Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe di Stefano began to study voice as he trained for the priesthood in a Jesuit seminary in Milan; his teachers included Luigi Montesanto and Mariano Stabile. Mobilized into the Fascist army at the age of 19, di Stefano helped make ends meet by singing popular music under the pseudonym of "Nino Florio". Deciding he'd had enough of service under Mussolini, di Stefano deserted to neutral Switzerland in 1943. Though di Stefano was interned as a refugee, he made his way singing on Swiss radio broadcasts, succeeding in building a small following. At war's end, he returned to Italy and began his singing career in earnest, debuting as Chevalier des Grieux in Massenet's Manon at a performance held in Reggio Emilia on April 20, 1946.
Word spread like wildfire throughout Italy about di Stefano's talent, and he made his La Scala debut less than a year later, repeating his role as des Grieux. Di Stefano's reputation was further assisted with a series of recordings undertaken at this time in which he sang Neapolitan and other kinds of light Italian songs. Some of these early di Stefano recordings are yet regarded as the finest in this genre. The Metropolitan Opera of New York soon became interested, and di Stefano made his bow at the Met in Rigoletto on February 25, 1948.
For many opera lovers, the name of Giuseppe di Stefano is inextricably linked with that of legendary soprano Maria Callas. Di Stefano first appeared with Callas in a production of La Traviata given at São Paulo on September 9, 1951. Afterward he appeared frequently alongside Callas on-stage and in recordings, the most celebrated of the latter being a 1953 EMI of Tosca, regarded by many in the operatic fold as the finest recorded Tosca in existence. Clearly there was some compatibility between Callas and di Stefano; both emphasizing emotional, powerful singing colored with sensual warmth. With Callas, di Stefano recorded a total of ten complete operas. Di Stefano also partnered Leontyne Price in a celebrated Tosca led by Herbert von Karajan for London/Decca in 1961.
As in the case of Callas, problems with di Stefano's voice began to surface early on. In the late '50s, di Stefano began to take on heavy roles, such as Calaf in Turandot, wreaking havoc on his clear and light tenor voice. By the early '60s, di Stefano was unable to sing a true pianissimo, resorting instead to shouting, aspirating, and breaking registers. Nonetheless, he maintained a full schedule of engagements throughout the '60s and into the '70s. In 1973-1974, di Stefano and Callas embarked on an ill-advised world concert tour. The end result, unfortunately, was that the public got to hear what pitiable wrecks these two great singers had made of their voices. This disastrous tour spelled a sad end to both their professional careers. However, di Stefano returned to the stage to sing minor roles on occasion, the last recorded instance being in Rome in 1992. While the efforts of his later singing have injured the reputation of di Stefano in some quarters, there's no denying that he was one of the finest tenor voices to emerge in the wake of World War II.
Di Stefano suffered severe injuries during a robbery at his villa in Kenya in 2004 and spent the final three years of his life incapacitated in a Milanese hospital. He died of complications from his injuries in March of 2008.
© Uncle Dave Lewis /TiVo
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Discography
193 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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VERDI: RIGOLETTO
Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony Orchestra, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Alfredo Kraus, Enrico Caruso
Opera - Released by Nar Classical on 7 Jun 2024
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Puccini: la bohème
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Classical - Released by Infinity on 11 Feb 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Chansons Napolitaines
Classical - Released by Naxos on 12 May 2009
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
Hilde Güden, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Renato Capecchi, Fernando Corena, Orchestre du Mai Musical Florentin , Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1956
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore
Hilde Güden, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Renato Capecchi, Fernando Corena, Orchestre du Mai Musical Florentin , Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1956
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Il Mito dell'Opera: Giuseppe Di Stefano (The Early Years)
Classical - Released by Bongiovanni on 1 Sep 2014
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Singers of the Century: Giuseppe di Stefano "Parlami d'amore Mariù" - An Italian Song Recital (Remastered 2015)
Giuseppe Di Stefano, Unknown Artist, Dino Olivieri, Gian Maria Guarino
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jube Classic on 2 Jun 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
I Puritani - Bellini
Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Rolando Panerai, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Angelo Mercuriali
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Apr 1997
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Puccini: Madame Butterfly (Mono Version)
Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Victoria de los Angeles, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Vintage Tenors No. 11 - EP: Canzoni Napoletane
World - Released by Vintage Music on 25 Oct 1960
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Verdi Duets (Recordings of 1956 - 1957)
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on 30 Sep 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Puccini · Madama Butterfly
Victoria de los Angeles, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 1 Jan 1955
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Giuseppe di Stefano - Opera Recital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2006
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Maria Callas: Tosca - Giacomo Puccini
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Opera - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on 23 Apr 2021
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
La Bella Música Italiana, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Alpha Center Digital on 27 Apr 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Napulitana No.9
Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Latin America - Released by Recording Arts on 15 Jan 2014
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor
Renata Scotto, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Ettore Bastianini
Opera - Released by Urania on 1 Jan 1962
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Very Best of Giuseppe Di Stefano
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 4 Aug 2003
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
Hilde Güden, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Fernando Corena
Opera - Released by Urania on 1 Jan 2006
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Giuseppe Di Stefano à San Francisco en 1950
Opera - Released by Myto Historical on 24 Aug 2011
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo