Felice Varesi
Birthplace: Calais, French Empire
Felice Varesi was an Italian baritone who created three of Verdi's great roles: Macbeth at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence in 1847, Rigoletto at La Fenice in 1851, and Germont in La traviata at the same venue in 1853. He made his debut at Varese in 1834 and built his career in Donizetti, reaching La Scala in 1841. From 1842 he sang often at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, where he created Antonio in Linda di Chamounix. He sang in Madrid, and in 1864 made his London debut at Her Majesty's Theatre as Rigoletto, which was considered his finest role.
Creations
- Giorgio Germont — La traviata (Venice, 1853)
- Macbeth — Macbeth (Florence, 1847)
- Rigoletto — Rigoletto
Written from
- Forbes, E. (1992) 'Varesi, Felice', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, p. 900.
- Wikipedia (2026) Felice Varesi. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).