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Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)

October 28, 2023

For the Italian luthier, see Carlo Bergonzi (luthier).

Carlo Bergonzi (13 July 1924 – 25 July 2014)[1] was an Italian operatic tenor. Although he performed and recorded some bel canto and verismo roles, he was above all associated with the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, including many of the composer's lesser known works he helped revive. He sang more than forty other roles throughout his career.[2][3]

Carlo Bergonzi
Bergonzi in front of Carnegie Hall in New York, 1994
Born(1924-07-13)13 July 1924
Polesine Parmense, Italy
Died25 July 2014(2014-07-25) (aged 90)
Milan, Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationOpera singer
Years active1948–2000
Spouse
Adele Aimi
​
(m. 1950⁠–⁠2014)​
Children2

Biography edit

Early life edit

Bergonzi was born in Polesine Parmense,[4] near Parma in Northern Italy, on 13 July 1924. He was an only child.[4] He later claimed he saw his first opera, Verdi’s Il trovatore, when he was six years old. He sang in church, and soon he began to appear in children's opera roles in Busseto, a nearby town. After he left school at age 11 he began working in a parmesan cheese factory. His father worked there too, and Carlo often got into trouble for singing.

At the age of 16, he began his vocal studies as a baritone at Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma with Ettore Campogalliani[5] and Edmondo Grandini.[6]

During World War II, Bergonzi became involved in anti-Nazi activities and was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp in 1943. Two years later, he was freed by the Russians and walked 106 km in order to reach an American camp. However, while on his way, he drank unboiled water and contracted typhoid fever, from which he recovered within a year.[4] After the war he returned to the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma, weighing just over 36 kilograms (80 pounds).[3]

Operatic career edit

In a 1985 interview with Opera Fanatic's Stefan Zucker, Bergonzi cited 1948 as the year of his professional debut, as a baritone.[7] He sang the role of Figaro in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, which he performed with a former prisoners' association which he joined after the war. It has been noted that the fee of 2,000 lire paid for his professional debut was insufficient to cover his meals and travel.[4]

Other baritone roles which he undertook included those of Metifio in L'arlesiana, Doctor Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor , Ghirlino in Le astuzie di Bertoldo, Silvio in Pagliacci, David in L'amico Fritz, Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, Albert in Werther, Marcello in La bohème, Sonora in La fanciulla del West, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Laerte in Mignon, the title role in Rigoletto, and Georgio Germont in La traviata.

However, he realized that the tenor repertoire was more suited to his voice, and after retraining, he made his debut as a tenor in the title role of Andrea Chénier at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in 1951.[2] That same year, Bergonzi sang at the Coliseum in Rome in a 50th anniversary concert of Verdi's death[8] and the Italian state radio network RAI engaged Bergonzi for a series of broadcasts of the lesser-known Verdi operas for the same purpose. These included I due Foscari[9] as well as Giovanna d'Arco and Simon Boccanegra. [10]

In 1953, Bergonzi made his La Scala debut, creating the title role in Jacopo Napoli's opera Mas' Aniello which was based on the life of Tommaso Aniello, the 17th-century Italian fisherman-turned-revolutionary.[3] His London debut as Alvaro in La forza del destino took place at the Stoll Theatre in 1953.[2] His American debut was at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1955, and his Metropolitan Opera debut as Radamès in Aida came on 13 November 1956 when he (and Antonietta Stella) received a positive reaction from Howard Taubman in The New York Times.[11] Bergonzi continued to sing at the Met for 32 years, his last performance there occurring on 12 November 1988 in the role of Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

He sang the role of Radames again for his debut with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company in 1961 and in 1962 he reprised the role of Alvaro for his debut with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He made his debut with the San Francisco Opera in 1969 as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino.

Bergonzi pursued a busy international career in the opera house and recording studio during the 1960s. His chief Italian tenor rivals in this period were Franco Corelli and Mario Del Monaco. Bergonzi outlasted all three, continuing to sing through the 1970s at major opera houses. But in the 1980s, as his own vocal quality deteriorated inevitably with age, he concentrated on recital work. In 1996, Bergonzi participated in conductor James Levine's 25th anniversary gala at the Metropolitan Opera. He gave his American farewell concert at Carnegie Hall on 17 April that same year.

