Description

ENZO MASCHERINI (FLORENCE, ITALY, 6 AUGUST, 1910 – LIVORNO, ITALY, 29 JULY, 1981)

 

 

 

 

His teachers included the renowned baritones Titta Ruffo and Riccardo Stracciari. He made his debut in Florence in 1937 as Germont-père in La Traviata. In 1938, he sang at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in the world premiere of Gian Francesco Malipiero’s opera Antonio e Cleopatra. In 1939, he performed successfully at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, as well as in Parma and Genoa. In 1940, he reached La Scala in Milan, where he performed frequently thereafter.

After World War II, he gave guest performances in Vienna and Prague, at the City Centre Opera in New York, and at opera houses in Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. In 1949, he was invited to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, debuting as Marcello in La Bohème. At the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1951, he was heard as Montfort in Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, and in 1952-53 he was a guest at the Verona Arena Festival. He toured South Africa in 1951 and, in 1953, performed at the Stoll Theatre in London. He also made guest appearances at opera houses in Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

He was especially esteemed as an interpreter of major Verdi baritone roles. After ending his stage career, he taught in Florence and mentored several students, including the baritone Alexander Malta.

 

 

 

GIUSEPPE TADDEI (GENOA, ITALY, 26 JUNE, 1916 – ROME, ITALY, 2 JUNE, 2010)

 

 

 

 

He studied singing at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Genoa and in Rome. He made his debut at the Rome Opera in 1936 as the Herald in Lohengrin and found early success in Italian theaters before World War II, though his career was interrupted by the war. In 1941, he sang in Genoa and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and appeared at the Rome Opera in the world premiere of Gian Francesco Malipiero’s opera Ecuba. During the war, he became a resistance fighter in the Alps but was later captured by German forces.

In 1946, he joined the Vienna State Opera, where he performed frequently. In 1948, he sang Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival and made his La Scala debut the same year as Gérard in Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano. He returned to La Scala from 1948 to 1951 and again from 1955 to 1961, performing in roles including the 1949 world premiere of Regina Uliva by Ennio Porrino. Following guest appearances at the National Opera of Budapest and the Cambridge Theatre in London (1947), he continued his career at Italy’s major opera houses, including Rome, Naples, Turin, and Venice.

He appeared at the Arena di Verona in 1955, at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in 1959, where he was celebrated for a new production of Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda. Between 1960 and 1967, he performed at Covent Garden in London, singing roles such as Verdi’s Macbeth and Iago in Otello, and found success at Paris’s two major opera houses. He also appeared at the San Francisco Opera (1957), the Chicago Opera (1959), and the Holland Festival (1961). His international guest performances included the State Operas of Berlin and Munich, the National Operas of Sofia and Bucharest, and the opera houses of Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1953-1965).

From 1957 to 1981, he performed at major opera houses across the United States, including in San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. His career spanned decades, with a notable appearance at the Vienna State Opera in 1980 in Puccini’s Il Tabarro. During the 1981-1982 Salzburg Festival, he portrayed the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff under the direction of Herbert von Karajan. In 1985, he made a late but triumphant debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Falstaff and continued there until 1987. In 1986, he celebrated his 70th birthday by performing Scarpia in Tosca at the Vienna State Opera. He also appeared as Gianni Schicchi at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago in 1987, as Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bonn Theater in 1991, and returned to Valencia as Falstaff in 1992. He marked his 80th birthday with a concert in Graz in 1996.

 

 

 

TITO GOBBI (BASSANO DEL GRAPPA, ITALY, 24 OCTOBER, 1913 – ROME, ITALY, 5 MARCH 1984)

 

 

 

 

Initially pursuing a law degree at the University of Padua, he later shifted to music, studying voice with Giulio Crimi in Rome. He made his semi-professional debut as Count Rodolfo in Bellini’s La Sonnambula in Gubbio in 1935, followed by a first prize in an international singing competition in Vienna in 1936. His official debut came in 1937 at the Teatro Adriano in Rome, where he sang Germont-père in La Traviata. Over six seasons at the Rome Opera, he progressed from smaller to leading roles. He participated in world premieres, including Lodovico Rocca’s Monte Ivnor (1939), Gian Francesco Malipiero’s Ecuba (1941), Mario Persico’s La Locandiera (1941), and Jacopo Napoli’s Il Tesoro (1941). His La Scala debut was in 1942 as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, and he portrayed Wozzeck in the Italian premiere of Alban Berg’s opera at the Rome Opera, reprising this role at La Scala in 1952.

