Giuseppe Di Stefano(1921-2008)

One of the most famous tenors of his time, he sang the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Maria Callas's famous 1953 recording of "Tosca", considered one of the greatest operatic recordings ever made. He also sang the role of the Duke of Mantua in Callas's studio recording of "Rigoletto", as well as her studio recordings of "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci". He also sang the tenor part in Arturo Toscanini's 1951 performance of Verdi's "Requiem Mass".

"I am Sicilian, and I was born in a place where the troubadours sang as much as they talked. The story always moved me more than the music, but I became a singer rather than an actor because my best way of delivering words is with music...you shouldn't be moved just by the high notes, you should be able to be moved just as much by the low notes. Not many singers have this kind of expressiveness. My great Maria Callas had it, and so also did Nat King Cole and currently Barbara Streisand. They are beautiful singers. They put so much feeling into the words, so much elegance and musicality. Very seldom does this happen in opera, because they are so preoccupied with sound".