Bruno Grassini

Bruno Grassini (born May 2 in Palazzolo sull'Oglio in the province of Brescia , northern Italy ) is an Italian musical performer in German-speaking countries.

Life

Grassini sang as a boy soprano in the church choir of Brescia . He attended a modern-language grammar school there, where he also came into contact with the German language . He completed his school career with a high school diploma . Grassini then completed training as an interpreter and translator at the University of Trieste , with German being the first foreign language.

He took singing lessons in Trieste from Laura di Sario-Zibai, a student of the famous Italian soprano Toti dal Monte . From 1992 he attended the musical class at the Vienna Conservatory . In Vienna he had previously kept himself afloat as a dishwasher and made street music on Kärntner Strasse , where he was discovered and the application to that conservatory was suggested to him. His pitch corresponds to a high baritone , a pitch that is very popular in musicals because both deep tenor and baritone parts can be played, which makes the actor particularly versatile. From 1994 to 2003 he also took private singing lessons with Carol Blainkner-Mayo. He first appeared on television at Christmas 1992; namely at the Peter Alexander Show on ORF .

During his training, Grassini received his first engagements in musical roles. In 1993 he sang Canfield in Silk Stockings at the Theater an der Wien . In May / June 1994 a series of performances of the musical I Do! I do! by Harvey Schmidt , also in the Theater an der Wien. In 1994 he achieved his breakthrough as a musical actor with the role of the assassin Luigi Lucheni in the musical Elisabeth . He played this role ensuite in Vienna until April 1998 . He has now played the role of Lucheni in twelve cities.

In 1998/1999 he was the first German-speaking actor of Bilbo Baggins in Berlin in the musical The Lord of the Rings . In 1999 he sang Alfred in the revival of Tanz der Vampire in Vienna . 2001 followed on Volkstheater Rostock of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar , a role that already by Thomas Borchert (also high baritone) and Alex Melcher ( tenor ) played was. Grassini was very accommodating in this role due to his tessitura , which shows the diversity of his voice. From September 2002 he played the title role in Jekyll & Hyde . In 2003 and 2004 he also sang this role in a production in the Musical Dome in Cologne , in which Drew Sarich could also be seen in the same role. In July and August 2004 he gave a guest performance with the Viennese production of Elisabeth in Trieste at Miramare Castle , where he again sang Luigi Lucheni , for the first time in Italian.

In 2005/2006 he played the shadow man alongside Martin Markert in the musical Ludwig² in the Festspielhaus in Füssen ; a production in which Jan Ammann could also be seen. Further productions were: Elisabeth in Stuttgart (2006) as the successor to Carsten Lepper , Berlin (2008) and Zurich (2008/2009). In the 2009/2010 season, Grassini was again on tour with Elisabeth , including in Munich , Frankfurt am Main , Bremen , Bregenz and Düsseldorf . At the performances in Bremen, Grassini's “enormous stage presence” was particularly highlighted as Luigi Lucheni . He also met his current fan club for the first time in Düsseldorf.

He was also a guest at several galas, where he was able to demonstrate his multilingualism in interpreting songs and in moderation. In 2008 he was a guest at the Valentine Gala in the Festspielhaus Füssen, whose singers were recruited from the Ludwig²cast .

On June 12, 2010 he sang at a benefit concert in Braunlage , where he stood in for Ricardo Marinello . Soon afterwards his first solo CD “Tra Cielo E Mare” (“Between Heaven and Sea”) appeared, on which he interpreted hits from the 1960s (including the title Zwei kleine Italiener (Un bacio all'italiana) and Azzurro ) by the Top Tein wrote that it would put the listener in an "Italian mood high". In addition, on July 31, 2010 he gave a solo concert in the Festspielhaus Füssen, which was very well received by the audience, in which he mixed the material from his album and musical songs in Italian, as well as opera arias, to form an overall concept, including the locally known "shadow aria" ( Ludwig² ), but for the first time in Italian. His CD was selected as CD of the week by SR 3 Saarlandwelle (August 9-14, 2010).

Musical roles (selection)

Luigi Lucheni in Elisabeth in Vienna , Trieste , Stuttgart , Füssen , Osaka , Tokyo , Berlin , Zurich , Munich , Frankfurt am Main, Bregenz and Düsseldorf
Shadow man in Ludwig² in the Füssen Festival Hall
Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings in Berlin
Alfred in Dance of the Vampires in Vienna
Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar in Rostock
Title role in Jekyll & Hyde in Vienna and Cologne
Reichsvogt Gessler in Tell - The musical on the Walensee stage (WP)
Father in The Popess in Fulda , Munich
Marley in A Christmas Carol in Essen
Thomas Andrews in Titanic - The Musical in Melide on Lake Lugano (2016)
Preacher of indulgence in Luther - the pop oratorio in Lingen (Emsland-Arena)
Servant Hans / Prince in The Dancing Shoes in Kassel (Summer 2018)
Pascha Antipov / Strelnikov in Doctor Schiwago in Gmunden (2019)