Opera Scotland

Plinio Clabassi Suggest updates

Born Sedegliano  1919

Died San Vito al Tagliamento, 22 October 1984.

Italian bass.

Plinio Clabassi's career as a leading bass soloist, in the nineteen fifties and sixties, saw him performing regularly at the major Italian houses, including La Scala, Rome, Naples and Florence. It was with the last named that he came to Edinburgh towards the end of his career. He was still in excellent voice, and a powerful and versatile actor, equally adept at comedy and tragedy.

He can be heard in a number of roles in important recordings. His Verdi discs include the Marchese (Forza del destino 1954, with Callas); Monk (Don Carlos 1954, with Gobbi and Christoff); Monterone (Rigoletto 1955 with Callas, di Stefano and Gobbi); King (Aïda 1955, with Milanov and Björling, repeated in 1962 with Price, Vickers and Solti). He also appears as Alvise (Ponchielli's La Gioconda 1957, with Milanov and di Stefano). Puccini recordings include Bonze (Madama Butterfly 1955, with Callas and Karajan) and Talpa (Il tabarro 1955, with Gobbi). Donizetti parts, both rarities at the time, include Rochefort (Anna Bolena 1957, with Callas and Simionato) and, much later, Mocenigo (Caterina Cornaro 1972, with Gencer).