Arturo Testa (15 August 1932 - 12 May 2021) was an Italian baritone and pop singer, mainly successful between the 1950s and the 1970s.
Born in Milan, a passionate about opera since childhood, Testa played the shepherd boy in a production of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca at the age of nine.[1] After studiyng with Carlo Tagliabue,[2] in 1951 he started a professional career as a baritone.[1] In 1955, he entered the orchestra by Piero Soffici, and in 1958, he became a member of the Pippo Barzizza Orchestra.[1]
In 1959, Testa had his breakout with his signature song, "Io sono il vento", which ranked second at the 9th Sanremo Music Festival.[1][2][3] In the following years, he took part in four more editions of the Sanremo Festival, two editions of the Festival di Napoli and in Canzonissima.[1] In 1968, he shifted his focus to opera and operetta and achieved major success over the next decade.[1][3] In 2001, he ran for mayor of Milan with the Pensioners' Party, getting just 0.78% of the votes.[2][4] He died on 12 May 2021, at the age of 88.[2]
References
123456Giannelli, Enzo. "Testa, Arturo". Castaldo, Gino (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990. pp. 1646-9.
