Gianni Raimondi
Gianni Raimondi (born April 17, 1923 in Bologna , † October 19, 2008 in Pianoro ) was an Italian opera singer ( tenor ).
Life
He studied singing in Mantua . He made his debut in Budrio (BO) in 1947 as Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi . In 1948 he sang Ernesto in Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti . After that he appeared on many Italian and foreign stages.
The breakthrough came in 1956 as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata at the side of Maria Callas at La Scala in Milan . At the side of the "Divine" he also sang Percy in Donizetti's Anna Bolena and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor .
His full and resounding voice as a lyrical tenor with a warm and powerful timbre enabled him to appear in I puritani by Vincenzo Bellini , in Guglielmo Tell by Gioachino Rossini , in La favorita by Donizetti and in La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini , the latter conducted at La Scala in 1963 by Herbert von Karajan .
He was one of the few lyrical tenors of his time who could get involved in the theater of Rossini and Donizetti, if not through faithfulness to style, then through the strength of his voice, especially in the higher register.
At the age of 79, Gianni Raimondi retired from stage life. After 45 years of stage life, he taught at the Scala Academy in the small town of Budrio south of Milan. He is very much appreciated by opera fans in Asia; there were fans from Japan and Korea who followed him from performance to performance.
Discography
- Gaetano Donizetti: Anna Bolena . Ital. Complete recording, live Milan Scala, April 14, 1957. EMI 1997.
- Vincenzo Bellini: I Puritani . Ital. Complete recording, Live Milan Scala, RAI, October 24, 1959. MYTO 2009.
- Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata . Complete recording, Deutsche Grammophon, new edition on CD, 2007.
- Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme . Filmed recording from 1963, conductor Herbert von Karajan, Deutsche Grammophon, DVD, 2006.
literature
- KJ Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Unchanged edition. KG Saur, Bern, 1993, second volume M – Z, Sp. 2394, ISBN 3-907820-70-3
- Marie-Aude Roux: Gianni Raimondi , (in French) Le Monde , October 28, 2008, p. 19.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Raimondi, Gianni |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian opera singer (tenor) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 17, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bologna |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 19, 2008 |
| Place of death | Pianoro |