Aldo Protti

Aldo Protti (19 July 1920 – 10 August 1995) was an Italian baritone opera singer, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.

Protti was born in Cremona. He studied in Parma, and made his debut in Pesaro, as Figaro, in 1948. He made his La Scala debut in 1950, as Amonasro, and sang there for many years. He sang widely in Italy and Europe in the standard Italian repertory, earning areputation for being "one of the most reliable baritone in the business".

In 1956, Protti appeared with the New York City Opera, in Rigoletto (with Norman Treigle as Sparafucile), Tosca (in Vladimir Rosing's staging), and the company premiere of Il trovatore (with Pier Miranda Ferraro).He made a belated debut at the Metropolitan Opera, as Rigoletto, in John Dexter's production, in 1985, at the age of sixty-five.

He was particularly appreciated in Verdi roles, especially Rigoletto, his greatest role, but also as Alfio, Tonio, Gérard, Scarpia, etc.

Aldo Protti died in Cremona, aged seventy-five.

• Giordano: Andrea Chénier (Callas, del Monaco; Votto, 1955) [live] EMI
• Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Petrella, del Monaco; Erede, 1952) Decca
• Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Beltrami, Poggi; Rapalo, 1958) Philips
• Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana (Nicolai, del Monaco; Ghione, 1954) Decca
• Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana (Mancini, Poggi; Rapalo, 1958) Philips
• Verdi: Aida (Tebaldi, Stignani, del Monaco; Erede, 1952) Decca
• Verdi: Otello (Tebaldi, del Monaco; Erede, 1954) Decca
• Verdi: Otello (Tebaldi, del Monaco; Karajan, 1961) Decca
• Verdi: Rigoletto (Gueden, Simionato, del Monaco, Siepi; Erede, 1954) Decca
• Verdi: La traviata (Tebaldi, Poggi; Molinari-Pradelli, 1954) Decca

• Grove Music Online, J.B. Steane, Oxford University Press, 2008.