The Italian lyric tenor Gianni Raimondi has died, aged 85. He was a regular at La Scala for over two decades, sticking to bel canto and Verdi/ Puccini roles, avoiding the heavier repertoire which ensured he had a long career. Surprisingly, he never sang at Covent Garden. He recorded very little in the way of studio recordings, the most notable being a DG Traviata with Renata Scotto as Violetta. There was also a DG Boheme alongside Mirella Freni, conducted by Karajan, who irked him with his comment about Raimondi being "little more than a talented house tenor"; this Boheme was also the basis of a film version. There is a famous recording of a performance of Anna Bolena alongside Callas and Rossi-Lemeni.



Obituaries in the Telegraph and The Times.

R.I.P.