Rolando Panerai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rolando Panerai
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Rolando Panerai in 1974
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| Born | 17 October 1924 |
| Died | 22 October 2019 (aged 95) |
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Rolando Panerai (born October 17, 1924 – died October 22, 2019) was a famous Italian opera singer. He had a deep, rich voice, called a "baritone." He sang in many operas, especially Italian ones. He often performed at the famous La Scala opera house in Milan. He even sang with other legendary singers like Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano. People loved his clear singing and how well he acted in both serious and funny operas. Two of his most famous roles were Ford in Verdi's Falstaff and the main character in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
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A Life in Opera
Rolando Panerai was born in Campi Bisenzio, a town near Florence, Italy. He loved music and studied singing in both Florence and Milan. He learned from great teachers like Vito Frazzi.
Early Performances
Panerai first sang on stage in 1946. His very first role was Lord Ashton in an opera called Lucia di Lammermoor. The next year, in 1947, he sang in Naples at the Teatro di San Carlo. He played the pharaoh in Rossini's Mosè in Egitto.
In 1951, he sang the main role in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra in Bergamo. That same year, he performed at La Scala in Milan. He played Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.
Singing Verdi's Music
Rolando Panerai sang in many operas by the famous composer Giuseppe Verdi. In 1951, he performed some of Verdi's less common operas on the radio. This was to celebrate 50 years since Verdi's death.
Later, he sang almost all the big baritone roles in Verdi's operas. These included:
- Rigoletto in Rigoletto
- Count De Luna in Il trovatore
- Giorgio Germont in La traviata
- Marquis of Posa in Don Carlos
- Amonasro in Aida
Famous Roles and Travels
Rolando Panerai knew how to sing more than 150 different operas! He was especially good at funny roles.
Comic Opera Master
Some of his most famous funny roles included:
- Ford in Verdi's Falstaff – this was his signature role!
- Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro
- Leporello in Don Giovanni
- Guglielmo and Alfonso in Così fan tutte
- Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia
- Belcore and Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore
- Malatesta and the main role in Don Pasquale
He also sang the role of Gianni Schicchi for many years. He even performed it in Genoa in 2011, when he was 87 years old!
Beyond Italian Opera
Panerai also sang in more modern operas. He performed in operas by composers like Sergei Prokofiev and Gian Carlo Menotti. He even sang in some operas for the very first time (world premieres).
He traveled all over the world to perform. He sang at famous opera houses like:
- The Paris Opera in France
- The Royal Opera House in London, England
- The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia
- The Oper Frankfurt in Germany
He also performed at big music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival and Glyndebourne Festival. From 1955 to 1972, he was a regular guest at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. He often sang at the Vienna State Opera too. His last performance there was in 1998.
Recordings and Teaching
Rolando Panerai made many recordings of his performances. He often recorded with Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano.
Notable Recordings
Some of his famous recordings include:
- Il trovatore
- Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana (as Alfio)
- Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (as Silvio)
- Bellini's I puritani
- Puccini's La bohème
He also recorded Sharpless with Renata Scotto and Carlo Bergonzi. He played Germont with Beverly Sills and Nicolai Gedda. He recorded the role of Ford in Falstaff three times with different singers. He even recorded the main role of Falstaff himself.
Panerai also sang Wagner operas, but in Italian. He appeared in a 1950 recording of Parsifal.
Teacher and Director
Even when he was very old, Rolando Panerai continued to share his knowledge. He taught masterclasses to young singers. He also directed operas, which means he helped put the whole show together.
He directed operas like:
- Donizetti's Il campanello dello speziale
- La traviata
- La bohème
- Rigoletto (in 2013)
- Il trovatore (in 2013)
- Gianni Schicchi (in 2018)
Rolando Panerai passed away on October 22, 2019. This was just five days after his 95th birthday.
See also
In Spanish: Rolando Panerai para niños
