Robert Merrill was a star baritone of the Metropolitan Opera making his debut at “The Met," December 15, 1945 in Verdi’s "La Traviata." He was soon acclaimed by critics as, "one of the great natural baritones of the century."
“Mr. Merrill disclosed a baritone voice of considerable volume, with round tones that increased in amplitude as they mounted the scale, from the thin lower register to the easily emitted and ringing top.......... This young newcomer must be rated a worthwhile acquisition in the company's ranks. ......... Mr. Merrill has a handsome stage presence and acted with ease and dignity.”
The New York Times, 1944.
After his prodigious debut, Merrill became a featured soloist on the celebrated nationwide Sunday RCA Victor radio show. This show, along with his Met performances, brought him to the attention of the legendary Maestro Arturo Toscanini. In 1946 Toscanini asked him to record "La Traviata" with the NBC Symphony. In 1954 Merrill sang in Toscanini’s final opera broadcast, “The Masked Ball.”
Also for RCA, in 1951, Merrill recorded a series of operatic duets with the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling. Those world-renowned recordings include "Au fond du temple saint" from George Bizet’s opera ”The Pearl Fishers.” That same year he participated in another celebrated RCA Victor recording, Bizet's “Carmen.”
Click on the link below to hear the audio compilation of the Arias pictured above.
Known primarily as a Verdian baritone, Merrill performed over 21 roles in a large and diverse operatic repertoire. He is most noted for “Carmen,” “Faust,” ”Andrea Chernir,” “The Barber of Seville,” “Pagliacci,” and “La Groconda.”
Most of Robert Merrill’s operatic career was at The Metropolitan Opera, traveling with the company on their American spring tours as well as their historic overseas ventures in Paris and Tokyo. He has been singularly honored by The Metropolitan Opera. Merrill’s portrait hangs in the opera houses’s Hall of Fame in recognition of his record-setting 787 performances with the company.