Valdengo, Giuseppe

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Valdengo, Giuseppe

Valdengo, Giuseppe, Italian baritone; b. Turin, May 24, 1914. He studied cello at the Turin Cons., and also played the oboe; then decided to cultivate his voice, and took singing lessons with Michele Accoriutti. In 1936 he made his operatic debut as Figaro in II Barbiere di Sivigliain Parma; in 1939, was engaged to sing at La Scala in Milan. On Sept. 19, 1946, he made his N.Y.C. Opera debut as Sharpless, remaining on its roster until 1948. On Dec. 19,1947, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Tonio; continued on the company’s roster until 1954; was also chosen by Toscanini to sing the roles of Amonasro, Renato, lago, and Falstaff with the NBC Sym. Orch. He made guest appearances in London, Paris, Vienna, and South America. He also acted the part of Antonio Scotti in the film The Great Caruso. His association with Toscanini is related in his Ho cantato con Toscanini (Como, 1962).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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