Del Monaco, Mario

Born July 27, 1915, in Florence. Italian tenor.

Del Monaco studied under Melocchi in the Pesaro Conservatory. He made his debut in 1941 at the Puccini Theater in Milan. In the following years he sang in various opera theaters of Italy; he has toured many countries with great success (including the USSR, Bolshoi Theater, 1959). Del Monaco is one of the outstanding masters of modern operatic art. His superb voice, brilliant virtuosity, and acting ability enable him to perform widely differing roles. Among his best are Radames, Manrico, Otello, and Don Alvaro in Verdi’s Aida, II Trovatore, Otello, and La Forza del Destino; Cavaradossi and Calaf in Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot; Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci; Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana;, and Don José in Bizet’s Carmen.