Paolo Silveri Italian opera singer, baritone Date of Birth: 28.12.1913 Country: Italy

Biography of Paolo Silveri

Paolo Silveri was an Italian opera singer and baritone. He was born in 1913 in Ofena, Italy, and grew up in a peasant family. From an early age, Paolo's beautiful voice captivated the entire region when he sang in the church choir. Despite his obvious talent, his family did not have the means to support his education and vocal development.

Later, after moving to Rome, Paolo began working and was able to finance his own education. It was in Rome that he took a few lessons from the elderly vocal teacher Perugini, who assured the young singer that he had an excellent baritone voice and should strive to make it onto the big opera stage. Paolo's debut took place in Rome in 1939. Interestingly, for a long time, his teachers, including the renowned opera pedagogue Riccardo Stracciari, could not recognize Silveri's voice.

In the early years, Paolo sang bass roles, struggling and straining his voice. However, his old teacher Perugini insisted that Paolo was only and exclusively a baritone and should develop his voice in that direction. Thus, Silveri independently worked on his baritone while continuing to perform on the opera stage as a bass. He gained some popularity as a bass as well.

Justice eventually prevailed, and in 1944, Paolo Silveri made his baritone debut. Soon he developed a fairly extensive repertoire, which included roles such as Scarpia, Figaro, Count di Luna, Rigoletto, Tonio, and many others. In the second half of the 1940s, his name became widely known among opera lovers throughout Europe. He performed at the Royal Opera House in London and the Paris Opéra. In 1950, Paolo made his American debut at the famous Metropolitan Opera, where he sang in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and later in "Rigoletto."

By the 1950s, his repertoire had become truly enormous. He sang in almost all of Verdi's works and also performed in operas by Puccini, Mozart, Ponchielli, Donizetti, Gluck, and many others, not to mention numerous concerts. In the late 1950s, he stepped back from the opera stage, focusing on concerts and teaching. However, in the 1960s, he gradually returned to opera performances.

Paolo Silveri retired from the stage in 1968. By that time, his repertoire included an impressive number of opera roles, particularly in the works of Verdi. He passed away on July 3, 2001, in Rome, reminding opera lovers once again that the legendary generation of opera masters from the past is sadly leaving us. Silveri was one of its last representatives.

Among Paolo Silveri's recordings are "Nabucco," "La traviata," "Simon Boccanegra," "Don Carlo," "La Gioconda," and "Tosca." In addition to his opera recordings, he also left behind a large number of Neapolitan songs, which are considered some of his finest musical legacies.