Charles Anthony (tenor)


Charles Anthony Caruso, better known by his stage name of Charles Anthony, was an American actor, and tenor noted for his portrayal of comprimario characters in opera. Anthony had the distinction of appearing in more performances at the Metropolitan Opera than any other performer. He celebrated his fiftieth anniversary with the company in 2004, and gave his farewell in the role of the aged Emperor Altoum in Turandot, at the Met, on January 28, 2010.

Early years

Anthony was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the child of immigrants from Sicily. He studied music at Loyola University New Orleans, where he studied under Dorothy Hulse, also the teacher of Audrey Schuh and Harry Theyard; he graduated in 1951. The tenor sang the role of the Messenger in Il trovatore, at the New 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 Sir Rudolf Bing convinced him to drop his surname, saying that it would invite comparisons with Enrico Caruso.

At the Metropolitan

Anthony made his debut at the Metropolitan on March 6, 1954, playing the role of the Simpleton in Boris Godunov. 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." In the event, this proved true; although Anthony performed some larger roles early in his career, he made his mark as a comprimario singer.
On February 17, 1992, following Act II of a performance of Puccini's Tosca, Anthony was honored in an onstage ceremony on the occasion of his breaking the record of George 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. He was also an honorary member of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local One in New York City. Following his retirement from the Metropolitan Opera, he lived in Tampa, Florida, where he died at his home from kidney failure at the age of 82.

On television

Anthony was included in many of the Met's telecasts, including Otello, Elektra, Un ballo in maschera, Il trittico, Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier, Idomeneo, Tannhäuser, Don Carlos, Ernani, Lohengrin, Dialogues des Carmélites, Ariadne auf Naxos, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Un ballo in maschera, La fanciulla del West, Stiffelio, Il tabarro, Simon Boccanegra, Otello, Die Meistersinger, Fedora, Samson et Dalila, and, finally, Turandot.
Early in his career, he appeared on live network television for CBS in an adaptation of Hector Berlioz' sacred oratorio L'enfance du Christ under the musical direction of Alfredo Antonini.

Studio recordings

In 1956 and 1957, the tenor recorded excerpts from Les contes d'Hoffmann, Pagliacci, La périchole, and Don Pasquale for the Metropolitan Opera Record Club.
In 1982, Anthony recorded Gastone, in La traviata, with Levine leading Stratas, Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil. In 1990, he recorded the role of the Messenger, in Aïda, conducted by Levine.

Videography

Anthony died on February 15, 2012 in Tampa, Florida, from kidney failure, aged 82.