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Who is this guy? Campbell Vertesi is an operatic bass, of the very low sort. His fach is sometimes called "Basso Profundo" - that's Italian for "he sings really low." Even lower than most basses, which is a bit frightening. He specializes in bass roles like Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), and Colline (La Bohème). This site chronicles Campbell's progress as he begins a career as a young opera singer. If you would like to know more, or wish to submit a complaint about any of the content posted here, please feel free to send him an email.
This page and all of it's contents are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Tue, 2007-03-27 20:15
Campbell,
We can probably rest assured that Handel was familiar with the historical facts after which his opera is based but he still chose to have Ptolemy sung by a bass. Perhaps he intended to fictionalize history and make Ptolemy an old man? Otherwise, why not have him sung by a mezzo or countertenor? It doesn't make sense for a bass to play a 15-year old on stage.
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