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Ugo Benelli

April 10, 2024

Ugo Benelli (born 20 January 1935) is an Italian operatic tenor. Born in Genoa and trained at La Scala, Benelli had an international career singing leading tenore di grazia roles from the early 1960s through the 1980s. In his later years he sang character roles and began a career as a singing teacher.[1] He retired from the stage in 2004.

Life and career edit

Benelli was born in Genoa where his father and grandfather worked as hat makers. He studied singing in Milan with Pietro Magenta and then won a scholarship to La Scala's training school for young singers, where he studied under Giulio Confalonieri and Ettore Campogalliani. He began his singing career in Montevideo in 1958 in Salieri's comic intermezzo Arlecchinata while on a tour of Latin America with the chamber opera company Opera da Camera di Milano. In 1960 he began singing at the Teatro della Piccola Scala (La Scala's chamber theatre) and then at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff, which he considers to be his official debut.[2][3]

He was then engaged to sing on the main stage at La Scala, first in the small role of Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos in 1963, and then in the leading role of Giocondo in La pietra del paragone in the 1967 season. He returned to La Scala in 13 more productions between 1967 and 1999 as well as giving a solo concert of bel canto tenor arias in 1976 with Pierluigi Urbini conducting the La Scala Orchestra.[4]

Benelli went on to make house debuts at a number of other major European and North American opera houses and festivals, including the Glyndebourne Festival, where he made his debut in 1967 as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore and returned in subsequent years as Narciso in Il turco in Italia (1970), Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and Trouffaldino in The Love for Three Oranges (1982), and Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro (1984).[5] In addition to his Glyndebourne debut, 1967 saw Benelli's house debuts at La Fenice as Filipeto in I quatro rusteghi and the Teatro di San Carlo as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore.

Royal Opera House edit

When Benelli made his debut at London's Royal Opera House singing Ernesto in Don Pasquale in 1974, the English critic Harold Rosenthal wrote, "Mr Benelli's Ernesto was the best I remember in the theatre, and except for the classic Tito Schipa performance on records, the best sung I have ever heard."[6] Benelli had been singing the role from the earliest days of his career. He sang it Costa Rica during the 1958 Latin American tour and recorded it for Deutsche Grammophon in 1965.[7]

Wexford Festival Opera edit

Benelli's long association with Wexford Festival Opera began in 1965 as Belfiore in La finta giardiniera. He returned the following year to sing the title role in Auber's Fra Diavolo and went on to sing Nencio in L'infedeltà delusa (1969), Bertrando in L'inganno felice and Ernesto in Il giovedì grasso (1970), Ecclitico in Il mondo della luna (1978), and a series of celebrity recitals in the 1980s. He returned once more to the festival in 1998 to give the Tom Walsh Memorial Lecture. His subject was the tenore di grazia.[3]

In the mid-1980s Benelli moved to singing character and buffo tenor roles. These included Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, which he sang at Glyndebourne, the Salzburg Festival, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and at the Metropolitan Opera for his house debut in 1986; Guillot de Morfontaine in Manon at La Scala and the Teatro Carlo Felice; Sendorf in The Makropulos Affair at the Teatro San Carlo; John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld at the Teatro Regio in Turin, and Jack O'Brien in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the Teatro Carlo Felice.[8]

Roles created edit

Early in his career Benelli created roles in two 20th century operas:[9]

Recordings edit

Operas

Masses

Retirement edit

Since his retirement from the stage, he has taught singing privately and in master classes. In 2002, Giorgio De Martino's biography of Benelli, Cantanti, vil razza dannata, was published by Zecchini in their series I racconti della musica.[10] His last appearance onstage, in a praised "cameo" as Don Basilio, took place at the Teatro Carlo Felice in his native city in 2004, when he was about 69.[11]

