Description

CARLO ALBANI  (TRIESTE, 1873 – ROME, 1924)

 

 

 

 

Carlo Albani, the stage name of Charles-François Berquier, was a French-Italian dramatic tenor whose career extended over more than two decades and took him to opera houses and concert stages throughout Europe and the Americas. Born in Trieste on 12 June 1873, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was the son of Victor-François Berquier and Angèle Thérèse Borri. Contemporary French documentation identifies him under his birth name and gives 1873 as his year of birth, although some later sources give 1872.

Born into an Italian-French family, Berquier was educated musically in Paris, where he studied singing with the celebrated tenor and pedagogue Enrico Delle Sedie. His early career was initially pursued under his real name. French theatrical records document him as a Priest in Ernest Reyer’s Salammbô in 1900 and as Bois-Rosé in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in 1901.

Albani’s international operatic career began in South America. According to the established chronology of his performances, he made his debut in 1901 at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile, singing Radamès in Verdi’s Aida. In 1902 he appeared at the Teatro Duse in Bologna as Manrico in Il trovatore, and in 1903 he sang Aida at the Teatro Municipal in San José, Costa Rica. He subsequently performed in several major centers in Italy and the Americas.

His Italian career included appearances at the Teatro Sociale in Brescia as Manrico in 1904, the Teatro Lirico in Milan as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino in 1905, the Teatro Coccia in Novara as Giovanni in Giovanni Gallurese in 1906, and the Teatro Bellini in Naples as Canio in Pagliacci in 1907. The role of Giovanni in Italo Montemezzi’s Giovanni Gallurese became one of the less conventional but recurring elements of his repertoire.

His international career also brought him to North America. In 1908 he appeared in Philadelphia as Don José in Bizet’s Carmen. During the same period, he became involved in one of the most curious episodes of his career, involving the powerful American impresario Oscar Hammerstein.

Hammerstein engaged Albani for the Manhattan Opera Company in New York, where the tenor was scheduled to sing Manrico in Il trovatore. The engagement ended abruptly. According to accounts preserved by Marston Records, the press reacted unfavorably to Albani, and after his second performance he disappeared, effectively breaching his contract and leaving the company without its scheduled Manrico. He subsequently appeared with the San Carlo Opera Company in Boston, where the dispute with Hammerstein followed him. An officer of the law attended one of his performances in connection with the legal proceedings. The episode effectively brought Albani’s American operatic career to an end.

The affair acquired an almost theatrical character. A later account describes how an officer was sent to arrest Albani during a Boston performance and remained concealed behind the stage scenery until the end of the performance. Whatever embellishments may have entered later retellings, the underlying dispute with Hammerstein is independently recorded in accounts of Albani’s American career.

Albani subsequently concentrated his activities in Europe. His career was particularly significant in France and Italy, and in 1910 he sang Radamès in Aida at the Paris Opéra, performing the role in French. This was an important recognition of his status as an international dramatic tenor. He later reprised Radamès at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi in 1916, where he also appeared as Manrico in Il trovatore and Don Alvaro in La forza del destino. The historical archive of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma documents his appearances there in Aida, Il trovatore, La forza del destino, Pagliacci and Tosca during the 1915–1917 seasons.

A particularly important detail concerning Albani’s professional identity is documented in December 1910. The French theatrical journal Le Ménestrel, in its issue of 24 December 1910, reported that a tenor known as Carlo Albani, then engaged at the Politeama Chiarelli in Turin, had been arrested at a hotel on a charge of theft. According to the report, silver plates and cutlery, napkins and other small objects allegedly taken from restaurants were found among his possessions. Most importantly for the reconstruction of his biography, the newspaper stated that among his papers was a passport issued by the French authorities identifying him as Charles-François Berquier, born in Trieste in 1873 and then residing in Paris.

This contemporary report is particularly valuable because it provides direct documentary evidence linking the stage name Carlo Albani with his birth identity. It also confirms the 1873 birth year independently of later biographical sources. The episode should therefore be regarded not merely as an anecdote but as an important piece of evidence in establishing Albani’s identity and biography.

Albani continued to appear extensively in Italy after 1910. His documented engagements included Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca at the Politeama Chiarella in Turin in 1910; Radamès in Aida at the Politeama Duca di Genova in La Spezia in 1911; Don Alvaro in La forza del destino at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in 1912; and a concert at the Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna in 1913.

In 1914 he returned to Giovanni Gallurese at the Teatro Fraschini in Pavia. In 1915 he sang the title role in Verdi’s Ernani at the Teatro Carcano in Milan, followed in 1916 by Samson in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila. In 1917 he appeared as Don José in Carmen at the Teatro Rossini in Venice, and in 1918 returned to Ernani at the Teatro Sangiorgi in Catania. In 1919 he again sang Manrico in Il trovatore at the Politeama Verdi in Cremona.

