Michele Benedetti

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michele Benedetti (born October 17, 1778, Loreto - died after 1828 ) was an Italian bass particularly associated with Rossini roles.

[edit] Career

Benedetti sang at the Italian premiere of Spontini 's La vestale in 1811, in Naples, where his career was based.

He created several Rossini roles in Naples, notably: Elmiro in Otello, Idraote in Armida, the title role in Mosè in Egitto, Ircano in Ricciardo e Zoraide, Fenicio in Ermione, Douglas in La donna del lago, Leucippo in Zelmira.

For Donizetti, he created the roles of Atkins in Alfredo il grande (1823) and the King in Gianni di Calais (1828), and for Bellini in 1826 the role of Clemente in Bianca e Gernando.

He also sang in Paris and London, and appeared in premieres of operas by Mayr, Pacini, and Mercadante.

Stendhal wrote an enthusiastic critique of his interpretation of Mosè.

[edit] Sources

• Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6
• article by Elizabeth Forbes in Sadie, Stanley (ed) (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2.