Felice Varesi
Felice Varesi (* 1813 in Calais ; † March 13, 1889 in Milan ) was an Italian opera singer ( baritone ). He was a singer who was very much appreciated by Giuseppe Verdi , who also played the characters of Rigoletto and Macbeth at the world premieres.
Life
Varesi originally specialized in the bel canto operas by Gaetano Donizetti . He began his career in Varese in 1834 and then sang in Faenza , Florence , Modena , Rome , Perugia and Genoa . In 1841 he was engaged at La Scala in Milan . From 1842 to 1847 we find him at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna , where he sang Antonio in the premiere of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix . In 1844 in Padua he played the role of Don Carlo in Ernani ; this should have been his first twist. In the same year he also sang the Doge in Verdi's I due Foscari . In the following years Varesi developed into a specialist in the Verdir repertoire. In 1847 he was Macbeth at the premiere in Florence . In 1851 he created the figure of Rigoletto at the first performance in Fenice . He sang this role with great success throughout his international career. In 1853 he became Verdi's first Germont in La traviata at the same opera house . He disliked the character of this father figure, which is said to have contributed to the failure of the premiere. In 1864 he came to London, where he sang his star role - Rigoletto.
Varesi was admired not only for his extraordinary vocal qualities, but also for his intelligence, his musicality and above all for his acting talent. He set the standard for a whole generation of Verdi baritons. His main competitor was Giorgio Ronconi , the first Nabucco in the opera of the same name.
He was married to the soprano Cecilia Boccadabati-Gazzudo and their daughter Elena (1844–1920) also made an operatic career as a soprano.
literature
- KJ Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Unchanged edition. KG Saur, Bern, 1993, second volume M – Z, Sp. 3064 f., ISBN 3-907820-70-3
- Elizabeth Forbes (1992), 'Varesi, Felice' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera , ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7 .
- Harold Rosenthal and John Warrack (1979), 'Varesi, Felice' in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (2nd edition; London) ISBN 0-19-311321-X .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Varesi, Felice |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian opera singer (baritone) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1813 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Calais |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 13, 1889 |
| Place of death | Milan |