosa Parodi: Giuseppe Taddei (Zurga)
• 1961 - La forza del destino (Verdi) - Fernando Previtali: Giuseppe Taddei (Don Carlos de Vargas)
• 1961 - Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart) - Carlo Maria Giulini: Giuseppe Taddei (Figaro)
• 1962 - Tosca (Puccini) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (Baron Scarpia)
• 1962 - Tosca (Puccini) - Carlo Felice Cillario: Giuseppe Taddei (Baron Scarpia)
• 1962 - Così fan tutte (Mozart) - Karl Böhm: Giuseppe Taddei (Guglielmo)
• 1962 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) - Lovro Von Matacic: Giuseppe Taddei (Sachs)
• 1963 - La Bohème (Puccini) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (Schaunard)
• 1964 - Macbeth II (Verdi) - Thomas Schippers: Giuseppe Taddei (Macbeth)
• 1964 - Knias Igor (Borodin) - Armando La Rosa Parodi: Giuseppe Taddei (Igor Sviatoslavich)
• 1965 - I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (Tonio)
• 1966 - Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) - Giuseppe Patané: Giuseppe Taddei (Simon Bocanegra)
• 1967 - L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) - Gianandrea Gavazzeni: Giuseppe Taddei (Belcore) DVD
• 1967 - L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) - Gianandrea Gavazzeni: Giuseppe Taddei (Belcore)
• 1968 - Ernani (Verdi) - Manno Wolf-Ferrari: Giuseppe Taddei (Don Carlo)
• 1969 - Belisario (Donizetti) - Gianandrea Gavazzeni: Giuseppe Taddei (Belisario)

1970 - 1979

• 1973 - Caterina Cornaro (Donizetti) - Alfredo Silipigni: Giuseppe Taddei (Lusignano)
• 1974 - Luisa Miller (Verdi) - Alberto Erede: Giuseppe Taddei (Miller)
• 1974 - Guillaume Tell (Rossini) - Jacques Delacôte: Giuseppe Taddei (Guglielmo Tell)
• 1974 - Un giorno di regno ossial Il finto Stanislao (Verdi) - Piero Bellugi: Giuseppe Taddei (Barón di Kelbar)
• 1975 - Don Pasquale (Donizetti) - Carlo Franci: Giuseppe Taddei (Don Pasquale)
• 1976 - Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali (Donizetti) - Carlo Franci: Giuseppe Taddei (Mamma Agata)
• 1977 - Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilèa) - Gianandrea Gavazzeni: Giuseppe Taddei (Michonnet)

1980 - 1989

• 1980 - Falstaff (Verdi) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (John Falstaff)
• 1982 - Falstaff (Verdi) - Herbert von Karajan: Giuseppe Taddei (John Falstaff) DVD

1990 - 1999

• 1992 - Manon Lescaut (Puccini) - James Levine: Giuseppe Taddei (Geronte di Ravoir)

Sources

• The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia, edited by David Hamilton ISBN 0-671-61732-X
• The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera, edited by Paul Gruber ISBN 0-393-03444-5
• Obituary in Der Standard (in German)

Footnotes