Bastianini, Ettore
Bastianini, Ettore
Bastianini, Ettore, notable Italian baritone; b. Siena, Sept. 24, 1922; d. Sirmione, Jan. 25, 1967. He studied in Florence with Flaminio Contini. In 1945 he made his operatic debut in the bass role of Colline in Ravenna. He made his first appearance at Milan’s La Scala as Tiresias in Oedipus Rex in 1948. After additional training from Ricciana Bettarini, he made his debut as a baritone in Bologna in the role of Germont père. He sang Andrei in the rev. version of War and Peace in Florence in 1953. On Dec. 5, 1953, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Germont père, and was on its roster until 1957 and again in 1959-60 and from 1964 to 1966. In 1954 he sang Posa at his first appearance at the Salzburg Festival. That same year, he made his La Scala debut as a baritone in the role of Onegin, and continued to appear there until 1964. In 1956 he made his debut in Chicago as Riccardo in I Puritani. He made his first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Renato in 1962. While he was best known for his Verdi roles, especially Rigoletto and Don Carlo, Bastianini also enjoyed success with his portrayals of Amonasro, Escamillo, and Scarpia.
Bibliography
M. Boagno and G. Starone, E. B.: Una voce di bronzo e di velluto (Parma, 1991).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire