Charles Anthony
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Charles Anthony Caruso (né Calogero Antonio Caruso, on July 15, 1929), better known by his stage name of Charles Anthony, is an American tenor noted for his portrayal of comprimario characters in opera. Anthony celebrated his fiftieth anniversary season with the Metropolitan Opera in 2004.
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[edit] Life
Anthony was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the child of immigrants from Sicily. He studied music at Loyola University New Orleans, and began his career performing with smaller regional companies. At 22, he tried out under his birth name for the Metropolitan Opera's Auditions of the Air. He won the auditions, but Sir Rudolf Bing convinced him to drop his surname, saying that it would invite comparisons with Enrico Caruso.
[edit] Career at the Met
Anthony made his debut at the Metropolitan on March 6, 1954, playing the role of the Simpleton in Boris Godunov. Critics were impressed; The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Anthony had better be careful. If he does other bit parts so vividly, he'll be stamped as a character singer for life." In the event, this proved true; although Anthony performed some larger roles early in his career, he made his mark as a comprimario singer.
On February 17, 1992, following Act II of a performance of Verdi's Rigoletto, Anthony was honored in an onstage ceremony on the occasion of his breaking the record of George Cehanovsky for most appearances by an artist at the Metropolitan Opera. As of 2006, Anthony has performed at the Met for 52 consecutive seasons, a record unparalleled in the annals of the company. He achieved his 2,904th performance with the Met on April 8, 2006, during a run of Massenet's Manon.
Anthony is an honorary member of Theatrical Stage Employees IATSE Local One in New York City.
[edit] Selected roles
- Innkeeper, Der Rosenkavalier
- Spoletta, Tosca
- Messenger, Aïda
- Ulrich Eisslinger, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
- Simpleton, Boris Godunov
- Ernesto, Don Pasquale
- Sergeant, The Barber of Seville
- Roderigo, Otello
- Federico, Stiffelio
- Il Tinca, Il tabarro
- Desiré, Fedora
- Judge, Un ballo in maschera
[edit] References
- Hamilton, David. (1987). The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Opera. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo: Simon and Schuster. p. 23. ISBN 0-671-61732-X.
- Sadie, Stanley and Christina Bashford. (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 1, p. 146. ISBN 0-935859-92-6.
[edit] External links
- A Tenor For All Seasons - Time Magazine
- 50th anniversary tribute
- Tribute from Theatrical Stage Employees IATSE Local One
- Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
- Metropolitan Opera performances (MetOpera database)
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