Ruggero Raimondi

(Bologna, 1941) Italian opera singer. In 1965 he made his debut in the experimental Theater of Spoleto with La Bohème, playing Colline. Since then he has worked a successful career as a baritone-bass, with an extensive repertoire of works such as Don Giovanni by Mozart or Don Carlos by Verdi. He has also participated in filmed operas, such as the version of Don Giovanni (1979) by J. Losey and Carmen (1983) by F. Rossi. Il Barbiere di Siviglia, for the opera of Nancy, in 1992.
Raimondi’s voice is actually somewhat closer to a bass-baritone than a true bass, but this did not prevent him from successfully singing most of the great bass roles — King Philip in Don Carlo, Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra, Boris Godunov, and Silva in Ernani being his most celebrated — as well as the roles more associated with bass-baritones, such as Escamillo, Mozart’s Figaro, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, and Don Giovanni, and even a concert version of Scarpia. He is also quite celebrated as a singing actor, and has occasionally directed operas.