Born into the Slovene minority of Trieste (real name: Karlo Košuta). At age 16, he emigrated to Argentina to
join his uncle, with whom he worked as a furniture carpenter before studying voice in Buenos Aires. His debut took place at a
small theater as Alfredo (1956), and from 1958, he sang at the Colón (debut role: Cassio), where he would regularly return
through 1998. In his early years, he was a member of the Colón troupe, singing mostly secondary roles; his first main
role was Edgardo in 1959.
His breakthrough came in 1964 with the title role in the world premiere of Don Rodrigo by Alberto Ginastera. He became
now the Colón's foremost tenor, and made his European debut at Covent Garden as Duca di Mantova. In the USA, he had
already made his debut in Chicago when still a comprimario, in 1963; from 1966, he returned to Chicago several times in leading
roles. 1966 was also the year of his first appearances at the Vienna Staatsoper, where he would sing a lot over the next 25
years. In January 1971, he was at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for the first time (as Alfredo), and the following season, he
arrived at La Scala, at the Teatro Verdi in his native Trieste, and at the Paris Opéra; in 1972/73, in San Francisco and
at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. In summer 1973, he was at the Arena di Verona for the first time, and in 1974 in
Moscow with La Scala. On that level, his career continued for the next decade.
He quickly developed into a dramatic tenor now, singing his first Otello in 1974 at Covent Garden: Otello was to become his
signature role. He also sang Manrico, Samson, Don Alvaro, Pollione or Canio.
In the later 1980s and 1990s, his career slowed down because he came down with liver cancer, which eventually killed him after a
long, long struggle. His last performances took place in 1996 in Hamburg (where he had sung frequently since 1977) and Udine.
Reference 1, reference 2: Kutsch &
Riemens