Great Italian baritone dies

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 6

Great Italian baritone dies

NZPA-Reuter Rome Tito Gobbi, one of the century’s greatest operatic baritones, died at his home in Rome yesterday after a long illness. He was 71. Gobbi, born in Bassano del Grappa, in the Venice region, began his musical career by winning the International Contest of Vienna in 1936, two years before his famous debut at the Rome Opera House in “La Traviata.”

His clear, ringing tone won acclaim in the world’s leading opera houses, particularly in North America, where he performed regularly at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Known most widely for his solos of the Verdi classics and Rossini’s “William Tell,” Gobbi also sang in modern operatic works and performed in musical films, including “O Sole Mio,” “I Pagliacci,” “Giuseppe Verdi,” and “Casa Ricordi.”

His family gave no details of his long illness. At the height of his career Gobbi had a repertoire of 99 operas. He became a favourite with the discriminating Italian public for the depth of his dramatic expression, as well as his singing. But his most famous performances were abroad, notably in “Don Giovanni” at the Salzburg Festival in 1950, and in “Falstaff” at the same festival seven years later. He recorded 21 complete operas and numerous single arias, and contributed to the popularity of opera on the new medium of television in Europe and in the United States.