Description

GUIDO CICCOLINI (ROME, 12 MAY, 1885 – NEPTUNE / NEW JERSEY, 11 MAY, 1963)

 

 

 

 

He studied under the celebrated vocal coach Antonio Cotogni and made his operatic debut in 1907 in Bologna, performing as Alfredo in La Traviata. In 1909, he toured Belgium and Holland with Madame de Restier’s opera troupe and sang Pinkerton in the Dutch premiere of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in Amsterdam. Guest performances soon followed in England, Ireland, and France, and he achieved significant success in Russia, performing at the Opera Theatres of St. Petersburg, Odessa, and Warsaw.

In 1911, he embarked on a tour of Australia with an opera troupe that included the renowned soprano Nellie Melba. Fascinatingly, he held a ticket for the “RMS Titanic,” still preserved by his family, but missed the voyage due to a scheduling change in his performance commitments. In 1914, he performed at Teatro Lirico in Milan in the Italian premiere of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s I Quattro Rusteghi.

His career in the United States included several appearances at the Opera Theatre of Boston beginning in 1914, a season in Havana in 1915 (notably as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana), and the 1918-19 season in Chicago at the Civic Opera House, where he performed in Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and La Bohème. In 1926, he honored his friend, the famous actor Rudolph Valentino, by singing at his funeral. He retired from the stage in 1922.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1907 Bologna Politeama Azeglio Traviata (Alfredo)

1908 Salerno Teatro Verdi Africana (Vasco)

1909 Parigi Gaite Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1911 Sidney Her Majestic Faust (Faust)

1918 Chicago Civic Opera House Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1919 Chicago Civic Opera House Rigoletto (Duca)

1922 New York Teatro Century Tosca (Cavaradossi)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Aida (Verdi) Celeste Aida unpubl 6393 Edison, New York 1918-10-02
2. Amico Fritz (Mascagni) Han della porpora (w. Boccolini) 054388 226aj Gramophone, Milano 1910-11-26
3. Amico Fritz (Mascagni) Han della porpora (w. Caprile) 054465 720aj Gramophone, Milano 1913-11-10
4. Bohème (Puccini) Addio dolce svegliare (w. Sanipoli, Passeri & Badini) 054299 209aj Gramophone, Milano 1910-11-23
5. Boheme (Puccini) Che gelida manina 2-052082 Ho513al Gramophone, London 1913-09-02
6. Boheme (Puccini) Che gelida manina 82556 6447-C Edison, New York 1918-11-06
7. Carme (De Curtis) 83068 5029-C Edison, New York 1916-09-29
8. Carmen (Bizet) Flower song 82156 4063-H Edison, New York 1915-08-23
9. Carmen (Bizet) Il fior 82156 4063-H Edison, New York 1915-08-23
10. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Addio alla madre Gramophone 052298  206aj
11. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Tu qui, Santuzza… Ah no, Turiddu (w. Besalu) 054297 222aj, 054298 223aj, Gramophone, Milano 1910-11-25
12. Elegia (Massenet) 83074 5464-C Edison, New York 1917-03-21
13. Faust (Gounod) Trio (w. le Fontenay & Lazzari) unpubl 5709 Edison, New York 1917-07-25
14. Favorita (Donizetti) Spirto gentil 82253 5433-C Edison, New York 1917-03-07
15. Fedora (Giordano) Amor ti vieta 7-52046 Ho750ak Gramophone, London 1913-09-02
16. Funiculì, funiculà (Denza) 82183 6619-B Edison, New York 1919-02-13
17. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar 2-052080 Ho510al Gramophone, London 1913-09-02
18. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar unpubl 5316 Edison, New York 1917-01-24
19. La campana di San Giusto 82304 7472-B Edison, New York 1920-08-02
20. La Spagnola (di Chiara) Edison 82167 6452-C Edison, New York 1918-11-08
21. Lohengrin (Wagner) Da voi lontan 052434 757m Gramophone, Milano 1914-04-06
22. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Fra poco a me ricovero 82570 5609-A Edison, New York 1917-06-08