Carlo Bergonzi

Tenor Carlo Bergonzi, for many, epitomized Verdian grace and style, not only for his generation, but for the entire 20th century. His parents were great opera lovers and took him to see Il trovatore when he was just six. The next morning, they found him singing "Di quella pira" and staging the scene with kitchen implements. He performed in church choirs and in child roles in the Busseto Opera. At 14, he auditioned for Edmondo Grandini, who decided that Bergonzi was a baritone and offered him lessons. Bergonzi moved to Brescia to study with him, though his studies were interrup...