Franco Ventriglia

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Franco Ventriglia

Franco Ventriglia (born October 20, 1922 in Fairfield , Connecticut , † November 28, 2012 in Wallingford , Connecticut) was an American opera singer with a bass voice .

Life

Family and Beginnings

Ventriglia was born in Connecticut, the son of Italian immigrants. His parents Salvatore and Rosa Ventriglia owned a vegetable farm on which Ventriglia grew up. He attended Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, which he graduated in 1941. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in the South Pacific during World War II . After completing his military service, he worked at his brother's gas station in Easton . It was there that the singing teacher Mario Pagano became aware of Ventriglia's talent. After a successful audition, Ventriglia studied singing with Pagano at the American Theater Wing Professional School from 1947.

Ventriglia worked to earn a living, as an inspector and inspector (Inspector) at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford and sang at local concerts. After hearing some of Ventriglia's concerts in Bridgeport , CEO Igor Sikorski , a music lover, took Ventriglia off work for one day a week to continue his vocal studies in New York City .

After Pagano's death, Ventriglia and his wife Jean Armstrong Ventriglia went to Italy in 1954. While crossing the ocean liner SS Constitution , where Ventriglia sang a concert for passengers of the first class, in which he also performed Kern's Ol 'Man River , he met an American businessman who recommended him, the famous coloratura soprano and singing teacher Go to Toti dal Monte , who taught in Rome . Ventriglia then continued his vocal studies in Rome with Toti dal Monte.

Career as a singer

He made his professional operatic debut in 1956 at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in the opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg . In 1960 he sang at the Lyric Opera of Chicago . In 1961 he could be heard at the Monte Carlo Opera House . From 1961 to 1964 he appeared at the Wexford Festival in Ireland , and in 1963 at the Edinburgh Festival in the opera Luisa Miller .

Since 1963 he has appeared frequently at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples ; since 1965 also at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and at the Teatro Regio di Parma . In 1964 he made guest appearances at the Rome Opera House , in 1963 he sang at the Cairo Opera House , and since 1969 regularly in Genoa . Ventriglia had other guest appearances at the Teatro Regio di Torino (1972), at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice , at the Teatro Comunale di Firenze and at La Scala in Milan . He made guest appearances at the Vienna State Opera (1974–1976) and sang in Amsterdam (1965), Dublin (1965), London (1969) and at the Dallas Opera House . He sang at the Festival in the Arena di Verona (1958–1959) and at the Festival in the Caracalla Baths in Rome. He also performed at New York's Carnegie Hall . He was also the bass soloist at the final concert on the occasion of the Second Vatican Council , where he was in the presence of Pope Paul VI. performed in the Vatican. In 1984 he sang the role of Oroveso in Norma at Connecticut Opera , and in 1986 there he sang Basilio in the opera The Barber of Seville . In the 1986/87 season he made guest appearances in March 1987 at the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee as Commendatore in Don Giovanni .

Ventriglia's important stage roles included: Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor , Ferrando in Il trovatore , König and Ramfis in Aida , Dr. Grenvil in La traviata , Conte di Walter and Secretary Wurm in Luisa Miller , Sparafucile in Rigoletto , the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos , Colline in La Bohème , Timur in Turandot and Alvise in La Gioconda .

Ventriglia also appeared as a concert singer. His career lasted a very long time, over 47 years. He gave his last concert at the age of 79.

Audio documents

Ventriglia can also be heard, mostly in smaller roles, in some complete operatic recordings. The recordings appeared mainly on RCA . He sang Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata (1961), alongside Anna Moffo and a small role in Manon Lescaut (1957) alongside Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano . He also recorded sacred works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Schubert .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e Francis "Franco" Ventriglia death report in: Connecticut Post dated November 30, 2012; last accessed on December 5, 2012
personal data
SURNAME Ventriglia, Franco
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ventriglia, Francis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American opera singer (bass)
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Fairfield , Connecticut, United States
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 2012
Place of death Wallingford , Connecticut, United States