Roberto Loreti (born 22 October 1947, in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

), also known by stage name Robertino (a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of ''Roberto''), is an Italian singer, known mostly for songs he performed as a teenager.

Early years

He was born to a large family with eight other children. His family was poor, and when he was 10, his father fell sick and Robertino helped the family by delivering bakery products to restaurants. He enjoyed singing folk songs on his way and was noticed by people for his singing voice. After a request to perform at a wedding in a restaurant, Robertino was sought after by other restaurants who competed for his service. Robertino was singing at Cafe Grand Italia where

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

actor

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il principe della risat ...

and Danish TV producer Volmer Sørensen noticed him. Sørensen was vacationing in Rome with his wife, singer Grethe Sønck, who noticed the boy. Sørensen persuaded his father to sign a contract, which stated that the boy would sing till age 17, and became his producer. That led to performances on Danish TV shows, tours of Scandinavia and Europe. Robertino would spend months on tour, singing up to three concerts a day, until his voice started to change. He recorded an album while in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and later published several albums and appeared in movies.Enzo Giannelli. "Robertino". Gino Castaldo (edited by). ''Dizionario della canzone italiana''. Curcio Editore, 1990. pp. 1475-8. Robertino has also been very popular in USSR. Robertino e Mario Trevi

Later

His voice eventually changed and became a

baritenor Baritenor (also rendered in English-language sources as bari-tenor or baritenore) is a portmanteau (blend) of the words "baritone" and "tenor". It is used to describe both baritone and tenor voices. In ''Webster's Third New International Dictionar ...

. Loreti still travels through Europe, the US and Russia performing in concerts. In post-Soviet countries, he became friends with singers Muslim Magomayev (died in 2008),

Tamara Sinyavskaya Tamara Ilyinichna Sinyavskaya (; born 6 July 1943) is a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano from the Bolshoi Theatre. She was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1982. In 1997, planet 4981 Sinyavskaya was named in her honor. She ...

and

Joseph Kobzon Joseph Davydovich Kobzon (11 September 1937 – 30 August 2018) was a Soviet-born Russian singer, known for his crooner style. Early life Kobzon was born to History of the Jews in the Soviet Union, Jewish Ukrainians, Ukrainian parents in the ...

. Cosmonaut

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 6 March 1937) is a Russian engineer, member of the State Duma, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first Women in space, woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. S ...

requested his records played while she was in space. Russian poet

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, publisher, actor, editor, university professor, and director of several films. Biography Early lif ...

wrote a poem titled "Robertino Loreti".

Alleged conspiracy to murder Loreti

Pietro Castelluzzo, 58, was arrested Thursday, February 25, 2010, by members of the Organized Crime Enforcement unit of the

Toronto Police Service The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...

, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and charged with four counts of counselling to commit three murders, the target of one of which was Roberto Loreti. The suspect had known the singer for decades, and Loreti had stayed at Castelluzo family home in Toronto in the 1980s. It was at that time that Castelluzzo believed Loreti had slept with his wife. The murder was to take place while Loreti had an engagement at the

Fallsview Casino The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, commonly known as Fallsview Casino, is a resort casino located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Horseshoe Falls, the $1 billion complex opened to the public on June 10, 2004, and has since ...

, Niagara Falls, Ontario, the following weekend

References

External links

* at

Torna a Surriento "Torna a Surriento" () is a Neapolitan song composed in 1894 by Italian musician Ernesto De Curtis to words by his brother, the poet and painter Giambattista De Curtis. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905, and has become one of the most ...

italian fan-clubMemorabilia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loretti, Robertino 1947 births Italian child singers Living people Italian male singers