Michael Davidson sings Urna Fatale in German

Michael Davidson sings "Morir tremenda cosa...Urna Fatale" in German. From a live performance.

Born in Long Beach, California, Michael Davidson studied voice with the Bolshois Verdi baritone Vladimir Dubinsky (a student of Antonio Cotognis), while Hugo Strelitzer and Herbert Weisskopf were his coaches. Michael gave his European debut at the Concertgebouw presenting a variety of Verdi arias, later he returned there to sing the title-roles in Leoncavallos Edipo Re (a role concipated for Titta Ruffo) and Dallapiccolas Il Prigionero. Further engagements include the Royal Opera Stockholm, National Theater Mannheim, Royal Opera Antwerp, Vancouver Opera, the Staatsopern in Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart and the Gran Teatro de Liceu. Additionally the operas in Cologne, Karlsruhe, Portland, Basel, Hannover, Wuppertal, Frankfurt, Nürnberg, Dortmund and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf-Duisburg.
Among his stage-partners have been Luciano Pavarotti (Rigoletto), Mirella Freni (La Boheme), Raina Kabaivanska (Madama Butterfly), Lucia Popp (Der Rosenkavalier), Eva Marton (Tosca), Montserrat Caballe (Aida), Martina Arroyo (Aida), Tatjana Troyanos (Carmen), Nadine Connor (La Traviata), Maria Chiara (Otello), Karl Ridderbusch (Meistersinger, Lohengrin), Ileana Cotrubas (Rosenkavalier), Fiorenza Cossotto (Il Trovatore), Agnes Baltsa (Rosenkavalier), Anton Dermota (Palestrina), Diana Damrau (Hänsel und Gretel, Rigoletto, Der Freischütz) and Waltraud Meier (Cardillac, Carmen, Il Trovatore, Der Rosenkavalier, Rigoletto). Michael Davidson has appeared in concerts with Mario del Monaco, Erika Köth and Renee Kollo and with such conductors as Giuseppe Patane, Alberto Erede, Kees Bakels, Hans Wallat, Horst Stein, Donald Runnicles and Nello Santi. Mr. Davidson also performed the King in Die Kluge under the direction of the composer Carl Orff. For his artistic accomplishments he has been awarded the title of Kammersänger. Michael Davidson retired from the stage in 1999 as Tonio (I Pagliacci), over 40 years after his debut. His son Robert is now an aspiring young baritone.

Throughout his career Mr. Davidsons repertoire has had a particular focus on the works of Giuseppe Verdi, singing the lead baritone roles in Otello, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Il Trovatore, Luisa Miller, La Traviata, Falstaff, Aida, Attila, Don Carlo and I Masnadieri and the title-roles of Rigoletto, Macbeth, Simon Boccanegra, and Nabucco.

He however also frequently portrayed such roles as the four demons (Les Contes DHoffmann), Scarpia (Tosca), Michele (Il Tabarro), Rance (La Fanciulla del West), Marcello (La Boheme), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Tonio (I Pagliacci), Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana), Barnaba (La Gioconda), Escamillo (Carmen), Amfortas (Parsifal), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Faninal (Der Rosenkavalier), Valentin (Faust), Dunois (Joan of Arc), the High Priest of Dagon (Samson e Dalilah), Gerard (Andrea Chenier), Sebastiano (Tiefland), the count in Capriccio as well as the title-roles in Gianni Schicci, Edipo Re, Guglielmo Tell, Eugene Onegin and Cardillac.

To purchase a complete recording of Edipo Re from the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, please click the following link:
http://www.opera-club.net/release.asp?rel=75

Category:

Music

Tags:

• La
• Forza
• del
• Destino
• Giuseppe
• Verdi
• aria
• Die
• Macht
• des
• Schicksals

[Hjadlowker]

Your father's voice and artistry were extraorinary indeed. Easy Warren-like high notes (the impressive last one puts your hairs on end!); virile, robust Verdian line; command of the text suggesting a great singing actor, and the sheer power. One wonders why he was not better known. Well, not really: once you are in the business you know that things are not fair.

Anyways, thank you so much for sharing these mementoes of such a wonderful artist. Is he still alive, I hope?

[fanciulladelsouth]

What "Hjadlowker" said! :-)

Thanks once again for more wonderful audio of your dad's art -- you'll tell him how much we enjoy it, won't you.

Also very much enjoyed reading the bio material this time. How proud you must be. Not at all to discount his stunning high notes, but I (a non-professional, only an avid fan and listener) seem to hear a bass-baritone quality in Michael's voice too ... with all his work in German, did he never sing the Dutchman? (contd below)

[clown84700]

Bravi !:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fanciulladelsouth]

(contd from above)

Of course he was ideal for Verdi. Not to mention the villains in "Hoffmann", Puccini, and all the others in the list -- with that resume he takes a back seat to no great dramatic baritone in the business. And that expressive face ... a rare singing actor indeed. The U.S. missed a magnificent talent in not hearing him more on these shores.

How is Salzburg, Robert?

All best,

Jess