Opera Scotland

Bruno Prevedi Suggest updates

Born Rovere, nr Mantova, 21 December 1928.

Died Milan, 12 January 1988.

Italian tenor.

Bruno Prevedi had an unusually dark-toned and attractive tenor, particularly noted for his Verdi and Puccini roles. He studied in Mantua with Alberto Soresina then Milan with Vladimiro Badioli. After a brief period as a baritone, making his debut at Milan Teatro Nuovo in 1958 as Tonio in Pagliacci, he retrained as a tenor.

He sang at most of the major Italian houses, including La Scala, Rome, and Palermo, as well as the Verona Arena. The international career began in Vienna in 1962 (Jason, Cavaradossi). His Covent Garden debut in 1963 was as Calaf in a new production of Turandot, returning the following year as Manrico in the new Visconti staging of Il trovatore conducted by Giulini. His only other British visit was with the Palermo company at the 1972 Edinburgh Festival (Foresto in Attila). Further continental appearances included Berlin, Munich and Moscow. American engagements took him to Philadelphia and Dallas.

His three major studio recordings are of high quality, and of works that were rare at the time. The first, from 1964, is Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth, with Nilsson, Taddei and Foiani, conducted by Schippers. The following year he recorded Ismaele in Nabucco with Suliotis, Gobbi and Cava, conducted by Gardelli. In 1967 he was Jason in Cherubini's Medée, in the Italian version edited by Franz Lachner. The rest of the cast includes Gwyneth Jones with Lorengar, Cossotto and Diaz, conducted by Gardelli. There was also a recital disc of arias.

Some of the best souvenirs of his career can be heard in recordings of radio broadcasts of stage or concert performances. Three of the Verdi ones are particularly good - Ernani (1969 with Caballé, Glossop and Christoff, under Gavazzeni); Trovatore (1964 Covent Garden, with Jones, Simionato and Glossop, with Giulini); and Don Carlos (1968, with Orlandi-Malaspina, Cossotto, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov and Talvela, conducted by Abbado).

He is Pollione on a good 1965 Norma with Gencer, Simionato and Zaccaria, conducted by Gavazzeni. He also appears in several largely forgotten operas, including the title role in Boito's Nerone (1975, with Ligabue, Baldani and Ferrin, under Gavazzeni). There are two works by Spontini - Ernesto in Agnese di Hohenstaufen (1970 with Caballé, Stella, Bruscantini and Guelfi under Muti), and the title role in Fernand Cortes (1974 with Gulin, Bottion and Roni under Matacic). He certainly worked with some high class colleagues.