Born on June 26, 1916, baritone Giuseppe Taddei’s path to a successful career was rather unconventional.

He studied in Rome and made his professional debut in “Lohengrin.” In 1942, he was conscripted into the army but returned to singing after World War II, appearing for two seasons in Vienna. He went to sing in London in 1947, followed by the Salzburg Festival, the Teatro di San Carlo, and La Scala, in 1948.

The 1950s saw him appear in San Francisco and Chicago and in 1960, he was a regular at the Royal Opera House in London.

Shockingly, Taddei did not arrive at the Metropolitan Opera until 1985 when he was 69. The Met’s general manager Rudolf Bing had seen him at La Scala in 1951 and asked for a private audition, but Taddei refused, citing his prestigious career. The Met continued its courtship, offering him $600 a week, which he turned down.

But the Met continued its courtship of Taddei, eventually convincing him to make the famed debut.

He died on June 2, 2010.

Signature Roles

Taddei dominated a vast range of repertoire with his vibrant tone. He was known for his work in the Mozart operas, particularly in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “Don Giovanni,” as well as many verismo operas such as “Andrea Chénier.” He also dominated the repertoire of Verdi, with arguably the role of “Falstaff” being his most iconic. He started singing the role in 1949.

He made his Met Opera debut in the role at the age of 69 and left behind numerous recordings between 1950 and 1989. In fact, he was Karajan’s choice for his second recording of the opera in 1980 and also appeared in the video production under the composer two years later. He was also Tullio Serafin’s choice for the role in his 1956 video recording.

Of his debut in the role at the Met, Will Crutchfield of the New York Times notes, “The most surprising thing at Mr. Taddei’s debut was the way his voice was, if anything, even bigger and fresher in the last act than in the first.”

Watch and Listen

Here is a recital of arias from some of his iconic roles.

Here is an iconic recording from “Aida” alongside Maria Callas.

And here is a performance of “Falstaff” with an all-star cast.