References edit

  1. ^ Forbes, Elizabeth (2001) "Benelli, Ugo". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 16 March 2016 (subscription required for full access).
  2. ^ Iovino, Roberto (28 March 2015). "Benelli, ottant'anni di lirica 'Il canto da sempre nel sangue' ". La Repubblica. Retrieved 16 March 2016 (in Italian).
  3. ^ a b The Irish Times (10 October 1998). "Call me McBenelli". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  4. ^ La Scala Archives. "Ugo Benelli". Retrieved 16 March 2016 (in Italian).
  5. ^ Glyndebourne Festival Opera Archives. Ugo Benelli
  6. ^ Rosenthal, Harold (March 1974). "Don Pasquale. Royal Opera, Covent Garden, January 29", p. 263. Opera. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  7. ^ Castellón, Gonzalo (20 April 2014). "El renombrado tenor Ugo Benelli debutó en Costa Rica en 1958". La Nación (San José). Retrieved 16 March 2016 (in Spanish).
  8. ^ Kutsch, Karl J. and Riemens, Leo (2004). "Benelli, Ugo", pp. 344–345. Großes Sängerlexikon 4th edition, vol. 1. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 359844088X (in German)
  9. ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Performances by Ugo Benelli". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  10. ^ De Martino, Giorgio (2002). Cantanti, vil razza dannata : una dichiarazione d'amore contraddittoria attraverso la vita e gli incontri di Ugo Benelli. Varese: Zecchini. OCLC 51877463.
  11. ^ Foletto, Angelo (19 January 2004). "Scene da un matrimonio con signora in rosso". La Repubblica. Retrieved 27 April 2017 (in Italian).

External links edit

  • Official website
  • A Meeting with Ugo Benelli – Interview and photographs on Opera Nostalgia

