Description

ADELINA AGOSTINELLI (VERDELLO, BERGAMO, 23 NOVEMBER, 1882 – BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, 1954)

She studied singing in Milan with Giuseppe Quiroli, whom she later married, and began her career in 1903 at the Teatro Fraschini in Pavia, performing in Fedora by Umberto Giordano. That same year, she appeared in Puccini’s Tosca. In 1904, she made her Teatro alla Scala debut in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, singing alongside the celebrated baritone Mattia Battistini. In the years that followed, she gained international acclaim, performing extensively across South America, Russia, Spain, England, Italy, and other European countries.

Between 1908 and 1910, she was a member of the Metropolitan Opera ensemble in New York. In 1911, she returned to La Scala to sing in the Italian premiere of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. That same year, she made her Argentine debut at the Teatro Politeama with Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and later joined the Teatro Colón, where she performed in numerous productions over several seasons. Her 1910 repertoire included Mefistofele, La Bohème, G. Fine’s Il Battista, and Pagliacci. In 1911, her roles expanded to Thaïs, Mefistofele, Don Carlo, and La Fanciulla del West. In August of that year, she also performed at the Teatro Solis in Montevideo, Uruguay, with Edoardo Ferrari-Fontana and Titta Ruffo.

Her career continued to thrive, and in 1916 she sang in productions of Boris Godunov, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Pagliacci. Settling in Buenos Aires, she began organizing opera companies and productions at theaters like the Coliseum and Politeama. On February 14, 1925, she performed Il Trovatore at the grand opening of the Teatro Verdi in Cañada de Gómez, in Santa Fe Province. She retired from the stage in 1929, dedicating herself to teaching, where her contributions to vocal pedagogy were highly respected.

Chronology of some appearances

1902 Montichiari Sociale Elisir d’amore (Adina)
1903 Pordenone Licinio Boheme (Mimi)
1903 Torino Carignano Boheme (Mimi)
1903 Bari Petruzzelli Boheme (Mimi)
1904 Malta Reale Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1904 Smirne Sporting Club Boheme (Mimi)
1904 Smirne Sporting Club Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1904 Smirne Sporting Club Gioconda (Gioconda)
1904 Alessandria d’Egitto Alhambra Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1905 Atene Municipale Gioconda (Gioconda)
1905 Patrasso  Apollo Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Patrasso  Apollo Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1905 Patrasso  Apollo Gioconda (Gioconda)
1905 Algeri Municipal Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Liegi Reale Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Kharkov Dukova Aida (Aida)
1905 Malaga Cervantes Aida (Aida)
1905 Liegi Opera Aida (Aida)
1905 Liegi Opera Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1905 Liegi Opera Elisir d’amore (Adina)
1905 Bruxelles Alhambra Aida (Aida)
1905 Bruxelles Alhambra Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1905 Bruxelles Alhambra Elisir d’amore (Adina)
1905 Bruxelles Alhambra Gioconda (Gioconda)
1905 Anversa  Varietes Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Marsiglia Gymnase Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1905 Nimes Anfiteatro Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Barcellona Novedades Boheme (Mimi)
1905  Palma di Majorca Principal Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Anversa  Varietes Aida (Aida) Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Amsterdam Palei Voor Volksvlijt Cavalleria Rusitcana (Santuzza)
1906 Santiago del Cile Municipal Aida (Aida)
1906 Messina  Vittorio Emanuele Don Pasquale (Norina)
1906 Santiago del Cile Municipal Amica (Amica)
1906 Santiago del Cile Municipal Lohengrin (Elsa)
1906 Rio de Janeiro Parco Fluminense Aida (Aida)
1906 Bari Petruzzelli Amica (Amica)
1906 Bari Petruzzelli Lohengrin (Elsa)

TRACKLIST

1. Aida (Verdi) O patria mia unpubl. 533-A Edison, London 1911-01
2. Bohème (Puccini) Mi chiamano Mimì B172 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1908
3. Bohème (Puccini) O soave fanciulla with Parola B174 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1908
4. Don Carlos (Verdi) Tu che la vanità unpubl. 534-A Edison, London 1911-01
5. Ernani (Verdi) Surta è la notte 4116, Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 19061907
6. Faust (Gounod) Air des bijoux unpubl. 1147-A Edison, London 1912-07
7. Faust (Gounod) C’era un re di Thulé 4112 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 19061907
8. Fedora (Giordano) O grandi occhi lucenti 4101 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1905
9. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Suicidio B171, 30007 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1908
10. Iris (Mascagni) Ho fatto un triste sogno… S’era malata unpubl. 1140-A Edison, London 1912-07
11. Manon Lescaut (Puccini) In quelle trine morbide 4102 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1905
12. Mefistofele (Boito) L’altra notte 4108 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1905
13. Tosca (Puccini) Vissi d’arte 4103 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1905
14. Tosca (Puccini) Vissi d’arte 28137 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1908
15. Traviata (Verdi) Addio del passato B170 BA28159 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1908