Édouard de Reszke

Édouard de Reszke was a Polish bass who sang Fiesco in the first performance of Verdi's revised Simon Boccanegra at La Scala in 1881. He made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1876 as the King in the first Paris Aida, and in 1883 was the first London Alvise in La Gioconda. From then his career followed that of his brother, the tenor Jean de Reszke, through Paris, London, Chicago and New York. His huge voice and giant stature made him a celebrated Méphistophélès and a magnificent Wagner bass: Hans Sachs, King Mark, Hagen. He retired in 1903.