April 10, 2024
benelli, born, january, 1935, italian, operatic, tenor, born, genoa, trained, scala, benelli, international, career, singing, leading, tenore, grazia, roles, from, early, 1960s, through, 1980s, later, years, sang, character, roles, began, career, singing, teac. Ugo Benelli born 20 January 1935 is an Italian operatic tenor Born in Genoa and trained at La Scala Benelli had an international career singing leading tenore di grazia roles from the early 1960s through the 1980s In his later years he sang character roles and began a career as a singing teacher 1 He retired from the stage in 2004 Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Royal Opera House 1 2 Wexford Festival Opera 2 Roles created 3 Recordings 4 Retirement 5 References 6 External linksLife and career editBenelli was born in Genoa where his father and grandfather worked as hat makers He studied singing in Milan with Pietro Magenta and then won a scholarship to La Scala s training school for young singers where he studied under Giulio Confalonieri and Ettore Campogalliani He began his singing career in Montevideo in 1958 in Salieri s comic intermezzo Arlecchinata while on a tour of Latin America with the chamber opera company Opera da Camera di Milano In 1960 he began singing at the Teatro della Piccola Scala La Scala s chamber theatre and then at Barcelona s Gran Teatre del Liceu as Fenton in Verdi s Falstaff which he considers to be his official debut 2 3 He was then engaged to sing on the main stage at La Scala first in the small role of Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos in 1963 and then in the leading role of Giocondo in La pietra del paragone in the 1967 season He returned to La Scala in 13 more productions between 1967 and 1999 as well as giving a solo concert of bel canto tenor arias in 1976 with Pierluigi Urbini conducting the La Scala Orchestra 4 Benelli went on to make house debuts at a number of other major European and North American opera houses and festivals including the Glyndebourne Festival where he made his debut in 1967 as Nemorino in L elisir d amore and returned in subsequent years as Narciso in Il turco in Italia 1970 Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and Trouffaldino in The Love for Three Oranges 1982 and Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro 1984 5 In addition to his Glyndebourne debut 1967 saw Benelli s house debuts at La Fenice as Filipeto in I quatro rusteghi and the Teatro di San Carlo as Nemorino in L elisir d amore Royal Opera House edit When Benelli made his debut at London s Royal Opera House singing Ernesto in Don Pasquale in 1974 the English critic Harold Rosenthal wrote Mr Benelli s Ernesto was the best I remember in the theatre and except for the classic Tito Schipa performance on records the best sung I have ever heard 6 Benelli had been singing the role from the earliest days of his career He sang it Costa Rica during the 1958 Latin American tour and recorded it for Deutsche Grammophon in 1965 7 Wexford Festival Opera edit Benelli s long association with Wexford Festival Opera began in 1965 as Belfiore in La finta giardiniera He returned the following year to sing the title role in Auber s Fra Diavolo and went on to sing Nencio in L infedelta delusa 1969 Bertrando in L inganno felice and Ernesto in Il giovedi grasso 1970 Ecclitico in Il mondo della luna 1978 and a series of celebrity recitals in the 1980s He returned once more to the festival in 1998 to give the Tom Walsh Memorial Lecture His subject was the tenore di grazia 3 In the mid 1980s Benelli moved to singing character and buffo tenor roles These included Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro which he sang at Glyndebourne the Salzburg Festival the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and at the Metropolitan Opera for his house debut in 1986 Guillot de Morfontaine in Manon at La Scala and the Teatro Carlo Felice Sendorf in The Makropulos Affair at the Teatro San Carlo John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld at the Teatro Regio in Turin and Jack O Brien in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the Teatro Carlo Felice 8 Roles created editEarly in his career Benelli created roles in two 20th century operas 9 Dubut in Franco Mannino s Il diavolo in giardino Teatro Massimo Palermo 28 February 1963 Commediante in Gian Francesco Malipiero s Le metamorfosi di Bonaventura La Fenice Venice 4 September 1966 Recordings editOperas Rossini La Cenerentola as Don Ramiro Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Oliviero De Fabritiis conductor 1964 Label Decca Rossini The Barber of Seville as Count Almaviva Orchestra Rossini di Napoli Silvio Varviso conductor 1965 Label Decca Leoncavallo Pagliacci as Beppe La Scala Orchestra and Chorus Herbert von Karajan conductor 1965 Label Deutsche Grammophon Donizetti Don Pasquale as Ernesto Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Ettore Gracis conductor 1965 Label Deutsche Grammophon Boccherini La Clementina as Don Urbano Radiotelevisione Svizzera Orchestra Angelo Ephrikian conductor recorded 1965 released 1999 Label Nuova Era Rota Il cappello di paglia di Firenze as Fadinard Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma Nino Rota conductor 1975 Label RCA Red Seal Rossini Elisabetta regina d Inghilterra as the Duke Norfolk London Symphony Orchestra Gianfranco Masini conductor 1976 Label Philips Piccinni La buona figliola as the Marchese di Conchiglia Orchestra del Teatro dell Opera di Roma Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor 1981 Label Fonit Cetra Meyerbeer Il crociato in Egitto as Osmino Royal Philharmonic Orchestra David Parry conductor 1991 Label Opera RaraMasses Mozart Requiem Mass in D minor as tenor soloist Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus Istvan Kertesz conductor 1966 Label Decca Rossini Messa di Gloria as tenor soloist English Chamber Orchestra Herbert Handt conductor 1973 Label PhilipsRetirement editSince his retirement from the stage he has taught singing privately and in master classes In 2002 Giorgio De Martino s biography of Benelli Cantanti vil razza dannata was published by Zecchini in their series I racconti della musica 10 His last appearance onstage in a praised cameo as Don Basilio took place at the Teatro Carlo Felice in his native city in 2004 when he was about 69 11 References edit Forbes Elizabeth 2001 Benelli Ugo Grove Music Online Retrieved 16 March 2016 subscription required for full access Iovino Roberto 28 March 2015 Benelli ottant anni di lirica Il canto da sempre nel sangue La Repubblica Retrieved 16 March 2016 in Italian a b The Irish Times 10 October 1998 Call me McBenelli Retrieved 16 March 2016 La Scala Archives Ugo Benelli Retrieved 16 March 2016 in Italian Glyndebourne Festival Opera Archives Ugo Benelli Rosenthal Harold March 1974 Don Pasquale Royal Opera Covent Garden January 29 p 263 Opera Retrieved 16 March 2016 Castellon Gonzalo 20 April 2014 El renombrado tenor Ugo Benelli debuto en Costa Rica en 1958 La Nacion San Jose Retrieved 16 March 2016 in Spanish Kutsch Karl J and Riemens Leo 2004 Benelli Ugo pp 344 345 Grosses Sangerlexikon 4th edition vol 1 Walter de Gruyter ISBN 359844088X in German Casaglia Gherardo 2005 Performances by Ugo Benelli L Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia in Italian De Martino Giorgio 2002 Cantanti vil razza dannata una dichiarazione d amore contraddittoria attraverso la vita e gli incontri di Ugo Benelli Varese Zecchini OCLC 51877463 Foletto Angelo 19 January 2004 Scene da un matrimonio con signora in rosso La Repubblica Retrieved 27 April 2017 in Italian External links editOfficial website A Meeting with Ugo Benelli Interview and photographs on Opera NostalgiaPortals nbsp Biography nbsp Opera Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ugo Benelli amp oldid 1218092844, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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