Description

NESTORE DELLA TORRE (LAS PALMAS, 26 JULY, 1875 – MADRID, 22 AUGUST, 1933)

 

 

 

 

He was born on July 26, 1875, in Las Palmas. His real name was Néstor de la Torre Comminges. A self-sacrificing musician and philanthropist, Della Torre was an exceptional baritone with a brilliant international career. From an early age, he studied singing under Bernardino Valle Chiniestra, later receiving further education in Madrid from the singer Carolina Cefeda and subsequently in Italy.

In 1894, he made his debut at the Teatro Príncipe Alfonso in Donizetti’s La Favorita. That same year, he performed in Milan. Devoted to honing his operatic talent, he consistently enjoyed great success. He toured South America and also appeared with acclaim at the imperial theaters of Russia.

Settling in Rome in 1900, he Italianized his name to Nestore della Torre, which he used throughout his career. In 1901, he performed at the opening of the Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao. The following year, he sang at La Scala in Milan in Smareglia’s Oceana, and later, in 1903, he appeared at the Teatro Liceu in Barcelona in Wagner’s Lohengrin.

In 1908, family problems forced him to leave the stage and settle with his family in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He devoted himself to a pedagogical career, actively contributing to the musical life of the island. In 1918, he returned to Gran Canaria, where he worked as a singing teacher, one of his pupils being Isabel Macario.

After a tour of South America in 1920, he relocated with his family to Cuba. In Havana, he taught at several conservatories and at the Municipal Academy of Music. He remained on the Caribbean island for a decade, during which he gave his final concert.

In 1933, he returned to Tenerife briefly before traveling to Madrid, where he passed away on August 23, 1933.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1894 Madrid Teatro Prince Alfonso Favorita (Alfonso)

1896 Caracas Teatro Municipale Traviata (Germont)

1898 Milano Teatro Dal Verme Faust (Valentino)

1901 Venezia Teatro Fenice Le Maschere (Spaventa)

1903 Milano Teatro La Scala Oceana di A. Smareglia (Vadar)

1908 Bergamo Teatro Donizetti Aida (Amonasro)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Domo, o ciel (w. chorus) 76013 1570½c Victor, USA 1908
2. Roi de Lahore (Massenet) O casto fior 052226 1551c Gramophone, Milano 1908
3. Tannhäuser (Wagner) La lotta dei bardi 052227 1567c Gramophone, Milano 1908
4. Tannhäuser (Wagner) O tu bell’astro 052242 1568c Gramophone, Milano 1908
5. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Te sol sublime 2-52697 11288b Gramophone, Milano 1908
6. Traviata (Verdi) Non sapete (w. Piccoletti) 054219 1573c Gramophone, Milano 1908
7. Forza del destino (Verdi) Solenne in quest’ora (w. Marconi) 054214 1439c Gramophone, Milano 1908