During the 1920s his appearances became less frequent, although he continued to undertake demanding dramatic roles. In 1920 he sang Riccardo in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro Scribe in Turin, and in 1921 he appeared as Ernani at the Teatro Sociale in Crema.

His last documented appearances took place in Milan at the Teatro Verdi, where he performed three major roles from the Italian dramatic-tenor repertoire: Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, and Pollione in Bellini’s Norma. These performances constitute the final known stage appearances of Albani before his death in Rome in 1924.

Albani’s repertoire was extensive and particularly demanding. In addition to the roles already mentioned, it included Radamès, Manrico, Don Alvaro, Canio, Don José, Cavaradossi, Ernani, Riccardo, Pollione, Samson and Giovanni Gallurese. His repertoire reveals the transition from the grand heroic tenor tradition of nineteenth-century Italian opera toward the increasingly dramatic vocal requirements of verismo and early twentieth-century opera.

His work in French repertoire was also significant. His appearance as Radamès at the Paris Opéra in French demonstrates that his career was not confined to Italian opera. Contemporary recording evidence likewise shows him singing repertoire from Meyerbeer, Gounod and other French composers alongside Verdi, Donizetti, Ponchielli and the Italian verismo composers.

Albani was also an active recording artist during the formative years of the recording industry. His earliest known recordings date from 1907, when he recorded for Pathé. A scholarly study of Italian operatic tenors identifies him in the Pathé catalogue under the pseudonym Carlo Neri, with a recording of La donna è mobile from Verdi’s Rigoletto.

His recorded activities continued with other companies. Records exist under his name for Odeon, while he also recorded for Fonotipia, Gath & Chaves in Buenos Aires, and Edison. The Gath & Chaves catalogue included operatic recordings by Carlo Albani and even recordings made with Albani-Costa.

Among his surviving recorded repertoire are “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, “O Paradiso!” from Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine, “Cielo e mar” from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, selections from Aida, Il trovatore, La forza del destino, Norma, Lucrezia Borgia and other operas. An Edison catalogue from 1912 specifically lists Albani’s recording of “O Paradiso!”, while surviving discographical records document his recordings of Aida, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino and Norma.

Particularly interesting are his surviving Edison recordings from London. On 4 July 1911, Albani recorded an excerpt from Gounod’s Faust, “Qual turbamento in cor mi sento … Salve! Dimora casta e pura”, as an unpublished Edison wax master. Other surviving Edison material includes performances with soprano Paola Koralek, including excerpts from Il trovatore and Aida.

These recordings are of considerable historical importance. They document the voice of a tenor who worked during the transitional period when the traditions of the nineteenth-century Italian school were being preserved and transformed through the new medium of commercial sound recording. Albani’s repertoire, extending from Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer and Verdi to Puccini and the verismo composers, reflects the broad musical world of the period.

Carlo Albani died in Rome in 1924. Although he never achieved the enduring fame of such contemporaries as Francesco Tamagno, Giuseppe Borgatti or Giovanni Martinelli, his career was remarkably international. He performed in South and North America, France, Italy and Russia, appeared at major theatres including the Paris Opéra and Teatro Costanzi in Rome, and left recordings for several important early record companies.

His career is consequently of particular interest to the history of early twentieth-century opera. Albani represents the generation of dramatic tenors who carried the heroic tradition of Verdi and Meyerbeer into the age of Puccini, verismo and mechanical recording. His surviving discs, together with contemporary theatrical and documentary sources, allow the career of Charles-François Berquier—known to the operatic world as Carlo Albani—to be reconstructed with unusual detail.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1901 Santiago del Cile Teatro Municipal Aida (Radames)

1902 Bologna Teatro Duse Trovatore (Manrico)

1903 San Josê de Costarica Teatro Municipal Aida (Aida)

1904 Brescia Teatro Sociale Trovatore (Manrico)

1905 Milano Teatro Lirico Forza del Destino (Alvaro)

1906 Novara Teatro Coccia Giovanni Gallurese (Giovanni)

1907 Napoli Teatro Bellini Pagliacci (Canio)

1908 Philadelphia Teatro Lyric Carmen (Don Josê)

1910 Torino Politeama Chiarella Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1911 La Spezia Politeama Duca di Genova Aida (Radames)

