Robert Weede | |
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 Weede at right withJan Peerce andJean Tennyson on the radio program "Great Moments in Music", 1942 | |
| Born | (1903-02-22)February 22, 1903 |
| Died | July 9, 1972(1972-07-09) (aged 69) Walnut Creek, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer |
Robert Weede/ˈwiːdi/ (February 22, 1903 – July 9, 1972) was an American operaticbaritone.
Robert Wiedefeld was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and had two sisters, Elizabeth andMary Wiedefeld.[1] Weede studied voice at theEastman School of Music and in Milan. He made hisMetropolitan Opera debut in 1937, as Tonio inPagliacci. His other roles at the Metropolitan included the name part inRigoletto (oppositeJussi Björling), Amonasro (Aïda), Manfredo (L'amore dei tre re), Shaklovity (Khovanshchina) and Baron Scarpia (Tosca). It was withRigoletto that he made his debuts in Chicago (1939), San Francisco (1940), and at theNew York City Opera (1948). In 1939 he portrayed the title role in the world premiere ofEugene Zador'sChristopher Columbus at theCenter Theatre.[2]
At the New York City Opera, Weede also sang inPagliacci and in the world premiere ofWilliam Grant Still'sTroubled Island, oppositeMarie Powers,Marguerite Piazza andRobert McFerrin. In Mexico City, the baritone appeared withMaria Callas in 1950, inAïda andTosca. Later, he sang again with Callas in Chicago, inIl trovatore andMadama Butterfly.
In 1956, he scored a great success onBroadway as Tony Esposito in the original production ofFrank Loesser'sThe Most Happy Fella, which was recorded byColumbia Records. He was also seen on Broadway inMilk and Honey (1961–63, also recorded) andCry for Us All (1970).
Weede's operatic recordings include excerpts from Bizet'sCarmen, for Columbia in 1946, withRisë Stevens conducted byGeorges Sébastian; and an album of arias by Verdi for Capitol Records in 1953, conducted byNicola Rescigno. In 2006, Lebendige Vergangenheit published a Compact Disc of excerpts from his Bizet and Verdi recordings, as well as various live performances from 1948 through 1954.
Weede often gave assistance to younger singers, especiallyJohn Alexander,Dominic Cossa,Mario Lanza,Jan Peerce,Seymour Schwartzman andNorman Treigle.[3]He died inWalnut Creek, California, in 1972.
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