However, an announcement that on 3 May 2000, he was to sing the title role in a concert performance of Verdi's Otello, conducted by Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra of New York, attracted intense interest, particularly because he had never performed the demanding role on stage. Amongst others, the audience included Anna Moffo, Licia Albanese, Sherrill Milnes, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.[3] Bergonzi was unable to finish the performance, supposedly suffering irritation from the air-conditioning in his dressing room. He withdrew after two acts, leaving the remaining two to be sung by Antonio Barasorda, a substitute singer. This performance was by wide critical consensus seen as a disaster.[3]

After retiring, Bergonzi is credited with mentoring tenors Roberto Aronica, Giuliano Ciannella, Berle Sanford Rosenberg, Vincenzo La Scola, Filippo Lo Giudice, Philip Webb, Giorgio Casciari, Paul Caragiulo, Lance Clinker, Fernando del Valle and Salvatore Licitra. Soprano Frances Ginsberg was also one of his pupils.

Bergonzi left a legacy of many recordings of individual arias and complete operas, including works by Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni and Leoncavallo. However, of his early baritone roles, few of his audio recordings still exist.[3]

Summary of his vocal attributes edit

In The New York Times obituary, Peter G. Davis, who reviewed a 1978 Carnegie Hall recital by Bergonzi in The Times is quoted as noting:

More than the sound of the voice, it is Mr. Bergonzi's way of using it that is so special. He is a natural singer in that everything he does seems right and inevitable—the artful phrasing, the coloristic variety, the perfectly positioned accents, the theatrical sense of well-proportioned climaxes, the honest emotional fervor. Best of all, Mr. Bergonzi obviously uses these effects artistically because he feels them rather than intellectualizes them—a rare instinctual gift, possibly the most precious one any musician can possess.[3]

Alan Blyth, in his Gramophone survey of Bergonzi's greatest recordings, sums up the qualities of Bergonzi's voice:

His singing there [referring to an online example], even more his earlier Verdi discs, evinces an innate feeling for shaping a line on a long breath, an exemplary clarity of diction, words placed immaculately on the tone, an authoritative use of portamento and acuti. Add to those virtues the manner by which he gives to each phrase a sense of inevitability and you say to yourself, in a mood of sheer pleasure, this is exactly how the music ought to sound. In the theatre only Otello was beyond his capabilities, though his solos are movingly sung on the Philips set.[12]

Personal life edit

In 1950 Bergonzi married Adele Aimi, with whom he had two sons, Maurizio and Marco; the former was born on the day Bergonzi made his tenor debut. Bergonzi owned homes in both Milan and Busseto, in addition to a restaurant and hotel in the latter, the "I Due Foscari", named after the Verdi opera about Venetian court intrigue.[3]

Death edit

Bergonzi died on 25 July 2014, twelve days after his 90th birthday, in the Auxologico Institution in Milan. He was buried in the Vidalenzo Cemetery.[13]

Repertory as tenor edit

Videography edit

Honour edit

  •   Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (11 january 2011)[14]

References edit

Notes

  1. ^ "Addio a Carlo Bergonzi, tenore verdiano del secolo". La Stampa (in Italian). 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Rosenthal 1998, in Sadie, p. 421
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Margalit Fox, "Carlo Bergonzi, 90, an Operatic Tenor of Subtlety and Emotional Acuity, Dies", The New York Times, 26 July 2014
  4. ^ a b c d "Carlo-Bergonzi-obituary", The Telegraph (London), 27 July 2014 on telegraph.co.uk
  5. ^ Stefan Zucker, "Bergonzi Talks with Zucker and The Public" February 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, October 12, 1985, on belcantosociety.org. Retrieved July 30, 2014
  6. ^ Margalit Fox (July 27, 2014). "Carlo Bergonzi, Leading Tenor of Twentieth Century". The Boston Globe. p. B10.
  7. ^ "Opera Fanatic" on WKCR. October 12, 1985
  8. ^ "COLISEUM ECHOES TO MUSIC BY VERDI; 5,000 Romans, First Audience Since Ancient Times, Hails Memorial to Composer, The New York Times, October 7, 1951. (by subscription)
  9. ^ Alan Blyth, "Carlo Bergonzi obituary: Italian tenor admired as an authoritative interpreter of Verdi", The Guardian (London), 27 July 2014
  10. ^ List of recordings made by Bergonzi, 1951 to 1989 on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
  11. ^ Howard Taubman, "Opera: Two 'Met' Debuts; Antonietta Stella and Bergonzi in Aida: In Stella and Bergonzi it has newcomers who will earn their keep and may bring in rich dividends. Both singers are from Italy; both are young.", The New York Times, November 14, 1956.
  12. ^ "The Gramophone guide to Carlo Bergonzi's greatest recordings", Gramophone (London), 28 July 2014 on gramophone.co.uk
  13. ^ Visit Salsomaggiore
  14. ^ "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". www.quirinale.it. Retrieved October 24, 2022.

