Description

PAOLO FERRETTI (FINALE EMILIA, ? – ?)

 

 

 

He studied at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna and probably made his debut in 1900 at the Teatro Politeama in Sassari in Puccini’s La Bohème.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1900 Sassari Politeama Boheme (Schaunard)

1902 Monza Arena Linda di Chamonix (Antonio)

1904 Pistoia Teatro Manzoni Mignon (Laerte)

1906 Barletta Teatro Curci Manon (Bretigny)

1907 Corfù Teatro Nuovo Ugonotti (Nevers)

1910 Buenos Ayres Teatro Coliseo Rigoletto (Marullo)

1912 San Pietro in Capofiume Teatro Sociale Pagliacci (Silvio)

1914 Piacenza Politeama Amico Fritz (Hanezò)

1916 Parma Teatro Regio Isabeau (Araldo)

1918 Parma Politeama Reinach Boheme (Schaunard)

1920 Parma Politeama Reinach Barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello)

1923 Bergamo Teatro Donizetti Barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello)

1925 Voghera Teatro Sociale Manon Lescaut (Oste)

1927 Ravenna Teatro Mariani Barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello)

1929 Fiorenzuola d’Arda Teatro Verdi Tosca (Sagrestano)

 

 

ANTONIO LAFFI (VERGATO, BOLOGNA, 1887 – MILAN, 1982)

 

 

 

He was trained by the pedagogue Villa in Naples and made his debut in 1911 at the Teatro Quirino in Rome, performing the role of De Siriex in Umberto Giordano’s Fedora.

During the 1920s, he enjoyed a significant career, performing at renowned opera houses in Parma, Genoa, Florence, Naples, Turin, and Bologna. He also appeared at the prestigious Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In 1924, he joined an opera tour in Australia organized by the famous prima donna Nellie Melba.

In his later years, he resided at the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, a retirement home for musicians in Milan founded by Giuseppe Verdi.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1911 Roma Teatro Quirino Fedora (De Siriex)

1913 Vicenza   Teatro Verdi Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico)

1919 Torino Teatro Scribe Trovatore (Conte)

1922 Piacenza Teatro Municipale Wally (Pedone)

1925 Bergamo Teatro Donizetti Boheme (Schaunard)

1928 Milano Teatro alla Scala Andrea Chenier (Roucher)

1931 Reggio Emilia Politeama Ariosto Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico)

1936 Milano Teatro Lirico Il Piccolo Marat (Soldato)

1939 Brescia Teatro Grande Hansel e Gretel (Pietro)

1942 Catania Teatro Bellini Boheme (Schaunard)

 

 

GIUSEPPE DEL CHIARO (VIAREGGIO, 1875 – ? 1935)

 

 

 

He studied in Milan with Lelio Casini and made his debut in 1902 at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele in Anghiari as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. For some years, in addition to singing, he devoted himself to organizing opera companies that toured abroad. His career was interrupted due to his participation in the First World War (1915–1918). His brother Ilio was also a baritone, appreciated for a number of years, and the two often performed together, which sometimes made it difficult to distinguish between them when newspapers omitted their given names.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1902 Anghiari, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele – Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico)
1903–1905 Ajaccio (Teatro Comunale), Soresina (Teatro Sociale), Porto Maurizio (Teatro Cavour), Livorno (Teatro Goldoni), Firenze (Teatro Alfieri), Ventimiglia (Politeama Sociale), Lucca (Teatro del Giglio), Seravezza (Teatro Comunale) – Lucia, Traviata, Rigoletto, Ballo in maschera, Ernani, Favorita
1906–1908 Viareggio (Teatro Pacini), Firenze (Teatro Alfieri), Cannetto sull’Oglio (Teatro Sociale), Cremona (Politeama Verdi), Trento (Politeama Verdi), Lonigo (Teatro Comunale), Forlì (Teatro Comunale), Novara (Teatro Coccia), Pontassieve (Teatro Ernesto Rossi), Lecce (Politeama Principe di Napoli), Venezia (Teatro Rossini) – Italian repertoire highlights
1909 New York, Majestic Theater – Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci
1910–1913 Firenze (Teatro della Pergola), Havana (Teatro Peynet), Viareggio (Politeama), Mendoza (Teatro Odeon), Pistoia (Teatro Manzoni), Bucarest (Teatro Nazionale) – La Vestale, Madama Butterfly, Wally, Jolanda
1914–1918 Piacenza (Teatro Municipale), Torino (Teatro Torinese), Lisbona (Coliseo Recrejos), Siracusa (Teatro Epicarmio), Pistoia (Politeama Mabellini), Viareggio (Teatro del Casinò) – Italian repertoire; WWI interruption
1919–1922 Novara (Teatro Coccia), La Spezia (Politeama Duca di Genova), Cesena (Teatro Comunale), Monza (Teatro Sociale), Venezia (Teatro Rossini), Milano (Teatro Carcano / Dal Verme), Alessandria (Teatro Municipale / Del Popolo), Lucca (Teatro del Giglio) – La Bohème, Lucia, Trovatore, Tosca, Traviata, Andrea Chénier
1923–1925 Lucca (Teatro del Giglio), Salerno (Teatro Verdi), Catania (Teatro Bellini), Castelsangiovanni (Teatro Verdi), Novi Ligure (Teatro Carlo Alberto) – final performing years