1912 Bari Teatro Petruzzelli Forza del Destino (Alvaro)

1913 Ravenna Teatro Alighieri Concerto

1914 Pavia Teatro Fraschini Giovanni Gallurese di I. Montemezzi

1915 Milano Teatro Carcano Ernani (Ernani)

1916 Milano Teatro Carcano Sansone e Dalida (Sansone)

1917 Venezia Teatro Rossini Carmen (Don Josè)

1918 Catania Teatro Sangiorgi Ernani (Ernani)

1919 Cremona Politeama Verdi Trovatore (Manrico)

1920 Torino Tetro Scribe Ballo in Maschera (Riccardo)

1921 Crema Teatro Sociale Ernani (Ernani)

1923 Milano Teatro Fossati Pagliacci (Canio)

1923 Milano Teatro Verdi Norma (Pollione)

 

TRACKLIST

 

  

Africaine (Meyerbeer) Air de Vasco de Gama 4903 Pathé, Paris 1908

Africaine (Meyerbeer) O Paradiso A82662 Odeon, Milano 19101911 – 1912

Africana (Meyerbeer) O paradiso BA28127 4M-28127 Edison 4-min cylinders, London 1911-07

Aida (Verdi) Ah, tu de’ vivere (w. de Cisneros) 84514 Pathé, Milano 1907

Aida (Verdi) Celeste Aida 4140 Pathé, Paris 1907

Aida (Verdi) Celeste Aida 6074 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Aida (Verdi) Di Napata le gole (w. Bione & Plavano) X110321 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Aida (Verdi) Là tra le foreste vergini (w. Moretti-Stefani) X110108 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Aida (Verdi) O céleste Aida 4914 Pathé, Paris 1908

Aida (Verdi) Pur ti riveggo (w. Koralek) unpubl 759B Edison, London 1911-07

Aida (Verdi) Pur ti riveggo (w. Moretti-Stefani) X110107 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Aida (Verdi) Pur ti riveggo… Fuggiam gli ardori (w. Giansone) X110423, X110424 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Aida (Verdi) Qual insolita luce… Vieni o diletta (w. Verger & Corsi) 110405, 110406  Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Andrea Chenier (Giordano) Come un bel dì di Maggio 6091 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Come un bel dì di maggio 110249 Xm1463 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911-1912

Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Come un bel dì di maggio AGSA13 B4890-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-22

Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Un dì all’azzurro spazio AGSB65 C4898-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-28

Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Di tu, se fedele Victor 64082 B4899-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-28

Boheme (Puccini) Che gelida manina 4146 Pathé, Paris 1907

Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina, pt 1 pt 2 X113906, X113907 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Carmela (de Curtis) (Fr.) 97296 XP 4661 Odeon, Paris 1909-03/04

Carmen (Bizet) Il fior 6086 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Carmen (Bizet) Je suis Escamillo! (w. Costa) 6121 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Carmen (Bizet) Mia madre vedo ancor (w. Zotti) 110277 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Carmen (Bizet) Or mi rifiuti (w. Verger) X110335 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Carmen (Bizet) Ti baciava mia madre (w. Zotti) 110278 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Brindisi 6096 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola 6101 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola, blanche fleur 73521 XXP4647 Odeon, Paris 1909-03/04

Don Carlo (Verdi) Io la vidi 82663 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Ch’ella mi creda A82632 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Una parola sola… Ahime! Vergogna  82610 Mo709, 82611 Mo710 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Faust (Gounod) Salut, demeure 6103 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Faust (Gounod) Salve dimora casta e pura unpubl 757B Edison, London 1911-07

Faust (Gounod) Trio final (w. Marignan & Belhomme) 0759bis Pathé, Paris 1908

Favorita (Donizetti) Spirto gentil 4153 Pathé, Paris 1907

Fedora (Giordano) Amor ti vieta 6085 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Forza del destino (Verdi) La vita è inferno all’infelice… O tu che in seno agli angeli A 82612, A 82613 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano

Forza del Destino (Verdi) O tu che in seno 6089 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Forza del destino (Verdi) O tu che in seno 74095 C4886-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-18

Forza del destino (Verdi) O tu che in seno agli angeli 30042 Edison 4-min cylinders, Paris 1910-12

Gioconda  (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar A82608 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar 6087 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Gioconda (Ponchielli) Dal carcere m’hai tratto… O furibonda iena (w. Besalu) A 82628 Mo715, A 82629 Mo716 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Gioconda (Ponchielli) O grido di quest’anima (w. Costa) 6120 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Gioconda Cielo e mar BA28116 4M-28116-3 Edison 4-min cylinders, London 1911-07

Guarany (Gomez) Sento una forza indomita (w. Pereira) Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile hereditaire 4907 Pathé, Paris 1908

Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile héréditaire 6098 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche 4904 Pathé, Paris 1908

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche que la blanche hermine 97270  XP4585 Odeon, Paris 1908/1909

