Ramón Vinay facts for kids
Ramón Vinay (born August 31, 1911 – died January 4, 1996) was a very famous Chilean opera singer. He had a strong, powerful voice. He is best known for playing the main character, Otello, in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello.
About His Life
Ramón Vinay started his opera journey in Mexico in 1938. Back then, he sang as a baritone. A baritone is a male singer with a medium-low voice. Later, he changed his voice type to a tenor. A tenor is a male singer with a high voice. He made his second debut as a tenor in 1943. After World War II, he became very successful around the world.
Even as a tenor, his voice still sounded a bit dark, like a baritone. He was born in Chillán, Chile. Ramón Vinay became super famous for his role as Otello. For a while, it was almost like he owned that role!
One of his most important performances as Otello was in 1947. It was a radio show of the opera. A famous conductor named Arturo Toscanini led the music. Other great singers like Herva Nelli and Giuseppe Valdengo were also there. This performance was later put on records and CDs. Many people think it's one of the best Otello recordings ever.
Ramón Vinay was also a great actor. He was the first tenor to sing Otello on television! This happened in 1948. It was the first time a whole opera was shown on TV from the Met. He also sang Otello at famous opera houses. These included La Scala in Italy and the Royal Opera House in London. He performed the role hundreds of times!
It's said that he was one of only two opera singers to play both Otello and Iago. Iago is the bad guy in Verdi's opera. Iago is a baritone role.
Ramón Vinay sang many different tenor roles. He performed in big Wagnerian operas. He also sang Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. He was Don José in Bizet's Carmen. And he sang Samson in Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila. Besides Iago, he also sang other baritone parts. These included Telramund and Scarpia. In 1971, he even came out of retirement for a short time. He played the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlo. This role is usually for a very low bass voice.
He passed away in Mexico when he was 84 years old. Ramón Vinay was married to a soprano singer named Tessie Mobley. She was from Oklahoma.
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