 

 

GIOVANNI GAMBA (VERONA, 1897 – ?)

 

 

 

In 1926–1927, he maintained a busy performance schedule across Northern Italy, appearing in both major and regional theatres. In September 1926, he sang Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Politeama Reinach in Parma, the Teatro Sociale in Casalmaggiore (where he also performed Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore and Silvio in Pagliacci), and the Teatro Sociale in Colorno. That same month, he appeared at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona as the Sagrestano in Tosca. In April 1927, he returned to Parma’s Politeama Reinach, performing again as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana and Silvio in Pagliacci.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1926 Parma Politeama Reinach Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfio)

1926 Casalmaggiore Teatro Sociale Pagliacci (Silvio)

1926 Cremona Teatro Ponchielli Tosca (Sagrestano)

1927 Parma Politeama Reinach Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfio)

1927 Parma Politeama Reinach Pagliacci (Silvio)

 

 

CARLO GARUFFI

 

 

 

Between 1910 and 1927, he developed a versatile career, performing both opera and concert repertoire across Italy. In 1910, he appeared at the Teatro Civico in Orvieto as Tonio in Pagliacci and later gave a concert at the Teatro del Casinò in Gardone. In 1911, he sang Riccardo in I Puritani at the Teatro Comunale of L’Aquila and performed in concert at the Hotel Excelsior in Rome. In 1912, he took on a variety of roles at the Teatro Comunale in Velletri, including Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Alfonso in La Favorita, and a part in F. Costa’s Histoire d’un Pierrot. By 1914, he was at the Teatro Adriano in Rome performing Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. His later career included operetta, and in April 1927 he appeared in Parma at the Politeama Reinach with the Compagnia Italiana di Operette Pietromarchi.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1910: Orvieto, Teatro Civico – Pagliacci (Tonio); Gardone, Teatro del Casinò – Concert

1911: L’Aquila, Teatro Comunale – I Puritani (Riccardo); Rome, Hotel Excelsior – Concert

1912: Velletri, Teatro Comunale – Don Pasquale (Malatesta) / La Favorita (Alfonso) / Histoire d’un Pierrot (F. Costa)

1914: Rome, Teatro Adriano – Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1927: Parma, Politeama Reinach – Compagnia Italiana di Operette Pietromarchi

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Paolo Ferretti Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Numero quindici (w. Salvati) 54475 2662ah Gramophone, Milano 1913-02-19

Paolo Ferretti Bohème (Puccini): Mimi è una civetta (w. de Gregorio & Casini) 054447 650aj Gramophone, Milano 1913-03-19

Antonio Laffi Gioconda (Ponchielli): O monumento 120116 XXPh6120 Fonotipia, Milano 1928-01-17

Antonio Laffi Favorita (Donizetti): A tanto amor 120116 XXPh6122 Fonotipia, Milano 1928-01-17

Antonio Laffi Rigoletto (Verdi): Cortigiani, vil razza dannata 120155 XXPh6219 Fonotipia, Milano 1928-03-22

Antonio Laffi Carmen (Bizet): Con voi ber 120155 XXPh6290 Fonotipia, Milano 1928-05-29

Giuseppe Del Chiaro Trovatore (Verdi): Vivra! Contende il giubilo… Mira d’acerbe lagrime (w. Besalu) A82625, A82624 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano

Giovanni Gamba Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Prologo, pt 1 and pt 2 B7603 B7603 43266 43267 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-02-19

Carlo Garuffi Miniera (Cherubini-Bixio) 14441-F 110362 Columbia