Corena, Fernando

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Corena, Fernando

Corena, Fernando , Swiss bass; b. Geneva, Dec. 22, 1916; d. Lugano, Nov. 26, 1984. He studied in Geneva and with Enrico Romani in Milan. After making his operatic debut in 1937, he sang with the radio and municipal theater in Zurich. He first gained wide notice as Varlaam in Trieste in 1947, and subsequently was invited to sing with major opera houses in Europe and the U.S.; he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y as Leporello (Feb. 6, 1954), and remained on its roster until 1979. He first appeared at London’s Covent Garden on May 16, 1960, as Dr. Bartolo in // Barbiere di Siviglia. He was particularly known for his buffo roles. Among his other roles were Don Pasquale, Dulcamare, Alfonso, Osmin, and Gianni Schicchi.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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