Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli was the foremost Italian tenor of the 1920s through the 1940s, possessed of a smooth, lush voice with a lyric sweetness often described as "honeyed." He became a Metropolitan Opera star, singing 28 roles there, and was a legitimate heir to the tenor Enrico Caruso, who had died at the beginning of the 1920s. No one person could fill Caruso's shoes, but it was widely conceded that Gigli inherited his lyrical and romantic parts, while Giovanni Martinelli took over the more heroic roles. Gigli was also one of the most-beloved performers of Italian song, with a special gift for the traditional Neapolitan repertoire. His singing was heavily mannered by modern standards, characterized by sobs, catches, and portamenti, but it had an inherent beauty and sincerity that are still easy to appreciate. Although an even more stylized actor than singer, Gigli had a successful film career, appearing in almost 20 films.
Gigli began his singing career as a child, performing for treats and coins at a local café. At age 7, he entered the choir of Recanati Cathedral, where his father was Sacristan. When he was 15 and still a boy soprano, he was recruited to sing the heroine in an operetta in the nearby city of Macerata; he did the production in drag! When he was 17, he moved to Rome to live with his brother, a student of sculpture; the two led a bohemian existence, frequently cold and hungry, until Gigli was offered a position as a servant in a wealthy household. There he was provided with room and board and given afternoons off to practice or to take lessons with a local teacher, Agnese Bonucci, who offered to teach him at no cost.
During World War I, a music-loving colonel saw to it that he was posted to a non-combat position in Rome and also encouraged him to audition at the famous Academia di Santa Cecilia, where his evident musical talent led them to waive the normally required piano examination. He studied there for two years, and upon graduation won the famous Parma vocal competition. On the strength of that, he was offered roles at various small opera houses and made his official opera debut as Enzo in La Gioconda at Rovigo in the fall of 1914. By December 1916, he made his Rome Opera debut as Faust in Boito's Mefistofele. When the war was over, the recording company HMV set up a studio in Milan, and it was there that Gigli began his extensive recording career. In 1918, he made his La Scala debut also as Boito's Faust in a performance conducted by Toscanini. The next year, he made his first appearance in the Americas as Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Teatro Colon. His Met debut followed in November 1920, also as Faust, and he sang there every season until 1932.
His Covent Garden debut was not until 1930, as Andrea Chénier. After World War II, which he mostly spent in Italy, he largely restricted his singing to concert performances; his last public appearance was in May 1955, at a concert in Washington, D.C., ending a professional career of 41 years.
Gigli was one of the first singers to make complete opera recordings, including a particularly fine Andrea Chénier (EMI) and Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci released as a set on Nimbus. Among his solo CDs, a two-disc set on Pearl (Gemm) captures him in his youthful prime.
© TiVo
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Vocal Recital: Gigli, Beniamino - Carnevalli, V. / Franck, C. / Bach, J.S. / Gounod, C.-F. / Cecconi, G. / Brahms, J. / Kahn, P.B. (1932-1954) (Vito Carnevali - Thomas Aquinas)
Classique - Paru chez IDIS le 1 janv. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: La Bohème
Beniamino Gigli, Licia Albanese
Opéra - Paru chez C.R. Digital Contents le 9 août 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Original Tenors (Golden age of opera)
Jussi Björling, Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli
Divers - Paru chez Music 4me le 1 nov. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Omaggio a Beniamino Gigli
Nino Antonellini, Alfredo Simonetto, Nino Sanzogno, Beniamino Gigli, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano della Rai, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Roma Della RAI
Classique - Paru chez Nar Classical le 24 janv. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Célèbres chansons napolitaines (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Maria Callas & Beniamino Gigli: Concert 27th December 1954 - Teatro dell'Opera del Casinò Municipale - San Remo (Broadcast of 1954)
Maria Callas, Beniamino Gigli, Orchestra Di Milano Della Rai, Alfredo Simonetto
Classique - Paru chez Casta Diva le 31 août 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vocal Recital: Gigli, Beniamino - Toselli, E. / Crescenzo, V. De / Donaudy, S. (Archivio Della Romanza Da Salotto Italiana, Vol. 2) (1926-1947) (Enrico Toselli - Alfredo Silvestri - Vincenzo de Crescenzo)
Classique - Paru chez IDIS le 1 janv. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera Arias (Tenor): Gigli, Beniamino - Donizetti, G. / Puccini, G. / Drigo, R. / Verdi, G. (Complete Collection of Opera Highlights, Vol. 2) (Gaetano Donizetti - Felice Romani - Salvatore Cammarano)
Opéra - Paru chez IDIS le 1 janv. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Anima mia
Pop - Paru chez Fondazione Erio Tripodi le 19 août 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Most Famous Songs Of Naples
Folk - Paru chez Saar srl le 25 nov. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Beniamino Gigli: I grandi successi lirici, vol. 2
Musiques du monde - Paru chez MTPixel le 16 nov. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera Arias (Tenor): Gigli, Beniamino - Cilea, F. / Giordano, U. / Mascagni, P. (Complete Collection of Opera Highlights, Vol. 4) (1941-1951) (Leopoldo Marenco - Francesco Cilea - Luigi Illica)
Opéra - Paru chez IDIS le 1 janv. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca
Maria Caniglia, Beniamino Gigli
Opéra - Paru chez C.R. Digital Contents le 9 août 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
GIGLI, Beniamino: Gigli Edition, Vol. 12: London Recordings (1946-1947)
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 17 janv. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Opera Masters; Great Tenors
Classique - Paru chez Carinco AG le 17 nov. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Otra bella voz olvidada beniamino gigli
Divers - Paru chez Pueblo Viejo le 21 mars 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Beniamino Gigli Collection, Vol. 6: The Last Carnegie Hall Concert & Last Studio Recordings (2014 Digital Remaster) [Live]
Beniamino Gigli, Dino Fedri, Unknown Artist, Enrico Sivieri
Opéra - Paru chez Jube Classic le 5 août 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo