Ferruccio Tagliavini

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Ferruccio Tagliavini (1913 - 1995) was an Italian tenor. He was a contemporary of other notable tenors such as Beniamino Gigli, Jussi Björling, Giuseppe Campora and Carlo Bergonzi.

In 1938 he won a national competition that earned him a Florentine début, as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème. He also earned recognition as one of the leading "light lyric tenors" of his time (though he was hardly content to remain a tenore di grazia; he took on heavier roles such as Tosca and L'amico Fritz, the latter under the director of the composer).

Tagliavini triumphed in nearly all the important opera houses of the world, from the Metropolitan to Covent Garden to the Paris Opéra. His most convincing roles included those in L'elisir d'amore, La sonnambula, L'arlesiana, Rigoletto, Mefistofele, La Traviata, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Werther and Manon.

In 1941 Tagliavini married soprano Pia Tassinari, with whom he appeared often on the stage. Like his rival Gigli, Tagliavini made several films. He retired in 1970, leaving behind - again like Gigli - an especially treasured discography.