When Dominique Meyer was director of the Vienna Staatsoper (2010–2020), all Vienna was sure that female singers were chosen
for their good looks, as per the director's taste and definition, rather than for vocal or musical merits. An insiders-only rumour
had it that the female head of the casting office did the same with the male singers. During the first few years of Meyer's tenure,
her favorite was – always according to those insiders – "der geile Massimo" (hot Massimo): i.e. Massimo Giordano.
He's the man who introduced the vocal technique of Adriano Celentano into opera, just without Celentano's distinctive timbre or
musicality.
Born near Naples, Giordano was raised in Trieste, where his father had found a job as a caretaker at the conservatory. So it's
easy to explain why the son would start to study music, the flute first, then voice. He made his initial steps onto stage in the
choir of the Teatro Verdi in Trieste.
His debut as a soloist came in 1997 in Spoleto, and before soon, he sang at every important international opera theater, roles
ranging from Alfredo to Don Carlo. A possible explanation for the Vienna Staatsoper, see above; for the other theaters, I don't
know.
Picture source: Giordano's website
