Pietro Ballo
Encyclopedia
Pietro Ballo - Italian operatic singer (tenor
), born October 2, 1952 in Palermo
. He came from a family of laborers, working then himself in a quarry in Sicily
before changing his professional orientation toward music
. He enrolled into the school of singing at the Teatro Massimo
in Palermo, then his operatic career started near the end of 1980s, mostly in Italy
, at various opera stages as well in concert halls.
During 1970s he moved to Milan
where he made his debut in such a role as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff
. He sang then roles of Rodolfo in La Bohème
, Italian singer in Der Rosenkavalier
, and Roland in Esclarmonde
(Teatro Massimo, January 1993).
He made an impressive American television appearance in the Luciano Pavarotti specials of the 1990's "Pavarotti + Plus" singing with Shirley Verrett among others.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), born October 2, 1952 in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. He came from a family of laborers, working then himself in a quarry in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
before changing his professional orientation toward music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. He enrolled into the school of singing at the Teatro Massimo
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II....
in Palermo, then his operatic career started near the end of 1980s, mostly in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, at various opera stages as well in concert halls.
During 1970s he moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
where he made his debut in such a role as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
. He sang then roles of Rodolfo in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, Italian singer in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
, and Roland in Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde is an opéra in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont....
(Teatro Massimo, January 1993).
He made an impressive American television appearance in the Luciano Pavarotti specials of the 1990's "Pavarotti + Plus" singing with Shirley Verrett among others.