Bergonzi, Carlo (born 1924)

Italian operatic tenor. A stylish singer, with a lyrical voice of great beauty, he has been particularly successful in the operas of Verdi, among them Ernani, Il trovatore, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, and Aïda.

Bergonzi was born in Parma, where he studied. He made his debut, as a baritone, in 1948 at Lecce, singing Rossini's Figaro. Three years later he became a tenor, and from 1951 appeared at the major opera houses of Europe and the USA, including Covent Garden, London, and the Metropolitan, New York.