Michael Davidson as Iago in Royal Opera Antwerp

Dad sings the Credo from Otello in the Royal Opera Antwerp. He jumped into this production without any prior reherseals.

Resume of Michael Davidson, baritone

Born in Long Beach, California, Michael Davidson studied voice with the Bolshoi's Verdi baritone Vladimir Dubinsky (a student of Antonio Cotogni's), 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 Leoncavallo's Edipo Re (a role concipated for Titta Ruffo) and Dallapiccola's 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, Hannover, Basel, 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), Anton Dermota (Palestrina), Ileana Cotrubas (Rosenkavalier), Fiorenza Cossotto (Il Trovatore), Agnes Baltsa (Rosenkavalier) 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. Davidson's 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 D'Hoffmann), 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), the High Priest of Dagon (Samson e Dalilah), Valentin (Faust), Dunois (Joan of Arc), Gerard (Andrea Chenier), Sebastiano (Tiefland), the count in Capriccio as well as the title-roles in Gianni Schicci, Edipo Re, Eugene Onegin, Guglielmo Tell and Cardillac.

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

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[gallferi]

Simply magnificent! I was afraid he'll turn the scull into a "to be or not to be", but when he picked up the sand and poured it into the scull's eyes, I got the goosebumps.

Vocally unsurpassable.

Robert, what does your father do now?

[primobaritono]

Thank you very much for your kindness !

My father is now enjoying retirement after 45 years of operatic singing.

[Asmorit]

It's nice to see a video that was recorded in Antwerp. Lots of famous singers sang on this stage before they entered the gates of eternal fame. When was this production?

[primobaritono]

1987

[OBK2222]

great singing!!!!!!!!

[ScoDeu]

What a terrific singer - bravo!

[pearlmuth3]

I remember Peerce singing a concert in the 70's in the area your dad was from, Lakewood I think it was but it was near Long Beach I remember driving him to the concert. Hope to hear all your dads live you tube posts this week, thanks again.

[pearlmuth3]

Just read the post about his career here. Very impressive voice and career, wish him the best from a new fan!

[jelyse07]

Wow rob!

That was wonderful!

So dramatic!

:)

[berladana]

Bravo...

such a great singer...

[canzonettasullaria]

I prefer him in roles of villains and also did so in earlier times when he still sang at Mannheim Nationaltheater.

[sagalat]

I was never able to fill my Father's shoes. But I was mediocre to begin with. I hope that you can emerge from so huge a shadow