For Father Cornelius Mattei.

The great baritone (1922-1967) began his singing life as a child and young man singing bass in choral and concert performances. He served in WWII, and after the war made his operatic debut as a baritone in 1952 in Siena. The following year he sang with Maria Callas in what would be the beginning of a long professional relationship. 1954 was a big year for Bastianini, and he made debuts at both La Scala and the Met. By 1958 he had acquired a huge international reputation and was everywhere known and applauded. His golden years were shorted tragically by very serious illness which took his life at age 45, in 1967. His voice was very dark and powerful, imbued with bass-like qualities from earliest youth. This is by any reckoning a great voice, and an extraordinarily good recording of "Eri Tu."

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