Description

GIUSEPPE CAMPORA (TORTONA, ITALY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1923 – TORTONA, ITALY, DECEMBER 4, 2004)

 

 

 

 

Giuseppe Campora was born on September 30, 1923, in Tortona, Italy.

Campora was a Puccinian tenor. In 1954 he was the dubbed voice for Nicolai Filacuridi as Pinkerton in the Carmine Gallone directed film of Madama Butterfly. Campora enjoyed successes in all the major theatres of Italy (including Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur with Magda Olivero at the Teatro alla Scala, 1958), as well as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where his performances of the 1950s and 1960s are still fondly remembered. He was the Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, in Maria Callas’s only Met broadcast, in 1956. In 1973, he debuted at the New York City Opera as the Chevalier des Grieux, in Manon. In 1980, he was heard at the San Diego Opera in Die Fledermaus, opposite Dame Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills, in their only joint appearance. He also frequently sang the music of fellow Tortonese Lorenzo Perosi.

His discography includes recordings of La forza del destino (1952), La Gioconda (1952), Madama Butterfly (with Renata Tebaldi, 1952), Simon Boccanegra (with Victoria de los Ángeles, Tito Gobbi and Boris Christoff, 1957), Tosca (with Tebaldi and Enzo Mascherini, 1952) and La traviata (1952), Beatrice de Tenda (with Sutherland, Kabaivanska, Dondi, Votto & La Scala, 1961). Disc of arias for Decca, (1954).

Campora died on December 4, 2004, in Tortona, Piedmont, Italy.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

GIUSEPPE CAMPORA

 

SONGS AND ARIAS – LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WASHINGTON, D.C., 1958

 

The celebrated Italian tenor Giuseppe Campora (1923–2004) is heard in this recital recorded at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in 1958. Renowned for his warm, lyrical voice, elegant phrasing, and expressive interpretation, Campora enjoyed an important international career, appearing at leading opera houses, including La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

This recital presents a varied programme of French and Italian songs, Neapolitan favourites, and celebrated operatic arias. Highlights include “Mi par d’udir ancora” from Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles, Federico’s moving lament from Cilea’s L’arlesiana, and “Ch’ella mi creda” from Puccini’s La fanciulla del West. The programme also features beloved songs such as “Non ti scordar di me” and “Passione.”

This historical recording offers a valuable opportunity to appreciate the artistry of one of Italy’s distinguished post-war operatic tenors.

 

TRACKLIST

 

Chanson d’amour

En prière

Flower Song

Les pêcheurs de perles: Mi par d’udir ancora

Tell Me, O Blue Blue Sky

’A vucchella

Non ti scordar di me

L’arlesiana: Lamento di Federico

La fanciulla del West: Ch’ella mi creda

Passione