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
Artistes similaires
-
Cavalleria Rusticana
Opéra - Paru chez Pitch Perfect le 2 janv. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Il mito dell'opera: Beniamino Gigli (Live)
Opéra - Paru chez Bongiovanni le 1 août 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cantanapoli
Italie - Paru chez Bella Musica Edition le 21 août 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
O Sole Mio
Musiques du monde - Paru chez Essential World Masters le 1 sept. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arias and Songs (Recordings of 1932 - 1948)
Classique - Paru chez Casta Diva le 31 juil. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RECITAL AL TEATRO GRAN REX - BUENOS AIRES 1950
Classique - Paru chez Nar Classical le 12 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Voice of Beniamino Gigli, Vol 1
Classique - Paru chez P4Y le 25 nov. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I grandi successi, vol. 2
Opéra - Paru chez Symphonia le 21 mars 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Tito Ruffo (Recorded 1907 - 1926)
Tita Ruffo, Beniamino Gigli, Enrico Caruso
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez Prima Voce le 1 janv. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World Vocal Masters: L'Ultima Canzone
Musiques du monde - Paru chez Carinco AG le 22 nov. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giordano: Andrea Chénier (Mono Version)
Beniamino Gigli, Maria Caniglia, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Oliviero de Fabritiis
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
L'amico fritz by pietro mascagni
Beniamino Gigli, Rina Gigli, Afro Poli, Miriam Pirazzini, Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Classique - Paru chez OperaPrima-Carillon le 23 avr. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandi Voci Alla Scalla
Musiques du monde - Paru chez Azzurri LTD le 15 mars 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tres Tenores, Vol. 1
Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Shipa
Opéra - Paru chez Classic Themes le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Le bal masqué (Mono Version)
Beniamino Gigli, Tancredi Pasero, Ugo Novelli
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
GIGLI, Beniamino: Gigli Edition, Vol. 7: London, New York and Milan Recordings (1931-1932)
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 11 nov. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
GIGLI, Beniamino: Gigli Edition, Vol. 1: Milan Recordings (1918-1919)
Beniamino Gigli, Gemma Bosini, Elvira Casazza, Carlo Scattola, Dario Zani, Maria Zamboni
Musique concertante - Paru chez Naxos le 8 août 2003
Diapason d'or16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Beniamino Gigli Collection, Vol. 4 (Verismo Arias & Scenes) [Remastered 2014]
Opéra - Paru chez Jube Classic le 1 juil. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Funiculi' funicula' (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Canzone e Napule - Beniamino Gigli Performs De Curtis, Leoncavallo, Pepoli, et al.
Classique - Paru chez DiscMedi S.A. le 4 août 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo