Di' tu se fedele – Carlo Bergonzi, 1975

Carlo Bergonzi (born 13 July 1924) is an Italian operatic tenor. Although he performed and recorded various bel canto and verismo roles, he is above all associated with the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, including a large number of his lesser-known works which he helped revive. Essentially a lirico-spinto tenor, Bergonzi is greatly admired for his pointed diction, beautiful legato and elegant phrasing.

Bergonzi was born in Vidalenzo, near Parma. He began his vocal studies at age 14. During World War II, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp. After the war, he returned to Italy and studied at the Boito Conservatory in Parma.

Bergonzi, in a 1985 interview with Opera Fanatic's Stefan Zucker, cited 1948 as the date of his professional debut as a baritone, in the role of Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other baritone roles of his included Arlesiana (Metifio), Don Pasquale (Dottor Malatesta), L'elisir d'amore (Belcore), Lucia di Lammermoor (Lord Enrico Ashton), Le astuzie di Bertoldo (Ghirlino), Pagliacci (Silvio), L'amico Fritz (Fritz Kobus), Cavalleria rusticana (Alfio), Werther (Albert), La bohème (Marcello), La fanciulla del West (Sonora), Madama Butterfly (Sharpless), Manon Lescaut (Lescaut), Mignon (Laerte), Rigoletto (Rigoletto) and La traviata (Giorgio Germont).

In 1951, after retraining his voice, he made his debut as a tenor in the title role of Andrea Chénier in Bari. That same year, to mark the 50th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death, the Italian state radio network RAI engaged Bergonzi for a series of broadcasts of the lesser-known Verdi operas I due Foscari, Giovanna d'Arco, and Simon Boccanegra.

In 1953, Bergonzi made his La Scala and London debut as Alvaro in La forza del destino. His American debut was at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1955, and his Metropolitan Opera debut as Radames in Aïda the following year. His Covent Garden debut, again as Alvaro, was in 1962.

Bergonzi continued to sing through the 1970s at major opera houses. In the 1980s, he concentrated more on recitals.

In 1996, Bergonzi participated in conductor James Levine's twenty-fifth anniversary gala at the Metropolitan Opera. He gave his American farewell concert at Carnegie Hall on 17 April that same year. However, an announcement that on 3 May 2000, he was to sing the title role in a concert performance of Otello, conducted by Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra of New York attracted intense interest, particularly because he had never performed the role on stage. Bergonzi was unable to finish the performance, supposedly suffering irritation from the air-conditioning in his dressing-room, and a substitute singer took over. An audio recording of the dress rehearsal of Otello revealed Bergonzi's voice sounding surprisingly fresh for a man of 75.

Now retired, Bergonzi spends most of his time at I due Foscari, his hotel in Busseto, which also hosts the Accademia Verdiana. Bergonzi is credited with mentoring tenors Roberto Aronica, Vincenzo La Scola, Filippo Lo Giudice, Philip Webb, Giorgio Casciari, Paul Caragiulo, Lance Clinker and Salvatore Licitra.