Fernando Corena (December 22, 1916 – November 26, 1984) was a Turkish Swiss bass who had a major international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. He enjoyed a long and successful career at the Metropolitan Opera between 1954 and 1978, and was a regular presence at the Vienna State Opera between 1963 and 1981. His repertoire encompassed both dramatic and comic roles in leading and secondary parts, mainly within Italian opera. He was highly regarded for his performances of opera buffa characters and is generally considered one of the greatest basso buffos of the post-war era. He was heralded as the true successor to comic Italian bass Salvatore Baccaloni, and in 1966 Harold C. Schonberg wrote in The New York Times that he was "the outstanding buffo in action today and the greatest scene stealer in the history of opera".
His favorite roles were The Sacristan in Puccini's "Tosca", and Don Bartolo in Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia".
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He made his debut in 1933 at Geneva, singing in the operetta "La dernière valse" by Oscar Straus. In 1936 he went to Milan, where he studied with Enrico Romano.
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Swiss-Italian opera singer (buffo bass). His father, Dimitri, was a Turkish traveler salesman, and his mother was Italian.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Metropolitan Opera Presents
1978
TV Series
Sacristan
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
1967
TV Movie
Osmin
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Once Upon a Time...
2013
Video short performer: "Ah! finalmente!"
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Music for You
1955
TV Series
Himself
The Ed Sullivan Show
1954
TV Series
Himself
Known for movies
Once Upon a Time... (2013) as Soundtrack
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1967) as Osmin
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1978) as Sacristan
$1 Million
