Enrico Caruso

Nicknamed the "tenor of the (twentieth) century", Enrico Caruso made his dazzling debut at the age of 22 in L'Amico Francesco (Morelli), then on all the international stages, from La Scala in Milan under the baton of Toscanini to Covent Garden (London) with Nellie Melba. Verdi interpreter par excellence, creator of the roles of Loris in Giordano's Fedora (1898) and Dick Johnson in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West (1910), the "Great Caruso" divided his time between the United States and Europe. His many recordings for RCA Victor enriched his career and contributed to the rise of the phonograph. Considered the greatest singer of his time, endowed with a deep, expressive timbre, Caruso marked the history of opera with his roles in L'Elisir d'amore (Donizetti), Aïda, Rigoletto or La Traviata (Verdi), Paillasse (Leoncavallo) and numerous works performed in Italian, French, English or Spanish. He died on August 2, 1921 in his hometown of Naples, and became a legend of the lyric arts.