Kostas Paskalis

Kostas Paskalis was a Greek opera singer, one of the leading baritones of the 1960s and 1970s in Europe, particularly associated with the Italian repertory. He studied piano before turning to vocal studies at the Athens Music Conservatory. He sang in the chorus of the Athens Opera, before making his solo debut there, as Rigoletto, in 1951. His international career began in 1958, at the Vienna State Opera, as Renato in Un ballo in maschera, where he remained for 25 years, quickly establishing himself in all the major baritone roles of the Italian repertory, especially Verdi roles, notably Rigoletto, Macbeth and Iago. He also created the role of Pentheus in Henze's Die Bassariden, at the Salzburg Festival in 1966. He made frequent guest appearances at the Rome Opera, the Munich State Opera, the Berlin State Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, and other major European opera houses. He also appeared in America, at the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the New Orleans Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. He was admired for his dark, masculine voice, his compelling rendering of the song and his lively stage presence. He collaborated regularly with the Greek National Opera, interpreting leading roles in major productions at the Olympia Theatre and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. He also directed Don Giovanni, Cavalleria rusticana and Simon Boccanegra. He was artistic director of the Greek National Opera from 1988 to 1990. After retirement, he remained active as a teacher and judge at vocal competitions. He died of heart failure in Athens in 2007.