Tito Gobbi’s World of Italian Opera: The Life of the Celebrated Opera Star

From the darkly powerful Baron Scarpia and the deviously malicious Iago to the hapless Sir John Falstaff and the clever Figaro - all these characters found embodiment in the great Italian baritone, Tito Gobbi. This major exhibition pays homage to the great roles of Verdi and Puccini portrayed by Gobbi through photographs, sketches, programs, and annotated scores, as well as documenting the "business" of opera through contracts and revealing professional correspondence. Of particular note in this area is a set of correspondence between the sharp-willed Rudolf Bing of the New York Metropolitan Opera and Tito Gobbi over a never-realized production of Berg's Wozzeck. His work with the Chicago Lyric Opera and the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, London, is also addressed in detail. Gobbi's personal passion for painting and his work as a director and teacher are also central pieces in completing the portrait of this boundlessly energetic performer.