Description

IGNACY DYGAS (IGNAZIO DIGAS) (29 JULY 1881 WARSAW – 17 MAY 1947 WARSAW)

He began studying voice at the Warsaw Conservatory under Y. Shepkovsky, initially training as a baritone. Later, his voice was retrained from baritone to tenor by V. Aleksandrovich. In 1907, he continued his studies in Milan with Vincenzo Lombardi. He made his debut in 1905 as Valentin in Gounod’s Faust at the Warsaw Opera. That same year, under the name Ignacy Gorszynski, he made his second debut at the same theater as Jontek in Moniuszko’s Halka. He performed at the Warsaw Opera until 1907.

From 1907 to 1913, under the name Ignacio Digas, he appeared in many major Italian opera houses, including performances in Turin, Padua, Teatro Lirico (Milan), Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Teatro Massimo (Palermo), Genoa (Teatro Carlo Felice, 1909), Rome (Teatro Costanzi, as Lohengrin and Pollione in Norma, 1910), and Bologna (Teatro Comunale, again as Lohengrin, 1913). He also achieved great success in Madrid, Montevideo, and Rio de Janeiro.

Between 1910 and 1914, he performed in Poland, where he also served as the director of the Warsaw Opera from 1913. In the 1913-1914 season, he appeared at the National House in St. Petersburg, and from 1914 to 1916, he sang at S. Zimin’s Opera House. From 1916 to 1917, he was engaged at the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, and he also performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as Hermann in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame.

Starting in 1917, he resumed his appearances at the Warsaw Opera. In 1918, he founded his own opera troupe, which toured various cities in Poland. As a principal soloist, he performed at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw from 1919 to 1924. In 1924, he moved to the United States, where he performed in cities such as Chicago, New York, and Detroit. He also made guest appearances in Romania, Yugoslavia, and the Czech Republic between 1927 and 1928.

In 1937, he sang for the last time in Warsaw as Eleazar in La Juive. Until his death, he continued to occasionally perform on stage and taught singing at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He was known for possessing a beautiful, strong chest voice with a wide range and a dense middle register.

TRACKLIST

1. Aida (Verdi) Nume custode e vindice with Adam Ostrowski 912 8439 Syrena
2. Ave Maria (Gounod) 1272 13331 Syrena
3. Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Di tu se fedele 7687-o Beka
4. Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Di’ tu se fedele 29664 Pathé, Warszawa 1906
5. Carmen (Bizet) Il fior 1270 13325 Syrena
6. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Brindisi 3359 20381 Syrena
7. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Siciliana 10786 Syrena
8. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Siciliana 222074 1773ae Gramophone, Warszawa 1910-09
9. Dumka Janka (Zelenski) Aria 23601 XWa.10 Odeon
10. Gdy Madelon (Camille Robert) 3005 18618 Syrena
11. Halka (Moniuszko) Szumia jodly 10780 Syrena
12. Ja wiem, ze ci ze mna jest zle (Robert Stolz) 3773 22406 Syrena
13. Jeszcze Polska nie zginela 18614 3004 Syrena, Warszawa 1906
14. Juive (Halevy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 20380 3359 Syrena
15. Kocham cie 29666 Pathé, Warszawa 1906
16. Kozak (Moniuszko) 10788 10788 Syrena
17. Lohengrin (Wagner) Cigno fedel 7674-o Beka
18. Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) 18335 18335 Syrena