Description

ROBERTO D’ALESSIO (VITTORIA (RAGUSA), SICILY, 1 APRIL, 1893 – BORGO (SAN LORENZO), TUSCANY, 12 JUNE, 1975)

 

 

 

 

Roberto d’Alessio made his debut in 1921 at the Teatro Casino in Lugano as Wilhelm Meister in A. Thomas’s Mignon. In 1922, he performed at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo as Elvino in Bellini’s La Sonnambula alongside Toti Dal Monte. By 1924, he was singing the Duke in Rigoletto in Turin, and in 1927 he appeared as des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon at the Teatro Fenice in Venice. D’Alessio joined La Scala in Milan in 1927, performing the Duke in Rigoletto under Arturo Toscanini with castmates Toti Dal Monte, Luisa Bertana, and Carlo Galeffi. He reprised this role annually at La Scala until 1931, working under conductors such as Ettore Panizza.

His international engagements included performances at the Cairo Opera in 1926, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires the same year, and Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. In 1929, he toured Germany with Max Sauter’s company, performed with Egisto Tango’s company in Copenhagen, and appeared as Paolino in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto in Rome. In 1937, he sang Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Teatro Regio in Turin, alongside Eva Turner and Carlo Galeffi.

D’Alessio’s repertoire included roles such as Arturo in Bellini’s I Puritani, Elvino in La Sonnambula, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Rodolfo in La Bohème, the title role in Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz, Maurizio in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Massenet’s Werther. He was married to Spanish contralto Aurora Buades-d’Alessio (1897–1965), a notable opera and concert singer in Italy, Spain, and South America. From 1952, Roberto d’Alessio taught singing in Florence. His recordings showcase one of Italy’s finest lyric tenor voices of his generation.

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Arlesiana (Cilea) E la solita storia D14696 BX191 Columbia Electric
2. Ay, ay, ay (Freire) WB 1148 D12531 Columbia Electric
3. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Ecco ridente D12531 B1166 Columbia Electric
4. Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina  D1468 BX72 Columbia Electric
5. Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni) Mamma, quel vino D14732 BX112 Columbia Electric
6. Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Cercherò lontana terra D12258 B795 Columbia acoustic
7. Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Com’è gentil D12607 GQ7121 Columbia Electric
8. Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Sogno soave e casto D12258 B802 Columbia acoustic
9. Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Una furtiva lagrima D14696 BX192 Columbia Electric
10. Favorita (Donizetti) Ah, mio bene with with Aurora Buades GQX16449 BX787  Columbia Electric
11. Favorita (Donizetti) Fra vero lasciarti with Aurora Buades GQX16449 BX788 Columbia Electric
12. Favorita (Donizetti) Non sai tu che in seno  with Ezio Pinza 7-54028 BE1216 Gramophone acoustic
13. Favorita (Donizetti) Spirto gentil D14734 Columbia
14. Favorita (Donizetti) Una vergine un angel di Dio D12260 B809 Columbia acoustic
15. Favorita (Donizetti) Vieni! Ah, vien! with Aurora Buades  GQX16457 BX786 Columbia Electric
16. Fedora (Giordano) Amor ti vieta  D12566 B1650 Columbia Electric
17. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar GQX16457 BX790 Columbia Electric
18. Lakmé (Delibes) Ah vieni, il bosco è là profondo D12607 GQ7121 Columbia Electric