Eugenio Giraldoni

The first Scarpia, and born into the profession: his father Leone was the baritone who created the title role of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and Renato in Un ballo in maschera, and his mother Carolina Ferni, a soprano and violinist, was his teacher. He made his debut at Barcelona in 1891 as Escamillo and created Scarpia at twenty-eight. His later career was largely in Russia and Poland, with a season at the Metropolitan Opera in 1904 and Paris in 1913. He retired at Trieste in 1921 and taught. His voice was dark and resonant, his manner vehement rather than subtle.