- Gino Bechi
Gino Bechi (16 October 1913 - 2 February 1993) was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially in Verdi roles.
Life and career
Bechi studied in his native
Florence with Raul Frazzi and di Giorgio, and made his debut atEmpoli , in 1936, as Germont in "La traviata ".He sang widely in Italy, appearing frequently at the
Rome Opera from 1938 to 1952, and atLa Scala from 1939 to 1953, where he sang the title role in "Nabucco" for its reoponing in 1946.He quickly established himself as the leading dramatic baritone of his time, in roles such as Rigoletto, de Luna, Renato, Carlo, Amonasro, Alfio, Gérard, but was also admired as Figaro and Hamlet.
Bechi sang relatively little outside Italy, but did appear in England, North and South America in the late 1950s, but by then he was passed his best.
In his prime, Bechi possessed a dark and incisive voice and was a fine singing-actor. He can be heard in a number of early recordings, opposite
Beniamino Gigli , such as "Un ballo in maschera ", "Aida ", "Andrea Chenier ", and "Cavalleria rusticana ", conducted byPietro Mascagni himself. He also recorded "Il barbiere di Siviglia ". Also available is a "pirate" recording of "Nabucco", withMaria Callas , from 1949.Bechi retired from the stage in 1965, and taught in Siena. He died in Florence in 1993.
Videography
* Verdi - "La traviata" -
Anna Moffo ,Franco Bonisolli , Gino Bechi - Giuseppe Patanè (1968), VAIources
"Le guide de l'opera, les indispensables de la musique", R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-6
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