Vicente Sardinero

Who was Vicente Sardinero?

Vicente Sardinero, né Sardinero-Puerto, was a Spanish operatic lyric baritone. Born in Barcelona, he made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in his native city in the 1964-65 season, as Escamillo in Carmen. He first appearance at the Teatro alla Scala was in 1967, as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. He also sang at London's Covent Garden and was often heard in zarzuela.

In 1968, he appeared at the New York City Opera, in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Pagliacci. In 1977, Sardinero sang at the Metropolitan Opera, as Marcello in La bohème. His alternating Mimìs were Ileana Cotrubaș, Katia Ricciarelli and Renata Scotto; Dame Josephine Barstow, José Carreras and Justino Díaz were also in the performances, which were conducted by James Levine.

His recordings include L'amico Fritz, Manon Lescaut, Un giorno di regno, La bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, Edgar and, again, Manon Lescaut. Well-known "pirate" recordings of his include Manon Lescaut and Roberto Devereux.