Sources

External links edit

  • Carlo Bergonzi at IMDb  
  • Interview with Carlo Bergonzi by Bruce Duffie, September 30, 1981

October 28, 2023
carlo, bergonzi, tenor, italian, luthier, carlo, bergonzi, luthier, carlo, bergonzi, july, 1924, july, 2014, italian, operatic, tenor, although, performed, recorded, some, canto, verismo, roles, above, associated, with, operas, giuseppe, verdi, including, many. For the Italian luthier see Carlo Bergonzi luthier Carlo Bergonzi 13 July 1924 25 July 2014 1 was an Italian operatic tenor Although he performed and recorded some bel canto and verismo roles he was above all associated with the operas of Giuseppe Verdi including many of the composer s lesser known works he helped revive He sang more than forty other roles throughout his career 2 3 Carlo BergonziBergonzi in front of Carnegie Hall in New York 1994Born 1924 07 13 13 July 1924Polesine Parmense ItalyDied25 July 2014 2014 07 25 aged 90 Milan ItalyNationalityItalianOccupationOpera singerYears active1948 2000SpouseAdele Aimi m 1950 2014 wbr Children2 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Operatic career 1 3 Summary of his vocal attributes 1 4 Personal life 1 5 Death 2 Repertory as tenor 3 Videography 4 Honour 5 References 6 External linksBiography editEarly life edit Bergonzi was born in Polesine Parmense 4 near Parma in Northern Italy on 13 July 1924 He was an only child 4 He later claimed he saw his first opera Verdi s Il trovatore when he was six years old He sang in church and soon he began to appear in children s opera roles in Busseto a nearby town After he left school at age 11 he began working in a parmesan cheese factory His father worked there too and Carlo often got into trouble for singing At the age of 16 he began his vocal studies as a baritone at Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma with Ettore Campogalliani 5 and Edmondo Grandini 6 During World War II Bergonzi became involved in anti Nazi activities and was interned in a German prisoner of war camp in 1943 Two years later he was freed by the Russians and walked 106 km in order to reach an American camp However while on his way he drank unboiled water and contracted typhoid fever from which he recovered within a year 4 After the war he returned to the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma weighing just over 36 kilograms 80 pounds 3 Operatic career edit In a 1985 interview with Opera Fanatic s Stefan Zucker Bergonzi cited 1948 as the year of his professional debut as a baritone 7 He sang the role of Figaro in Rossini s The Barber of Seville which he performed with a former prisoners association which he joined after the war It has been noted that the fee of 2 000 lire paid for his professional debut was insufficient to cover his meals and travel 4 Other baritone roles which he undertook included those of Metifio in L arlesiana Doctor Malatesta in Don Pasquale Belcore in L elisir d amore Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor Ghirlino in Le astuzie di Bertoldo Silvio in Pagliacci David in L amico Fritz Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana Albert in Werther Marcello in La boheme Sonora in La fanciulla del West Sharpless in Madama Butterfly Lescaut in Manon Lescaut Laerte in Mignon the title role in Rigoletto and Georgio Germont in La traviata However he realized that the tenor repertoire was more suited to his voice and after retraining he made his debut as a tenor in the title role of Andrea Chenier at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in 1951 2 That same year Bergonzi sang at the Coliseum in Rome in a 50th anniversary concert of Verdi s death 8 and the Italian state radio network RAI engaged Bergonzi for a series of broadcasts of the lesser known Verdi operas for the same purpose These included I due Foscari 9 as well as Giovanna d Arco and Simon Boccanegra 10 In 1953 Bergonzi made his La Scala debut creating the title role in Jacopo Napoli s opera Mas Aniello which was based on the life of Tommaso Aniello the 17th century Italian fisherman turned revolutionary 3 His London debut as Alvaro in La forza del destino took place at the Stoll Theatre in 1953 2 His American debut was at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1955 and his Metropolitan Opera debut as Radames in Aida came on 13 November 1956 when he and Antonietta Stella received a positive reaction from Howard Taubman in The New York