Giuseppe Di Stefano: The Golden Voice of Opera
Giuseppe Di Stefano (24 July 1921 – 3 March 2008) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of the twentieth century, known as the “Golden Voice” and celebrated as the true successor to Beniamino Gigli.
Early Life and Education
Di Stefano was born in Motta Sant’Anastasia, a village near Catania, Sicily, on 24 July 1921. When he was six years old, his family moved to Milan. His father was a carabiniere who later became a cobbler, and his mother was a dressmaker. He was their only son and received his education at a Jesuit seminary, where he briefly considered entering the priesthood.
At age sixteen, Di Stefano sang spontaneously after losing a card game, and a friend urged him to pursue formal voice training. Two years later, he began studying seriously with baritones Luigi Montesanto and Mariano Stabile. Stabile impressed upon the young tenor the importance of clear diction—advice that shaped his singing throughout his career. World War Two interrupted his early development when he was conscripted into the Italian army. His commanding officer, finding him an unsuitable soldier, discharged him to sing for the troops instead. Using the pseudonym Nino Florio during the war, Di Stefano eventually fled to Switzerland as Italy was defeated. After internment, he was permitted to perform on Lausanne Radio, where he made his first recordings. These early recordings, featuring Sicilian songs, brought him international attention in the late 1940s.
Career and Achievements
Di Stefano began his professional career as a lyric tenor, establishing himself in roles such as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in February 1948, singing the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, having previously performed the role in Riccione in August 1947. Following his performance in Manon at the Met, Musical America noted that Di Stefano possessed “the rich velvety sound we have seldom heard since the days of Gigli.” He performed regularly at the Metropolitan Opera for many years thereafter.
In 1957, Di Stefano made his British debut at the Edinburgh Festival as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, followed by his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden debut in 1961 as Cavaradossi in Tosca. His singing was admired for excellent diction, unique timbre, passionate delivery, and particularly for the sweetness of his soft singing. During a Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast of Faust, he demonstrated this gift by attacking the high C forte and then diminishing to a pianissimo. Sir Rudolf Bing wrote in his memoirs that Di Stefano’s diminuendo on the high C in “Salut! demeure” from Faust was “the most spectacular single moment” he had witnessed.
In 1953, Walter Legge, leader of EMI’s classical division, selected Di Stefano to record Italian operas with Maria Callas. Their 1953 studio recording of Tosca under Victor de Sabata is considered “one of the great performances in the history of the gramophone.” The two singers collaborated on stage frequently from 1951 in South America through the end of 1957, their final operatic collaboration being Un ballo in maschera at La Scala. Di Stefano also sang Alfredo in the celebrated Visconti production of La traviata at La Scala in 1955 and performed as Edgardo opposite Callas’s Lucia under Herbert von Karajan at La Scala, Berlin, and Vienna.
In 1973 and 1974, Di Stefano and Callas undertook a recital tour together. Though critics noted that Callas had lost her voice, public reaction remained enthusiastic. During this period, rumors circulated of a brief romantic relationship between the two singers. Di Stefano’s final operatic role was the Emperor in Turandot in July 1992. His last public appearance came on 24 October 2004, when he received an award in Oderzo.
Notable Events and Milestones
Luciano Pavarotti modeled himself after Di Stefano, stating in an interview: “Di Stefano is my idol. There is a solar voice…It was the most incredible, open voice you could hear. The musicality of Di Stefano is as natural and beautiful as the voice is phenomenal.” José Carreras also cited Di Stefano as his primary source of inspiration as a tenor.
In 1949, Di Stefano married conservatory student Maria Girolami in New York; they had three children together before separating in 1976. In 1977, he began a relationship with Monika Curth, an operetta soprano from Hamburg, whom he married in 1993.
On 3 December 2004, Di Stefano was seriously injured during a robbery at his home in Diani Beach, Kenya. Unknown assailants left him bloodied and unconscious. After hospitalization in Mombasa, his condition deteriorated. He underwent at least three operations and fell into a coma on 7 December. On 23 December, he was transferred to Milan, where he remained hospitalized. Though he eventually regained consciousness, his health never fully recovered.
Additional Resources
Di Stefano’s legacy as one of the twentieth century’s greatest tenors is documented extensively in operatic histories and discographies. Readers seeking more detailed information about his recordings, performances, and influence on subsequent generations of singers can consult comprehensive biographical sources and the complete recordings available through major opera archives and music libraries.
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