Franco Bonisolli

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Franco Bonisolli (born May 25, 1937 in Rovereto , Italy , † October 30, 2003 ) was an Italian opera singer ( tenor ).

Life

Career

After vocal training with Alfredo Lattaro , Bonisolli won the prestigious vocal competition in Spoleto in 1961 , where he made his debut as Ruggiero in Puccini's opera La Rondine a year later . In 1968 and 1969 he achieved his breakthrough first at the Vienna State Opera , then at La Scala in Milan , and in 1971 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York .

In 1978 a scandal broke out at the Vienna State Opera when he threw his sword on the floor during the dress rehearsal of the new production of the opera The Troubadour in the role of Manrico after demonstrations of displeasure from the audience and left the production. His outstanding talent was paired with unadjusted and unpredictable behavior on and behind the stage, which also led to the important productions being cast with other tenors.

Withdrawal and comeback

In 1990 he surprisingly withdrew from the stage for private reasons until he celebrated a much-acclaimed comeback in March 1999. Performances at the Vienna State Opera a. a. as Loris in Fedora by Umberto Giordano , as Cavaradossi in Tosca and as Manrico in Der Troubadour as well as aria evenings in Graz, Poznań, Salzburg, Bamberg, Hamburg and Munich. An illness diagnosed in 2002 ended the singer's 40-year career and led to his surprisingly early death the following year. An elaborate opera production with him in Beijing was planned for 2003 . The invitation for the role of Calaf in the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini was already before him.

Importance as a singer

Franco Bonisolli was one of the few tenors who had a really sure "high C". The Stretta des Manrico (Il Trovatore) was one of his brilliant numbers. Due to the verve of his voice and his impetuous stage temperament, his performances were always exciting, but at the same time controversial.

In one of his last interviews, Bonisolli summed up somewhat cynically: “For many years I was like a naive, big child. I couldn't and didn't want to see that the opera business combined with the music industry is like a machine. A machine that needs oil - I've never oiled it. "

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bonisolli, Franco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian opera singer (tenor)
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Rovereto , Italy
DATE OF DEATH October 30, 2003