Times 11 Bergonzi continued to sing at the Met for 32 years his last performance there occurring on 12 November 1988 in the role of Edgardo in Donizetti s Lucia di Lammermoor He sang the role of Radames again for his debut with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company in 1961 and in 1962 he reprised the role of Alvaro for his debut with the Royal Opera Covent Garden He made his debut with the San Francisco Opera in 1969 as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino Bergonzi pursued a busy international career in the opera house and recording studio during the 1960s His chief Italian tenor rivals in this period were Franco Corelli and Mario Del Monaco Bergonzi outlasted all three continuing to sing through the 1970s at major opera houses But in the 1980s as his own vocal quality deteriorated inevitably with age he concentrated on recital work In 1996 Bergonzi participated in conductor James Levine s 25th anniversary gala at the Metropolitan Opera He gave his American farewell concert at Carnegie Hall on 17 April that same year However an announcement that on 3 May 2000 he was to sing the title role in a concert performance of Verdi s Otello conducted by Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra of New York attracted intense interest particularly because he had never performed the demanding role on stage Amongst others the audience included Anna Moffo Licia Albanese Sherrill Milnes Jose Carreras Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti 3 Bergonzi was unable to finish the performance supposedly suffering irritation from the air conditioning in his dressing room He withdrew after two acts leaving the remaining two to be sung by Antonio Barasorda a substitute singer This performance was by wide critical consensus seen as a disaster 3 After retiring Bergonzi is credited with mentoring tenors Roberto Aronica Giuliano Ciannella Berle Sanford Rosenberg Vincenzo La Scola Filippo Lo Giudice Philip Webb Giorgio Casciari Paul Caragiulo Lance Clinker Fernando del Valle and Salvatore Licitra Soprano Frances Ginsberg was also one of his pupils Bergonzi left a legacy of many recordings of individual arias and complete operas including works by Verdi Puccini Mascagni and Leoncavallo However of his early baritone roles few of his audio recordings still exist 3 Summary of his vocal attributes edit In The New York Times obituary Peter G Davis who reviewed a 1978 Carnegie Hall recital by Bergonzi in The Times is quoted as noting More than the sound of the voice it is Mr Bergonzi s way of using it that is so special He is a natural singer in that everything he does seems right and inevitable the artful phrasing the coloristic variety the perfectly positioned accents the theatrical sense of well proportioned climaxes the honest emotional fervor Best of all Mr Bergonzi obviously uses these effects artistically because he feels them rather than intellectualizes them a rare instinctual gift possibly the most precious one any musician can possess 3 Alan Blyth in his Gramophone survey of Bergonzi s greatest recordings sums up the qualities of Bergonzi s voice His singing there referring to an online example even more his earlier Verdi discs evinces an innate feeling for shaping a line on a long breath an exemplary clarity of diction words placed immaculately on the tone an authoritative use of portamento and acuti Add to those virtues the manner by which he gives to each phrase a sense of inevitability and you say to yourself in a mood of sheer pleasure this is exactly how the music ought to sound In the theatre only Otello was beyond his capabilities though his solos are movingly sung on the Philips set 12 Personal life edit In 1950 Bergonzi married Adele Aimi with whom he had two sons Maurizio and Marco the former was born on the day Bergonzi made his tenor debut Bergonzi owned homes in both Milan and Busseto in addition to a restaurant and hotel in the latter the I Due Foscari named after the Verdi opera about Venetian court intrigue 3 Death edit Bergonzi died on 25 July 2014 twelve days after his 90th birthday in the Auxologico Institution in Milan He was buried in the Vidalenzo Cemetery 13 Repertory as tenor editAndrea Chenier Bari Teatro Petruzzelli 18 January 1951 Giovanna d Arco Milan RAI 26 May 1951 Pagliacci Milan RAI 10 June 1951 La forza del destino Milan RAI 16 July 1951 Un ballo in maschera Milan Teatro Nuovo 15 