Verdi: Rigoletto: “Piangi fanciulla” by Amelita Galli-Curci and Guiseppe de Luca 1918

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Verdi: Rigoletto: “Piangi fanciulla” by Amelita Galli-Curci and Guiseppe de Luca 1918

A beautiful moment between father and daughter in one of Verdi’s most successful operas Rigoletto.

Amelita Galli Curci was an opera singer, considered by many to be one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of the 20th century. She sang with such opera legends as Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli. A throat tumor cut short her career in the 1930s. Legendary opera star Beverly Sills has stated that Curci was her role model. She died of emphysema and complications from respiratory failure in 1963.

Giuseppe de Luca was born in Rome and he early evinced promise as a singer, entering a singing school at the age of eight appearing in its choir as a boy soprano of astonishing range. He entered the Santa Cecilia Accademia as early as 1892, when he was only fifteen. He studied five years with Venceslao Persichini (one of the most important coaches of the time). He was soon the prize pupil of the class (Tita Ruffo was another student at the same institute). In 1897, shortly before his twenty-first birthday, he made his début singing Valentin in Piacenza. The next important step was Milan. He appeared at the Teatro Lirico and La Scala for eight seasons. In 1907, 1910, 1911 he made guest appearances at Covent Garden and he also visited Poland and Russia. He was in formidable company where baritones were concerned: Scotti, Ruffo, Pacini and Sammarco were all on the roster of La Scala at his time. After 1915 he joined the ensemble of the Met and remained there as leading baritone until 1946 (more than thirty years). He regularly appeared in South America, Spain, England, Russia, Germany and Austria. He created roles in several operas: Massenet’s Grisélidis and Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur in 1902, in 1903 Giordano’s Siberia and Sharpless in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Among his most frequent partners were Caruso, Rosa Ponselle, Claudia Muzio, Giovanni Martinelli, John McCormack, Adamo Didur and José Mardones. He sang Sancho Panza opposite Chaliapin at the world première of Massenet’s Don Quichotte in 1910. He had a repertoire of nearly 100 roles! He was an outstanding actor and was particularly acclaimed in character- and buffo roles. He sang the whole Verdi and Puccini repertoire. Apart from that he was successful as Wolfram and Beckmesser. He was a great Mozart singer (Don Giovanni, Figaro). His career lasted almost five decades!

DAHR Link:
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/700007099/B-21975-Piangi_fanciulla

Amelita Galli-Curci Wikipedia Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelita_Galli-Curci

Giuseppe de Luca Wikipedia Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_De_Luca