Iris (Mascagni) Apri la tua finestra 4151 Pathé, Paris 1907

Juive (Halevy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 4908 Pathé, Paris 1908

Juive (Halévy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 97316 XP4660 Odeon, Paris 1909-03/04

Lohengrin (Wagner) Da voi lontano 6081 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) 6094 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) 74096 C4889-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-22

Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) Della ducchessa i prieghi… Guai se ti sfugga un detto  (w. Corsi & Vannuccini) X110251 Xm1587, X110252 Xm1588 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) Di pescator ignobile 4156 Pathé, Paris 1907

Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) Di pescatore ignobile 74098 C4887-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-18

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Amore, o grillo (w. Costa) 6084 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Datele voi qualche soccorso with Alfredo Costa 6123 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 19081909

Norma (Bellini) Mecco all’ altar di venere 30045 4M-30045 Edison 4-min cylinders, Paris 1911-01

Norma (Bellini)  In mia man (w. Corsi) 110164 Xm1638 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Norma (Bellini) Meco all’altar di Venere…Me protegge X110097,  X110098 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

O sole mio (di Capua) (Fr.) 97294  XP 4646 Odeon, Paris 1909-03/04

Otello (Verdi) Dio mi potevi scagliar 82633 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Otello (Verdi) Dio, mi potevi, scagliar 6178 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Otello (Verdi) Niun mi tema 6080 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Otello (Verdi) Niun mi tema 110060 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Otello (Verdi) Ora e per sempre addio 4139 Pathé, Paris 1907

Otello (Verdi) Sante memorie 6079 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Otello (Verdi) Tout m’abandonne 4913 Pathé, Paris 1908

Otello (Verdi) Tu Indietro! Fuggi!… Ora e per sempre addio 74099 C4900-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-28

Otello Venga la morte (w. Corsi) X10256 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Arioso 6095 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) No pagliaccio non son A82688 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Recitar!… Vesti la giubba 74097 C4885 Victor, USA 1907-10-18

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Vesti la giubba (Fr) 4909 Pathé, Paris 1908

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Vesti la giubba 4142 Pathé, Paris 1907

Poliuto Deh, fuggi da morte… Il suon dell’arpe angeliche (w. Corsi) X110198 Xm16 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Prophete (Meyerbeer) Roi du ciel 4905 Pathé, Paris 1908

Rigoletto (Verdi) Ballata 6076 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 4911 Pathé, Paris 1908

Rigoletto (Verdi) Ella mi fu rapita… Parmi veder le lagrime X 110155, X 110156 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna e mobile 4152 Pathé, Paris 1907

Rigoletto (Verdi) Questa o quella 6077 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Sigurd (Reyer) Entrée de Sigurd 4913 Pathé, Paris 1908

Sigurd (Reyer) Esprits gardiens 4906 Pathé, Paris 1908

Sonnambula (Bellini) D’un pensiero (w. Chiesa) X110353 Xm 1797 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Torna amore (Buzzi-Peccia) 6106 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle 4144 Pathé, Paris 1907

Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle 6075 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Tosca (Puccini) O dolci mani X110153 Odeon, Milano 19101911 – 1912

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia 4145 Pathé, Paris 1907

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia 6070 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia AGSA13 B4897-1 Victor, USA 1907-10-28

Triste ritorno (Barthélemy) 6104 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Trovatore (Verdi) Ah! Sì ben mio X110279 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Trovatore (Verdi) Ai nostri monti (w. de Cisneros) 84512 Pathé, Milano 1907

Trovatore (Verdi) Deserto sulla terra 4141 Pathé, Paris 1907

Trovatore (Verdi) Deserto sulla terra 6105 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Trovatore (Verdi) Deserto sulla terra Victor 64081 B 4891 Victor, USA 1907-10-22

Trovatore (Verdi) Di quella pira 6068 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Trovatore (Verdi) Di quella pira 110197 Xm1727 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Trovatore (Verdi) Infida! Qual voce (w. Benedetti & Koralek) unpubl 761B Edison, London 1911-07

Trovatore (Verdi) Miserere 4154 Pathé, Paris 1907

Trovatore (Verdi) Perché piangete … E’ questo un sogno, un’ estasi (with Biancofiore, Manfrini & Chiesa) X110331, X110332 Odeon, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Trovatore (Verdi) Pria che d’altri (w. Ballistini & Corsi) 110144 Odeon Fonotipia, Milan

Trovatore (Verdi) Un istante almen (w. Ballistini & Besalù) 110143 Xm1546 Odeon Fonotipia, Milano 1910/1911 – 1912

Werther (Massenet) Ah, non mi ridestar 6102 Gath & Chaves, Buenos Aires 1908/1909

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me reveiller 4910 Pathé, Paris 1908