Description

FRANCESCO MARIA BONINI (NAPLES, 1865 – MILAN, 11 JANUARY, 1930)

 

 

 

 

He studied singing with Beniamino Carelli at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella in Naples. His stage debut came in 1896 at the Teatro Mercadante in Foggia, where he performed the role of Don Carlo di Vargas in Verdi’s La forza del destino. Over the next few years, he appeared at various international venues, including the Amazon Theatre in Brazil, the Valletta Royal Opera House in Malta, and the Cairo Opera House in Egypt.

Returning to Italy in 1899, he performed in Brescia and Cremona. By 1900, he was singing at the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, and in 1901 he was committed to the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He made his debut at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and at La Scala in Milan in 1903, with notable roles including Arnoldo in Amilcare Ponchielli’s I Lituani. On October 17, 1903, he portrayed Athanaël in the Italian premiere of Jules Massenet’s Thaïs at the Teatro Lirico Internazionale in Milan, opposite Lina Cavalieri.

On December 19, 1903, he debuted at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples as Michonnet in the house’s first staging of Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur with Solomiya Krushelnytska. He remained at the Teatro di San Carlo through 1905, performing roles such as Walitzin/Commissario in Giordano’s Siberia and Johannes Rathenow in the Italian premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Der Roland von Berlin. He was also involved in the premieres of Leopoldo Mugnone’s Vita Brettona and Lorenzo Filiasi’s Manuel Menendez.

From 1905 to 1907, he was engaged at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, where he appeared in the world premiere of João Arroyo’s Amor de Perdição. He then performed at the Teatro Regio di Parma from 1907 to 1908, taking on roles such as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier, David in L’amico Fritz, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, and Rinaldo in Amica.

Between 1909 and 1911, he was active at the Teatro Regio in Turin, performing roles like Kurwenal, Wolfram von Eschenbach in Tannhäuser, and the title roles in Boris Godunov, Falstaff, Hérodiade, and Rigoletto. In 1911-1912, he returned to La Scala, where he was seen as Hidraot in Gluck’s Armide, King Raimondo in Isabeau, and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

In 1913, he returned to the Teatro Regio in Turin to perform Friedrich of Telramund in Lohengrin for the first time. That year, he also appeared at the Teatro Real in Madrid. The latter part of his career saw him working as a freelance artist in Italy. In 1918, he made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as Falstaff and had a notable success at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna as Germont in La traviata.

He continued to perform in Bologna through 1922, taking on roles such as Comte de Nevers in Les Huguenots, Rigoletto, and Wolfram. In 1919, he was seen as Amenofi in Ponchielli’s Il figliuol prodigo at the Arena di Verona Festival. He also performed at La Fenice in 1922 and at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza in 1923.

Bonini retired from the stage in 1927 and subsequently taught singing in Milan. His repertoire included roles such as Alfonso in La Favorita, Amonasro in Aida, Barnaba in La Gioconda, Nélusko in L’Africaine, Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Scarpia in Tosca, and Valentin in Faust.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1895 Taranto Teatro Paisiello Forza del Destino (Carlo)

1898 Brescia Teatro Grande Boheme (Marcello)

1900 Modena Teatro Storchi Stagione

1902 Odessa Teatro Municipale Rigoletto (Rigoletto)

1904 Rio de Janeiro Teatro Lirico Aida (Amonasro)

1906 Lisbona Teatro San Carlos Dannazione di Faust (Mefistofele)

1908 Parma Teatro Regio Amico Fritz (David)

1910 Cosenza Teatro Rendano Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfio)

1912 Milano Teatro La Scala Isabeau (Re Raimondo)

1914 Fiume Teatro Verdi Traviata (Germont)

1916 Torino Politeama Chiarella Andrea Chenier (Gerard)

1918 Brescia Teatro Sociale Traviata (Germont)

1920 Como Politeama Stagione

1922 Firenze Teatro Verdi Traviata (Germont)

1924 Torino Teatro Balbo Traviata (Germont)

1926 Prato Politeama Banchini Isabeau (Re Raimondo)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Affè si ghiuto ammore (Carelli) 39125 XPh100 Fonotipia, Milano 1904-12-05
2. Amica (Mascagni) Se tu amasti me 92562 XPh3985 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-06-24
3. Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Son sessant’anni 39740 XPh1966 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-06-30
4. Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Un dì m’era di gioia 39741 XPh1967 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-06-30
5. Boheme (Puccini) Entrata di Schaunard… Quadro quarto with Gino Martinez-Patti, Antonio Magini-Coletti and Oreste Luppi 39728 XPh1980 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-07-05
6. Boris Godounov (Mussorgsky) Potente son e forte 92601 XPh4111 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-10-23
7. Don Sebastiano (Donizetti) O Lisbona alfin ti miro 39743 XPh1947 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-06-27
8. Ernani (Verdi) O dei verd’anni miei 92599 XPh4094 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-10-12
9. Faust (Gounod) Dio possente 92564 XPh3988 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-06-25
10. Faust (Gounod) Per di quà (w. Petri) 39847 XPh2136-2 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-10-15
11. 12. Forza del destino (Verdi) Le minaccie… Non si placa with Gino Martinez-Patti 39736 XPh2000 39737 XPh2001 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-07-01
12. Forza del destino (Verdi) Solenne in quest’ora with Mario Gilion 39811 XPh2111 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-10-03
13. 15. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Enzo Grimaldo… O grido di quest’anima with Gino Martinez-Patti Fonotipia 39807, 39808, XPh2074, XPh1950 Milano 1906-09-27
14. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Resta immobile 92602 XPh4090 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-10-11
15. I Due Foscari (Verdi) O vecchio cor 92600 XPh4091 Fonotipia, Milano 1909-10-11
16. I Due Foscari (Verdi) O vecchio cor che batti 39831 XPh1884 Fonotipia, Milano 1906-05-16