Charles Anthony Caruso (néCalogero Antonio Caruso; July 15, 1929 – February 15, 2012), better known by hisstage name ofCharles Anthony, was an Americanactor andtenor noted for his portrayal ofcomprimario characters inopera. Anthony had the distinction of appearing in more performances at theMetropolitan Opera than any other performer.[1] He celebrated his fiftieth anniversary with the company in 2004, and gave his farewell in the role of the aged Emperor Altoum inTurandot, at the Met, on January 28, 2010.[2]
Anthony was born inNew Orleans, Louisiana, the child of immigrants fromSicily. He studied music atLoyola University New Orleans, where he studied under Dorothy Hulse, also the teacher ofAudrey Schuh andHarry Theyard; he graduated in 1951. The tenor sang the role of the Messenger inIl trovatore at theNew Orleans Opera Association in 1947. At the age of twenty-two, he auditioned under his birth name for the Metropolitan Opera's Auditions of the Air. He won the auditions, but SirRudolf Bing convinced him to drop his surname, saying that it would invite comparisons withEnrico Caruso.
Anthony made his debut at the Metropolitan on March 6, 1954, playing the role of the Simpleton inBoris Godunov, which was sung in English. Critics were impressed;The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Anthony had better be careful. If he does other bit parts so vividly, he'll be stamped as a character singer for life." This proved prescient; although Anthony performed some larger roles early in his career (including Don Ottavio, to the Donna Anna ofHerva Nelli, inDon Giovanni), he made his mark as acomprimario singer.
On February 17, 1992, following Act II of a performance ofPuccini'sTosca, Anthony was honored in an onstage ceremony on the occasion of his breaking the record ofGeorge Cehanovsky for most appearances by an artist at the Metropolitan Opera. By the time of his retirement, Anthony had performed 2,928 times with the company, over fifty-six seasons.[3] He was also an honorary member ofInternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local One in New York City. Following his retirement from the Metropolitan Opera, he lived inTampa, Florida, where he died at his home from kidney failure at the age of 82.[1]
Anthony was included in many of the Met's telecasts, includingOtello (conducted byJames Levine, 1979),Elektra (withBirgit Nilsson, 1980),Un ballo in maschera (withKatia Ricciarelli, 1980),Il trittico (withRenata Scotto, 1981),Rigoletto (withLouis Quilico in the title role, 1981),Der Rosenkavalier (with DameKiri Te Kanawa, 1982),Idomeneo (produced byJean-Pierre Ponnelle, 1982),Tannhäuser (withRichard Cassilly, 1982),Don Carlos (oppositePlácido Domingo andMirella Freni, 1983),Ernani (withLuciano Pavarotti in the name part, 1983),Lohengrin (withPeter Hofmann, 1986),Dialogues des Carmélites (directed byJohn Dexter, 1987),Ariadne auf Naxos (withJessye Norman, 1988),Il barbiere di Siviglia (1988),Un ballo in maschera (staged byPiero Faggioni, 1991),La fanciulla del West (1992),Stiffelio (1993),Il tabarro (withTeresa Stratas, 1994),Simon Boccanegra (1995),Otello (1995),Die Meistersinger (2001),Fedora (1997),Samson et Dalila (1998), and, finally,Turandot (withMaria Guleghina, 2009).
Early in his career, he appeared on live network television forCBS in an adaptation ofHector Berlioz' sacred oratorioL'enfance du Christ (1964) under the musical direction ofAlfredo Antonini (withSherrill Milnes,Giorgio Tozzi andAra Berberian).
In 1956 and 1957, the tenor recorded excerpts fromLes contes d'Hoffmann,Pagliacci,La périchole (withPatrice Munsel andTheodor Uppman), andDon Pasquale (withSalvatore Baccaloni) for the Metropolitan Opera Record Club.
In 1982, Anthony recorded Gastone, inLa traviata (which he had sung oppositeMaria Callas, in 1958), with Levine leading Stratas, Domingo, andCornell MacNeil. In 1990, he recorded the role of the Messenger, inAïda, conducted by Levine.
Anthony died on February 15, 2012, inTampa, Florida, from kidney failure, aged 82.
