Aldo Protti is one of the great baritones of the 20^th century, and yet he doesn’t always get that much recognition.

Born on July 19, 1920, Protti often found himself in the shadow of Tito Gobbi and Ettore Bastiani, though he admittedly had some major exploits of his own.

He studied in Parma and made his debut in 1948 in Pesaro. Two years later he debuted at La Scala. An international career followed, principally with the New York City Opera opening its doors to the baritone for Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” He would eventually make his way to the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 65.

He performed regularly at the Vienna State Opera as well and left behind a number of major recordings.

He died in 1996 at the age of 75.

Major Roles

Protti’s most famous role is undoubtedly that of “Rigoletto.” He played the jester for his belated Metropolitan Opera debut at the age of 65 and made a famous recording of the opera in 1954 alongside Mario del Monaco. He sang the role 425 times throughout his career.

He also made his mark as Alfio in “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Iago in “Otello,” operas that he recorded on several occasions. 

Read More on Protti

5 Fun Facts About Aldo Protti

 Watch and Listen

Here is a video performance of his famous “Rigoletto” interpretation.

And here he is in the famous “Otello” recording.