Artist Profile: Baritone Rolando Panerai, A Prolific Interpreter Of Italian Opera

By David Salazar

Rolando Panerai, born on Oct. 17, 1924, was one of opera’s most prolific artists.

Born in Campi Bizensio, he studied at the Florence Conservatory before continuing his musical education in Milan. He made his stage debut in 1947 in Naples in Rossini’s “Mosè in Egitto.” In 1951, he made his La Scala debut as Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly,” this fame slowly growing. His Salzburg debut came in 1957 and his first appearance at the Royal Opera House in London came in 1960. He would appear with all the major houses around the world, including the Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Opéra de Paris, though he never appeared at the Met Opera.

He appeared with RAI in 1951, singing in a number of rare Verdi operas and soon found himself in a number of recordings alongside the likes of Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano.

He has over 150 operas in his repertory, mainly by Italian composers, though he did sing many Wagner operas in Italian translation (he was Amfortas with Callas in her famed recording).

After singing, he would become an active teacher of masterclasses and also directed a number of operas.

Signature Roles

The baritone performed a great deal of dramatic roles in the works of Verdi, as well as many bel canto operas such as “I Puritani” and “Lucia Di Lammermoor.” He had over 150 operas in his repertory.

But he really stood in the comic operas, particularly as an interpreter of “Gianni Schicchi,” which is often referred to as his best interpretation and a work that he continued to perform into his older years. His interpretation of the title role in “Falstaff” is often cited as his signature role as well. A Gramophone review of his recording of the latter role noted, “Panerai’s performance is a lovable and idiomatic one, very much at the centre of things, responsive at every turn to the drama, a suitably complacent, jovial figure at the start, sobered in every sense by his experience at the hands of the merry wives.”

Read More on Panerai

His Comic Roles

Watch and Listen

Here is a full performance of “Gianni Schicchi,” followed by his interpretation of “Largo al Factotum.”

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