| Biography | Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, (6 November 1920 12 March 1991), was a basso opera singer of mixed Italian-Russian parentage. Rossi Lemeni was born in Istanbul, Turkey, the son of an Italian colonel and a Russian mother. In his prime he was one of the most respected bassos in Italy. The composer Ildebrando Pizzetti wrote the opera Assassinio nella cattedrale (1958) specifically for Rossi-Lemeni. He was also a prize-winning poet and a painter. |