| The Rumanian tenor Corneliu Murgu was born in Timisoara, Romania, 25 July 1948, and started his musical studies in his native town. Further studies followed in Italy at the Conservatory of Firenze, where he in 1976 was awarded the diploma Maestro di Canto, before beginning his classical training with Marcello del Monaco in Treviso, where Murgu was taught the singular technique of lowering the larynx, employed by Marcello's elder brother, the great Mario del Monaco. 1977 he got second in the singing competition of Vercelli and the year later he won the contest of Treviso.
Corneliu Murgu then debuted in 1979 at the Vienna State Opera with Cavalleria Rusticana in the role of Turiddu, leading Murgu to practically all the major opera scenes of the world: Berlin, München, Frankfurt, Köln, Stuttgart, Zürich, Avignon, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lisboa, Las Palmas, Bilbao, Barcelona, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesbourg, Tokyo, Odessa, and sang for the first time in Italy in 1981, when he appeared as Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Carlo Felice of Venezia. Roma, Napoli and Trieste followed in 1982. The Metropolitan Opera in New York fell in 1982 with the performance as Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, a staging that also took him to Philadelphia, Pittsburg, New Orleans, Palm Beach and Denver. 1986 he stepped onto the stage of La Scala in Milano, where he performed Radames in Aida, followed by a much admired Otello in Verona.
He appeared more frequently as Otello, a role that has become one of his hallmarks, and which he performed in the La Bastille of Paris together with Placido Domingo in 1990, at Montpellier and in Japan, followed by a recording for Koch Scwhann with Renato Bruson as Iago. In 1998, in Parma, he was awarded with the Verdi D'Oro for his performances of the Venetian Moor.
He debuted at London’s Covent Garden in 1996, where he sang the part of Calaf in Turandot.
A defender of his roots, Murgu procures to sing in his home country and also currently holds the title of General Director at the Rumanian Opera, Timisoara. He retiredbfrom the stage in 2003, his last performance being Canio in Pagliacci at the Wiener Staatsoper, 7 November 2003.
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