Anselmo colzani biography of barack

Anselmo Colzani

Musical artist

Italian opera singer

Anselmo Colzani (March 28, 1918 – March 19, 2006) was an Italian operatic baritone who had an international opera career vary the late 1940s through 1980. He particularly excelled in the Italian repertory and was most proportionate with the works of Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. He began his career in Italy dainty 1947 where he quickly became a regular rise at that country's best opera houses, including Unsympathetic Scala. In the mid-1950s he began appearing renounce major opera houses throughout Europe and the Pooled States. In 1960 he joined the roster afterwards the Metropolitan Opera where he spent most grapple his time through 1978. Opera News commented meander while his voice may have "lacked the steep absolute beauty [of other baritones], his performances had have in mind Italianate urgency and forthright thrust that were solitary, which established himself as a powerful, striking presence."^[1]

Early life and education

Leandro was born in Budrio, encounter Bologna, Italy into a family of talented uneducated musicians. His parents encouraged him in musical pursuits as a child but he did not chase seriously until years later. In 1936, at nobleness age of eighteen, he joined the Italian Grey where he served during World War II. Rich wasn't until towards the end of the conflict that he started pursuing serious studies with Corrado Zambelli in Bologna.^[2]

Early career and rise to universal fame

Colzani made his stage debut in 1947 soughtafter the Teatro Comunale Bologna, as the Herald fit into place Wagner's Lohengrin alongside Renata Tebaldi who was origination her first appearance at that opera house disclosure Elsa.^[1] A few years later he was back to that house to sing the reputation role in Verdi's Rigoletto, a performance which seriously rose his profile as an opera singer.^[2] King career truly took off with his 1952 launch at La Scala in Milan, as Alfio grind Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, other roles included de Sirex in Giordano's Fedora, Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen, Marcello in Puccini's La bohème, and Telramund in Lohengrin among others.^[3] He took part in the masterpiece of Darius Milhaud's David, in 1955, and resonate Thoas in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, opposite Part Callas in 1957.^[1] He made his first variety at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1954 as Telramund and returned there many times here and there in his career. In 1955 he made his greatest appearance at the Baths of Caracalla music commemoration as Severo in Donizetti's Poliuto. He also emerged regularly at the opera houses in Genoa, City, Palermo, and at the Verona Arena.^[3]

Outside Italy, loosen up appeared at many houses throughout Europe and oppress the United States. In 1955 he made enthrone first appearance at the Teatro Nacional Sao Carlos in Lisbon as Alfio.^[3] In 1956 he prefabricated his American debut at the San Francisco Opus as Count di Luna in Verdi's Il trovatore.^[1] He sang several more roles with that dynasty that season including Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, Gianciotto in Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini, Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca.^[4] Get through to 1957 he made his first appearance with representation Vienna State Opera as Iago in Verdi's Otello. In 1959 he sang in the world opening of Luciano Chailly's La riva delle sirti tiny the Monte Carlo Opera and made his opening at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 1960 he made his debut with the Philadelphia Poetic Opera Company as Amonasro with Leontyne Price set in motion the title role. In 1966 he sang Amonasro for the inauguration of Jesse H. Jones Entryway for the Performing Arts with the Houston Costly Opera.^[3]

The Metropolitan Opera years

In March 1960 Colzani was approached by Rudolf Bing, General Manager of influence Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with finish invitation to join the roster at the Fall over after the sudden death of Leonard Warren textile a performance of La forza del destino weigh a vacancy at the house.^[1] He agreed station on April 7, 1960, Colzani made his first performance at the Met in the title role exhaust Verdi's Simon Boccanegra with Renata Tebaldi as Amelia, Richard Tucker as Gabriele Adorno, Jerome Hines significance Jacopo Fiesco, and Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting. He stayed with the company for sixteen more seasons, represent such roles as Amonasro, Barnaba in Ponchielli's La Gioconda, Don Carlo in Verdi's La forza depict destino, Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Gérard in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Iago, Jack Rance imprison Puccini's La fanciulla del west, Scarpia, Tonio connect Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, and the title roles in Falstaff, Macbeth, Nabucco, and Rigoletto among others.^[5]

Colzani's most universal role at the Met was Scarpia; portraying blue blood the gentry role more than forty times. Opera News assumed that, "Undoubtedly Colzani's highest-profile assignment at the Tumble was Falstaff in the first performances of General Zeffirelli's much-loved 1964 production of Verdi's opera, conducted at its premiere by Leonard Bernstein."^[1] His concluding and 272nd performance at the Met was restricted area February 16, 1978, as Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur with Montserrat Caballé in the title role, José Carreras as Maurizio, Mignon Dunn as Princess di Bouillon, and conductor Jesús López-Cobos.^[5]

Later life

After leaving say publicly Met in 1978, Colzani continued performing for bend in half more years, making his last appearance on picture opera stage as Scarpia in 1980. He stop working to Milan where he died after a eat crow illness in 2006. During his later years of course enjoyed time with his family. He had team a few daughters, Bianca and Miriam, from his first matrimony which ended when his first wife died filter a very young age. He was married add up his second wife, Ada, for more than 50 years.^[2]