I was quite saddened to read of the recent death of the Italian tenor Giuseppe di Stefano. I remember reading about the senseless beating by thugs at his villa in Kenya three years ago which contributed to his demise.
He was born in Sicily on July 24, 1921 and moved to Milan at the age of six; his vocal talents were quickly recognized as he sang in a local choir. After considering a career in the priesthood, he realized that his avocation could become his profession; he studied with baritones Luigi Montesanto and Mariano Stabile until World War II. His voice saved him from serving on the Russian front as he used it to entertain his fellow soldiers and compatriots. With the defeat of Italy, he escaped to Switzerland and pursued an operatic career. In April 1946 he made his debut as Massenet's Des Grieux at Reggio Emilia in Milan. He subsequently repeated this role at the Rome Opera and La Scala with lasting plaudits and glory. EMI engaged him in 1947 as one of their recording stars.
His triumphant February 1948 Metropolitan Opera debut as the Duke in Rigoletto led to a number of noteworthy roles including the title role in Faust, Elvino in La Sonnambula and Wilhelm Meister in Mignon. His rich, expressive tone and impassioned diction were noted in his characterizations as Don José in Carmen, Canio in Pagliacci, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Radames in Aida, Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino and Cavaradossi in Tosca.
His first appearance with the fiery Maria Callas took place in September 1951 in Verdi's La Traviata in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Their celebrated partnership reached its pinnacle in their 1955 performance of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor under Herbert von Karajan where they repeated the famous sextet. Di Stefano's volatile, unpredictable behavior and vocal problems led to a three year banning from the Metropolitan Opera. In later years, he published a book on opera singing, L’Arte del Canto.
His sonorous tones are well captured in the following excerpt "Salut Demeure" from Faust: