Mirto Picchi (15 March 1915, San Mauro, near Florence - 25 September 1980, Florence) was an Italian dramatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, and with contemporary works.
In 1946/47 he appeared in Vienna as Radamès in Aida and as Don José in Carmen, and 1947 in London, at the Cambridge Theatre, as the Duca di Mantua in Rigoletto, Rodolfo in La bohème, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and sang Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera at Edinburgh, in 1949. He made his debut at the Royal Opera House in 1952, as Pollione in Norma, opposite Maria Callas. He also appeared in Rio de Janeiro in 1950, and Chicago in 1954.
However, the main part of his career was in Italy, notably in Milan, Rome, Naples, and Florence.
He created roles in many contemporary works, notably Ildebrando Pizzetti's Cagliostro and La figlia di Iorio, and Juan José Castro's Proserpina y el Extranjero. He participated in a film of Il tabarro for Italian television.
One of the leading tenors of the post-war period, he had a fine voice and was an accomplished singing-actor. He retired from the stage in 1974 (Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, at La Scala), and published his autobiography, Un trono vicino al sol, in 1978.
Studio Discography
Verdi: Don Carlos (Caniglia, Stignani, Silveri, Rossi Lemeni; Previtali, 1951) Cetra
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