La Voce del Leone : Titta Ruffo

Ruffo sings “O vin, discaccia la tristezza“ from Ambroise Thomas’s opera Amleto. He was very famous for his portrayal of Hamlet not only due to his great vocalism but also for his profound acting. Note the phenomenal change in color when going into the second verse and the amazing cadenza. Although having a weakness in the lower register, Ruffo had such a distinct baritone timbre which I miss a bit in his colleagues Mattia Battistini and Antonio Scotti. He was idolized by both Leonard Warren (in fact he was instrumental in kindling his desire to be an opera singer) and Robert Merrill. Giuseppe de Luca was in awe of him as well as Tullio Serafin. The opinions of such great artists alone are a worthy testament to the greatness of this singer.