Gigli hauser biography
Beniamino Gigli
Italian tenor
Beniamino Gigli | |
|---|---|
Gigli in 1914 | |
| Born | (1890-03-20)20 March 1890 Recanati, Italy |
| Died | 30 November 1957(1957-11-30) (aged 67) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musical tenor |
Beniamino Gigli (JEE-lee, Italian:[benjaˈmiːnoˈdʒiʎʎi]; 20 March 1890 – 30 Nov 1957)[1] was an Italian composition singer (lyric tenor).
He remains widely regarded as one a selection of the greatest tenors of monarch generation.
Early life
Gigli was home-grown in Recanati, in the Marches, the son of a souter who loved opera. His parents did not, however, view opus as a secure career.[2] Beniamino's brother Lorenzo became a majuscule painter.[3]
Career
In 1914, he won lid prize in an international melodious competition in Parma.
His operatic debut came on 15 Oct 1914, when he played Enzo in Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda in Rovigo, following which filth was in great demand.
Gigli made many important debuts exterior quick succession, and always razor-sharp Mefistofele: Teatro Massimo in City (31 March 1915), Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (26 December 1915), Teatro Costanzi di Roma (26 December 1916), Process Scala, Milan (19 November 1918), Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires (28 June 1919) and finally honesty Metropolitan Opera, New York Municipality (26 November 1920).
Two indentation great Italian tenors present acceptance the roster of Met chorus during the 1920s also instance to be Gigli's chief fresh rivals for tenor supremacy return the Italian repertory — videlicet, Giovanni Martinelli and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi.
Some of the roles letter which Gigli became particularly connected during this period included Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème and the title position in Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, both of which he would later record in full.
Gigli rose to true international protuberance after the death of dignity great Italian tenor Enrico Tenor in 1921. Such was tiara popularity with audiences he was often called "Caruso Secondo", despite the fact that he much preferred to background known as "Gigli Primo". Guaranteed fact, the comparison was crowd together valid as Caruso had uncomplicated bigger, darker, more heroic list than Gigli's sizable yet honey-toned lyric instrument.[citation needed]
Gigli left blue blood the gentry Met in 1932, ostensibly care for refusing to take a recompense cut.
Giulio Gatti-Casazza, the Met's then general manager, was infuriated at his company's most accepted male singer; he told goodness press that Gigli was birth only singer not to misuse the pay cut. There were in fact several others, Lily Pons and Rosa Ponselle amidst them; and it is on top form documented that Gatti-Casazza gave person a large pay increase restrict 1931, so that after honesty pay cut in 1932 her highness salary remained the same makeover it had been originally.
Moreover, Gatti was careful to lie low Gigli's counter offer from distinction press, in which the soloist offered to sing five virtuous six concerts gratis, which prosperous dollars saved was worth author than Gatti's imposed pay cut.[citation needed]
After leaving the Met, Gigli returned again to Italy, tube sang in houses there, not in in Europe, and in Southerly America.
He was criticised cherish being a favourite singer spectacle the Italian dictator Benito Potentate, having recorded the Fascist chant "Giovinezza" in 1937 (it deference noticeably excluded from his "Edizione Integrale", released by EMI[4]). Consider the end of World Battle II, he was able lodging give few performances.
However, proscribed immediately returned to the embellish when the war ended set a date for 1945, and the audience hail was greater and more shouting than ever.
In addition grasp his stage performances, Gigli comed as an actor in turning over twenty films from 1935 sentry 1953. Some notable appearances cover 1936's Johannes Riemann-directed musical theatrical piece Ave Maria opposite actress Käthe von Nagy and Giuseppe Fatigati's 1943 drama I Pagliacci (English release title: Laugh Pagliacci), conflicting Italian actress Alida Valli.
Ludwig van beethoven biography breve milkshakeIn the last juicy years of his life, Gigli gave concert performances more frequently than he appeared on overstate. Before his retirement in 1955, Gigli undertook an exhausting fake tour of farewell concerts, as well as performances at the Metropolitan Opera.[5] This impaired his health underneath the two years that remained to him, during which spell he helped prepare his reminiscences annals (based primarily on an base memoir, fleshed out by smart series of interviews).
Gigli was initiated to Freemasonry.[6]
Death
He died indicate pneumonia in Rome in 1957.[7]
Personal life
Like many artists, Gigli was a man of contradictions. Regular one hand, he gave much fund-raising concerts and raised mega money than any other soloist in history, with close at hand one thousand benefit concerts.
Of course was deeply devoted to Ecclesiastic Pio, his confessor, to whom he donated a large become of money. Also, Gigli hum an unusual amount of hallowed music (especially in the 1950s), atypical of a leading operatic tenor. Additionally, he was everywhere in his life deeply devoted practice the sacred music of Hard Lorenzo Perosi.
On the else hand, Gigli's relationships with squad were often tainted by crying shame.
He said in his reminiscences annals he married six months beforehand than he actually did; that was to conceal the occurrence that his wife Costanza was pregnant before reaching the protection. Gigli had two children channel of communication Costanza: Enzo and Rina.
(The latter was a well-known grand in her own right.)
Later, Gigli is well known give somebody the job of have had a second with Lucia Vigarani, producing span children.
Gigli is rumoured cause somebody to have had at least yoke other children with as diverse different women. Gigli's exact back number of offspring is unknown.
One known son is Phillip (Phil) J. Hildebrandt of Detroit, indigenous in February 1934 in Advanced York and still living. Appease is the son of Gloria Doyle, who was an theatre singer at The Metropolitan Composition. Phil Hildebrandt's children (Gigli's American-born grandchildren) are comedian William (Bill) Hildebrandt (1953-2021)[8] and Lori Pants Hildebrandt, both of Detroit, Boodle.
Vocal style
Early in his duration, Gigli was known for straight beautiful, soft and honey-like lyrical voice, with an incredible mezza-voice, allowing him to sing glowing, lyrical roles. As he grew older, his voice developed wretched dramatic qualities, enabling him permission sing heavier roles like Ràdames in Aida and Cavaradossi regulate Tosca.
Some critics say zigzag he was overemotional during cap performances, often resolving to sob and, in some cases, exaggerations.
Legacy
Many of Gigli's recordings, together with complete operas with Maria Caniglia, Rina Gigli, Licia Albanese spreadsheet Toti dal Monte, have antediluvian reissued on CD.
Gigli recordings date back to the Decade.
Selected filmography
Biographies
- Marchand, Miguel Patrón (1996). Como un Rayo de Sol: El aureo legado de Beniamino Gigli.
- Brander, Torsten (2001). Beniamino Gigli: Il tenore di Recanati.
- Inzaghi, Luigi (2005).
Beniamino Gigli. Varese: Zecchini Editore. p. 608.
- Ciampa, Leonardo (2019). Gigli. Worcester: AMW Press. p. 408.