Carlo Bergonzi | |
|---|---|
 Bergonzi in front of Carnegie Hall in New York, 1994 | |
| Born | (1924-07-13)13 July 1924 Polesine Parmense, Italy |
| Died | 25 July 2014(2014-07-25) (aged 90) Milan, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
| Years active | 1948–2000 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Carlo Bergonzi (13 July 1924 – 25 July 2014)[1] was an Italianoperatictenor. Although he performed and recorded somebel canto andverismo roles, he was above all associated with the operas ofGiuseppe 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]
Bergonzi was born inPolesine Parmense,[4] nearParma in Northern Italy, on 13 July 1924. He was an only child.[4] He later claimed he saw his first opera, Verdi’sIl trovatore, when he was six years old. He sang in church, and soon he began to appear in children's opera roles inBusseto, a nearby town. After he left school at age 11 he began working in aparmesan 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 abaritone atArrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma withEttore Campogalliani[5] and Edmondo Grandini.[6]
DuringWorld 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 contractedtyphoid 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]
In a 1985 interview withOpera Fanatic'sStefan Zucker, Bergonzi cited 1948 as the year of his professional debut, as abaritone.[7] He sang the role of Figaro inRossini'sThe 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 inL'arlesiana, Doctor Malatesta inDon Pasquale, Belcore inL'elisir d'amore, Enrico Ashton inLucia di Lammermoor , Ghirlino inLe astuzie di Bertoldo, Silvio inPagliacci, David inL'amico Fritz, Alfio inCavalleria rusticana, Albert inWerther, Marcello inLa bohème, Sonora inLa fanciulla del West, Sharpless inMadama Butterfly, Lescaut inManon Lescaut, Laerte inMignon, the title role inRigoletto, and Georgio Germont inLa 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 ofAndrea Chénier at theTeatro Petruzzelli inBari in 1951.[2] That same year, Bergonzi sang at theColiseum in Rome in a 50th anniversary concert of Verdi's death[8] and the Italian state radio networkRAI engaged Bergonzi for a series of broadcasts of the lesser-known Verdi operas for the same purpose. These includedI due Foscari[9] as well asGiovanna d'Arco andSimon Boccanegra.[10]
In 1953, Bergonzi made hisLa Scala debut, creating the title role inJacopo Napoli's operaMas' Aniello which was based on the life of Tommaso Aniello, the 17th-century Italian fisherman-turned-revolutionary.[3] His London debut as Alvaro inLa forza del destino took place at theStoll Theatre in 1953.[2] His American debut was at theLyric Opera of Chicago in 1955, and hisMetropolitan Opera debut as Radamès inAida came on 13 November 1956 when he (and Antonietta Stella) received a positive reaction from Howard Taubman inThe 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'sLucia di Lammermoor.
He sang the role of Radames again for his debut with thePhiladelphia Lyric Opera Company in 1961 and in 1962 he reprised the role of Alvaro for his debut with theRoyal Opera,Covent Garden. He made his debut with theSan Francisco Opera in 1969 as Don Alvaro inLa 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 wereFranco Corelli andMario Del Monaco. Bergonzi outlasted both, 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 conductorJames Levine's 25th anniversary gala at the Metropolitan Opera. He gave his American farewell concert atCarnegie 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'sOtello, conducted byEve Queler and theOpera Orchestra of New York, attracted intense interest, particularly because he had never performed the demanding role on stage. Amongst others, the audience includedAnna Moffo,Licia Albanese,Sherrill Milnes,José Carreras,Plácido Domingo andLuciano 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,Salvatore Licitra and Emmanuel Lawler. SopranoFrances 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 andLeoncavallo. However, of his early baritone roles, few of his audio recordings still exist.[3]
InThe New York Times obituary, Peter G. Davis, who reviewed a 1978 Carnegie Hall recital by Bergonzi inThe Times is quoted as noting:
Alan Blyth, in hisGramophone survey of Bergonzi's greatest recordings, sums up the qualities of Bergonzi's voice:
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]
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]
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