Cesare Siepi "Aprite un po' quegli occhi" from Nozze

[cesarefan]

Che dire...! è unico...

[Vincenzo2010an]

bravo!

[minnie888444]

One has to hear this to believe that a human being can sing this with such technical perfection. Amazing also Siepi's ability to sing Mozart, Verdi, Rossini and even Missa Solemnis being equally authentic stylistically.

[ciavattarmy]

Mio Dio, stupendo!!

[demuziogerardo]

solamente sublime

[diogo2505]

Great singing, great singer and grand seigneur! Bravo!

[Agorante]

I for one am gratefull that the Met fired him so early. Otherwise I might never had heard him in San Francisco. I only wish that they might have fired Merrill and Tucker too so I could have had a better chance at hearing them live.

[cleanears]

YES!!!! this is Mozart. This is singing. This is IT!!! Amen

[battletor4]

Along with the effortless, smooth delivery notice how open and free those E-flat "no!"s are

[BassoNero]

I am going to sing the Uncle Bonze from Madama Butterfly &... please,gracious God,I really need easiness & smoothness of Siepi`s singing! I really need it noooooooow! Please, if it is possible... somehow...

[BethDiane]

Gorgeous voice, and aside from having gray hair, he was still good-looking. Definitely the Met's loss!

It does take him a while to get into it, though; until he gets to "non senton pietà" fro the first time, though, he comes off as a cross between mildly miffed and more in sorrow than in anger.

[tremala5867]

einfach phantastisch!la voce!

[tremala5867]

einfach phantastisch!!!

[rutinia]

Grande Siepi !

[rutinia]

Grande Siepi !

[Selkaen]

What a presence, what a voice! He's among my favorite Mozartian singers.

[unnannonelluretra]

verissimo mitico

[ilFactotum]

It's outrageous a voice so beautiful was rejected by the MET because of age or whatever reason; 49 isn't old for a singer. Curse you, Schuyler Chapin! No wonder he only lasted 3 seasons.

[Carletearg]

EXCEPCIONALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

[darragh21]

He took his family to Miami after leaving NYC and the MET around 1973/74. Remember, Bing retired around 1972. His replacement, Gentele, died before he could take over and Chapin took over for a while. For the new season he was planning, Chapin offered Siepi only a small part and no more....a clear attempt to force Siepi out. The story goes that Siepi spit and left! It was the MET's loss. NOW Siepi, in his early 80s I believe, is living in an Atlanta suburb with or near his grown children.

[Lasartesse]

Dear darragh,

where did you get this informations from?

I am researching about Siepi for nearly 30 years now. Please let me know more!

[frecklenee]

Did he buy a home in Atlanta or Miami ?

[frecklenee]

What year did all this happen?

[darragh21]

Siepi was bitter after Chapin dumped him from the MET roster in favor of youngsters like Justino Diaz. But, he continued to sing very well in top houses around the world for a VERY long time. Chapin's move was stupid. Siepi moved his American wife & family from New York to Miami. In recent years, he has lived near or with his two grown kids in an Atlanta suburb. Once he decided to quit singing, he left the opera world behind. He is said to still hold a grudge against the MET.

[orthochrom]

Thank you for the video. Christian/Vienna

[BorisGodunov]

Being an international opera star is an exhausting thing. The sacrifices these people make in thier personal lives can be very significant. Siepi had a wife and kids, I'm sure he wanted to enjoy a long and peaceful retirement, which is what he has gotten!

[frecklenee]

Do you what he is doing now ?

[bobom1]

Thank you so much for posting this! So well sung!

It's very interesting to hear him sing this aria so late in his career - I don't think too many 55 (?) year old basses today would sing this in a concert - shows what good shape his voice was in.

The thing that puzzles me about Siepi is why he retired relatively early (or retired from major houses, at least). I mean, Ghiaurov performed pretty much right until the end.

Any answers? When WERE Siepi's last performances at the major houses?

[Orfeus80]

I believe his last performance was as Oroveso in Norma, Vienna 1992 with Bumbry as Norma, a recording exits. Is that early? Nearly 70 y.o.!

[aguacun]

As I knew from somewhere, he got retired because he was tired of the life of an opera singer, specially fame. Hwen he got retired, people said that was very difficult to make an appointment whith Siepi because he choosed to live far from the society. I don't know...this is what I knew, perhaps from the book Bravo(?). Not sure.