He was born in Venice on 8/11/1915. He studied at the Liceo Musicale Rossini in Pesaro and the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Rome). He studied singing as well as composing with Goffredo Petrassi. For eight years he was assistant to Tulio Serafin in Rome, while at the same time he collaborated with composer Pietro Mascagni. He first appeared directing La Traviata (Opera of Rome, 1944). He was permanent conductor at the Royal Swedish Opera (1946/55), orchestra conductor at the Stockholm Opera (from 1947), conductor at the Danish Radio Orchestra and music director of the Hungarian State Opera (1961/66). He conducted at the Drottningholm Festival. He appeared in Budapest for thirty years. He also conducted the Berlin State Orchestra. He first appeared in the USA at Carnegie Hall (1964) and the New York Metropolitan Opera. He conducted at the Glyndebourne Festival (1964,1968), the German Berlin Staatsoper and the Royal Opera House in London. He was head conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Danish Radio Symphonic Orchestra (1982/88). He left very voluninous discography on operas by Cherubini, Puccini, Rossini, Respighi and Verdi. During the '60s and '70s he recorded many popular and other less popular operas by Verdi, such as: The Force of Destiny [La forza del destino], Attila, Stiffelio, The Bandits (I masnadieri), Oberto and The Corsair [Il Corsaro] (Philips, Orfeo, Hungaroton,Decca, EMI, ACCORD). He composed symphonic works, songs and five operas. He was honoured with the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (France 1995). He passed away in Munich on 17/7/1998. With the Greek National Opera he collaborated once, conducting a production of the opera Macbeth in which Kostas Paschalis and Inge Borkh played the leading parts (1969, Herodeion, Athens Festival).