Mario Petri
High bass Mario Petri enjoyed considerable success in his native Italy during the 1950s and 1960s, essaying a variety of bass roles ranging from those of bel canto composers to early and mid-period works of Verdi. His not unattractive timbre was somewhat wooly in texture and he lacked the sheer vocal clout to compete with such low-voiced luminaries as Boris Christoff, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, and Giulio Neri, then prominent on Italian stages. Nonetheless, his lithe and muscular appearance made him well-suited to a role such as Don Giovanni and his appearances as the Don won some positive notices. On-stage and on disc, his undoubted apogee occurred with a production and subsequent recording of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri with mezzo soprano Giulietta Simionato and conductor Carlo Maria Giulini. In the latter portion of his career, Petri attempted some true baritone roles, but without the security he had shown in the bass register.
By 1950, Petri had established himself as a leading bass. He was engaged by the Glyndebourne Festival for the 1951 season; singing eight performances of the title role in Don Giovanni at the Sussex theater before traveling with the company for nine more appearances in the production at the Edinburgh Festival. In 1953, he appeared as Don Giovanni at La Scala and, in that same season, sang Creonte in Medea with Maria Callas at Florence. In February 1953, however, conductor Herbert von Karajan experienced difficulties in coaching the bass in the quasi-recitative passages of Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time. Not even the composer himself was able to make Petri comfortable with the score.
In 1955, Petri sang in a Maggio Musicale production of Tancredi received poorly by the critics; Petri's performance in Rossini's Pietra del Paragone, however, was much admired. During the 1950s, Petri was variously a member of several prominent Italian companies; in addition to La Scala and Florence, he sang in Rome, Catania, and at the Regio Emilia.
Most of Petri's recordings were taken from live performances, both on-stage and through radio broadcasts. A 1951 I Lombardi from Italian Radio, a 1958 Khovanshchina with Christoff and Rodzinski, a 1957 Nerone from Naples, and a 1968 Semiramide with Sutherland are all representative of Petri's art.
© TiVo
Discography
10 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Rossini: L'Italienne à Alger (Short Version, Mono Version)
Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Giulietta Simionato, Mario Petri
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Il Flauto Magico
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giuseppe Taddei, Mario Petri
Opera - Released by Twilight Music on 15 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi : Aïda (Wien 1951)
Clara Martinis, Nell Rankin, Lorenz Fehenberger, Giampero Malaspina, Mario Petri, Herbert von Karajan
Opera - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi · macbeth
Mario Petri, Nicola Zaccaria, Mario Rossi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 30 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart · Don Giovanni
Mario Petri, Sesto Bruscantini, Nino Sanzogno, Orchestra "A.Scarlatti" di Napoli della Rai
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 13 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart - Don Giovanni
Mario Petri, Teresa Stich Randall, Francesco Molinari Pradelli, Orchestra di Milano della Rai
Opera - Released by G.O.P. on 13 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata (Giuseppe Verdi)
Classical - Released by La Magia de la Ópera on 11 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Con el Chaco en la Piel
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lamas Records on 28 Feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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