His international career included guest appearances at Covent Garden in London (1950-1974), where he debuted as Belcore and Ford in Falstaff, and at the Grand Opéra in Paris, the Royal Stockholm Opera (1947), and the State Operas of Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Munich. He also performed in Barcelona, Lisbon (1953), Chicago (1954-1974), San Francisco (1948), Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro. Extensive concert tours took him across North and South America, Scandinavia, England, Egypt, and Israel. In 1951, he toured South Africa with Beniamino Gigli and his daughter Rina. At the Salzburg Festival, he appeared as Don Giovanni (1950), Falstaff (1957), and Simon Boccanegra (1961).

Highlights of his La Scala appearances included Ford in Falstaff (1952), Figaro, Scarpia in Tosca, and Posa in Don Carlo (1958). He also frequently appeared at the Vienna State Opera, the Arena di Verona (1954-1956, 1962), and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. In 1956, he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he performed from 1956 to 1976, notably as Scarpia in Tosca, Iago in Otello, Falstaff, and Rigoletto.

Living in Rome, he continued to tour globally. An actor as well, he appeared in over 25 films starting in 1937. He later directed Simon Boccanegra at Covent Garden (1965) and in Chicago, and Tosca at the Met (1978). Dedicated to teaching, he mentored singers such as Mario Malagnini, Marta Marquéz, and Mani Mekler.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Enzo Mascherini Andrea Chenier (Giordano) Nemico della Patria Columbia GQX 11084
2. Enzo Mascherini Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Largo al factotum Cetra BB 25123
3. Enzo Mascherini Don Carlo (Giordano) O Carlo ascolta Columbia GQX 11084 CBX 1500
4. Enzo Mascherini Faust (Gounod) Dio possente Dio d’amor Columbia GQX 11071 CBX 1488
5. Enzo Mascherini Faust (Gounod) Santa medaglia Cetra BB 25123
6. Enzo Mascherini Traviata (Verdi) Di Provenza Columbia GQX 11071 CBX 1489
7. Giuseppe Taddei Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Signor, Chénier… (w. Simionato, Gigli, Zagonara & Caniglia) DB5425 2BA4796 HMV, Milano 1941-11
8. Giuseppe Taddei Don Giovanni (Mozart) Deh, vieni alla finestra AT0403 11636 Cetra, Torino 1955-03-17
9. Giuseppe Taddei Falstaff (Verdi) L’onore AT0403 11635 Cetra, Torino 1955-03-17
10. Giuseppe Taddei Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Minnie della mia casas AT0403 11634 Cetra, Torino 1955-03-17
11. Giuseppe Taddei Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Resta immobile AT0403 11637 Cetra, Torino 1955-03-17
12. Tito Gobbi Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Eri tu, pt 1 DB21606 2EA16795 HMV, London 1952
13. Tito Gobbi Ballo in maschera (Verdi) O dolcezze perdute! DB21606 2EA16796 HMV, London 1952
14. Tito Gobbi Forza del destino (Verdi) Urna fatale DB21071 2EA14462 HMV, London 1950-03-14
15. Tito Gobbi L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti) La donna e’ un animale with Nicola Monti HMV DB 21612 2EA 17775
16. Tito Gobbi L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Venti scudi with Nicola Monti HMV DB 21612 2EA 17776
17. Tito Gobbi Zazà (Leoncavallo) Buona Zazà DA5429 0BA5147 HMV, Milano 1942
18. Tito Gobbi Zazà (Leoncavallo) Zazà, piccola zingara DA5429 0BA5148 HMV, Milano 1942