Celebrated tenor Di Stefano dies at 86
By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer
Giuseppe Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century
and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died Monday,
his wife said. He was 86.
Di Stefano died at home in Santa Maria Hoe, north of Milan, from
injuries sustained in a November 2004 attack at his family's villa in
Kenya, wife Monika Curth said.
Unidentified assailants struck the retired tenor on the head during
the attack. Di Stefano underwent surgery twice in Mombasa before being
flown to Milan. He awakened from a coma, but never fully recovered.
"He was 100 percent disabled, he couldn't even eat alone," Curth told
The Associated Press by telephone. "Lately he frequently had colds and
pneumonia."
Di Stefano, born in Sicily in 1921, made his debut in 1946 in the
northern city of Reggio Emilia with Massenet's "Manon," and went on to
sing at the world's top opera houses, including Milan's La Scala, New
York's Metropolitan, and in Vienna and Berlin.
His last performance was in Rome in 1992.
Known for his powerful voice, Di Stefano also is remembered for his
duets with Callas, who performed and recorded with him several times
in the 1950s through her final tour in 1973.
Di Stefano was at the height of his career when other stars of
contemporary opera were taking their first steps. Luciano Pavarotti,
who died in September, had his big international break when he stood
in for Di Stefano as Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme" at London's
Covent Garden in 1963.
At the Met, Di Stefano sang in 112 performances from 1948 to 1965,
making his debut in Verdi's "Rigoletto" as the Duke.
"His musical merits have mostly to do with style, for the voice,
though neither small nor ugly, is not an organ of great beauty,"
composer Virgil Thomson wrote in The New York Herald Tribune after
that first performance. "But he has an impeccable enunciation, and he
projects a phrase with style and authority. Also his personality is
fresh and genuine."
On Monday, Italy and the world of opera celebrated him as one of the
greats.
"Let us remember his great talent and his fascinating interpretations,
which brought to stages across the world the feelings and emotions of
our best musical tradition," Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said
in a message to Curth.
"Another great of the 'Scala family' enters into the history of opera,
into its myth," said a statement from the storied Milan opera house,
where Di Stefano sang 185 times. "He enjoyed a long, passionate run,
full of friends and memorable events."
Di Stefano will be buried in Santa Maria Hoe after a church funeral
Wednesday, his wife said.
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