finetune artist: Ezio Pinza

b. Fortunato Pinza, 8 May 1892, Rome, Italy, d. 9 May 1957, Stamford, Connecticut, USA. An accomplished operatic bass, Pinza studied at the Bologna Conservatory before making his professional debut in 1914. After World War I he sang at Italy's principal opera houses, including La Scala, Milan, from 1922-24. He made his New York debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1926, singing there for 22 consecutive seasons. During the 30s he sang in London and elsewhere in Europe, then, in the late 40s, left the Met to start a new career on Broadway. He sang the role of Emil de Becque in South Pacific (1949), in which he played opposite Mary Martin. The show was hugely successful, running for 1,925 performances, and Pinza won a Tony Award as Best Actor. He appeared as Csar in Fanny (1954), another success that ran for 888 performances. Pinza made some film appearances, including Carnegie Hall (1947), a thinly-disguised concert of classical music, featuring opera singers Lily Pons, Rse Stevens and Jan Peerce. Also involved are Harry James and Vaughn Monroe, there presumably as a sop to the mass audience.

Listen to Ezio Pinza at Finetune.

Some Enchanted Evening