Pari siamo

Titta Ruffo was born Ruffo Titta, so therefore, Titta Ruffo was his stage name. Titta Ruffo was contemporary with Enrico Caruso, and he had a career in which he sang in opera houses all over the world, including at the Met later in his career. After he retired from the opera stage, Mr. Ruffo went back to Italy. During that time Ruffo opposed the Fascist regime, and was arrested for doing so. He died in 1953 of heart failure at the age of 76.
Mr. Ruffo was an early example of a Verdi baritone. A Verdi baritone is a singer with a strong voice who can stay in his upper range for long periods of time with thrust in the top notes and with a darker color than that of the lyric baritone. This distinction was made because Verdi made baritones important in his operas, and also the baritone was a new voice type, so Verdi really defined the baritone voice. Verdi made the baritone character the title role in several of his operas. The most famous example is the title role in “Rigoletto.” I will post more Verdi baritones soon. This recording of “Pari Siamo” is from 1915 with Ruffo in his prime. Enjoy.