Berlin mourns lead bass, 88

Berlin mourns lead bass, 88

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norman lebrecht

February 27, 2019

The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced the death of Ivan Sardi, who sang in a famous recording of Don Giovanni conducted by Ferenc Fricsay.

Budapest born, Sardi sang 36 years with the company.

Comments

  • pianoronald says:
    February 27, 2019 at 1:20 pm

    Ivan Sardi sang Masetto on the Fricsay recording, Fischer-Dieskau was Don Giovanni.

    Reply
  • Peter Schünemann says:
    February 27, 2019 at 2:04 pm

    The “noted Don Giovanni” in the Fricsay recording was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Ivan Sardi sang Masetto. R. I. P.

    Reply
  • ThrownOutOfTheKremlinForSinging says:
    February 27, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    MISLEADING LEAD ALERT! Yes, Ivan Sardi sang the famous recording (and videotaped) performance of DonG conducted by Fricsay, but he sang … the role of Masetto. Not the Dirty Don.

    Oh, I see others have pointed this out. But no one has mentioned the real star of the show, the mighty super-heavyweight JOSEF GREINDL.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaE2ZAsjV2M

    Reply
  • ThrownOutOfTheKremlinForSinging says:
    February 27, 2019 at 9:59 pm

    Oh, I suppose since I posted a clip of someone else, I should post one of Sardi. Here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aKzts1t7Os

    Reply
    • Peter says:
      February 28, 2019 at 10:33 pm

      Thank you for that — splendid singing, even more splendid conducting, reminding one of the great tragedy of Fricsay’s early death.

      Reply
  • Joe Pearce says:
    February 28, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    Actually, the announcement didn’t say that Sardi sang the Don, only that he appeared on the recording. It was a
    very early stereo DON, about 1958, and I thought a very exciting one, although almost all the singers were basically too light-voiced for their roles (Maria Stader as
    Donna Anna?). And Josef Greindl wasn’t the Commendatore; Walter Kreppel was.

    Reply

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