August 1951 Simon Boccanegra Rome RAI 21 November 1951 I due Foscari Milan RAI 5 December 1951 Adriana Lecouvreur Prato Teatro Metastasio 31 December 1951 Faust Bari Teatro Petruzzelli 8 January 1952 Jenufa Steva Rome Teatro dell Opera 17 April 1952 Ifigenia by Pizzetti Naples San Carlo 1 June 1952 Mefistofele Rome Baths of Caracalla 1 July 1952 Madama Butterfly Cagliari August 1952 Mas Aniello Milan La Scala 25 March 1953 Rigoletto Livorno Teatro Goldoni 20 May 1953 Aida Buenos Aires Colon 24 July 1953 Tosca Buenos Aires Colon 7 August 1953 Manon Lescaut Rovigo Teatro Sociale 24 October 1953 Turandot Catania Massimo Teatro Bellini 19 November 1953 Loreley Reggio Emilia Teatro Municipale 2 February 1954 L incoronazione di Poppea Milan RAI 7 March 1954 Carmen Monte Carlo Salle Garnier 30 January 1955 Lucia di Lammermoor Brescia Teatro Grande 3 February 1955 Don Carlos Buenos Aires Teatro Colon August 1955 La traviata Salsomaggiore Teatro Nuovo 10 September 1955 Il tabarro Chicago Lyric 16 November 1955 Cavalleria rusticana Chicago Lyric 26 November 1955 L amore dei tre re Chicago Lyric 28 November 1955 La Gioconda Trieste Castello di San Giusto 16 July 1956 Il trovatore New York MET 13 November 1956 Fior di Maria Milan RAI 30 January 1957 La boheme Caracas Teatro Municipal October 1957 Macbeth New York MET 5 February 1959 L elisir d amore San Sebastian Victoria Eugenia 26 August 1959 Ernani New York MET 26 November 1962 La Wally New York Carnegie Hall 13 March 1968 Werther Naples Teatro San Carlo 11 February 1969 Aida Parma Teatro Regio date unk La forza del destino Parma Teatro Regio date unk Norma New York MET 3 March 1970 Luisa Miller Genoa Teatro Margherita 20 September 1972 Edgar New York Carnegie Hall 13 April 1977 I Lombardi alla prima crociata San Diego Russ Auditorium 22 June 1979 Il corsaro New York Town Hall 16 December 1981 Attila Tulsa Chapman Music Hall 6 March 1982 Oberto Munich Bavarian Radio Recording Studio 4 12 March 1983 Otello acts 1 and 2 New York Carnegie Hall 3 May 2000Videography editJames Levine s 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala 1996 Deutsche Grammophon DVD B0004602 09Honour edit nbsp Italy Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 11 january 2011 14 References editNotes Addio a Carlo Bergonzi tenore verdiano del secolo La Stampa in Italian 26 July 2014 Retrieved 26 July 2014 a b c Rosenthal 1998 in Sadie p 421 a b c d e f g h Margalit Fox Carlo Bergonzi 90 an Operatic Tenor of Subtlety and Emotional Acuity Dies The New York Times 26 July 2014 a b c d Carlo Bergonzi obituary The Telegraph London 27 July 2014 on telegraph co uk Stefan Zucker Bergonzi Talks with Zucker and The Public Archived February 11 2010 at the Wayback Machine October 12 1985 on belcantosociety org Retrieved July 30 2014 Margalit Fox July 27 2014 Carlo Bergonzi Leading Tenor of Twentieth Century The Boston Globe p B10 Opera Fanatic on WKCR October 12 1985 COLISEUM ECHOES TO MUSIC BY VERDI 5 000 Romans First Audience Since Ancient Times Hails Memorial to Composer The New York Times October 7 1951 by subscription Alan Blyth Carlo Bergonzi obituary Italian tenor admired as an authoritative interpreter of Verdi The Guardian London 27 July 2014 List of recordings made by Bergonzi 1951 to 1989 on operadis opera discography org uk Howard Taubman Opera Two Met Debuts Antonietta Stella and Bergonzi in Aida In Stella and Bergonzi it has newcomers who will earn their keep and may bring in rich dividends Both singers are from Italy both are young The New York Times November 14 1956 The Gramophone guide to Carlo Bergonzi s greatest recordings Gramophone London 28 July 2014 on gramophone co uk Visit Salsomaggiore Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana www quirinale it Retrieved October 24 2022 Sources Marchesi Gustavo 2003 Carlo Bergonzi I suoi personaggi Parma Azzali Editori List of Bergonzi s recordings 1951 to 1889 on operadis opera discography org uk Rosenthal Harold 1998 Bergonzi Carlo in Stanley Sadie Ed The New Grove Dictionary of Opera Vol One pp 421 London Macmillan Publishers Inc ISBN 0 333 73432 7 ISBN 1 56159 228 5External links editCarlo Bergonzi at IMDb nbsp Interview with Carlo Bergonzi by Bruce Duffie September 30 1981 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carlo Bergonzi tenor amp oldid 1177063955, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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