Demon
He was the son of two famous singers, the celebrated Verdi baritone Leone Giraldoni and soprano Carolina Ferni, who created Catalani’s Loreley and also taught Eugenio. His upbringing in such musical surroundings served him well when he successfully created the role of Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca (1900). His debut was at the Teatro Liceo in 1898 as Escamillo in Carmen. He followed this with success at La Scala, the Rome Teatro Costanzi (where he created Scarpia in the 1900 world premiere of Tosca), and the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden (where he also sang their first Scarpia). He was a widely admired Boris, a part he first sang at Buenos Aires in 1909. He was also Italy's first Yevgeny Onegin in 1900 and Golaud in the Rome première of Pelléas et Mélisande. Other roles outside the standard Italian repertory were Hans Sachs, Telramund, Ochs and Anton Rubinstein's Demon. He was considered the best singer of Gérard in Andrea Chénier and in 1906 took part in the première of Alberto Franchetti's La figlia di Iorio. His career also included Russia and South America, as well as Scandinavia. He retired from the stage in 1923. He taught singing in Helsinki.
Chronology of some appearances
1892 Lugo Teatro Rossini Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1897 Mantova Teatro Sociale Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1897 Trento Teatro Sociale Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1897 Mantova Teatro Sociale Carmen (Escamilio)
1898 Barcellona Teatro Liceo Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1899 Milano Teatro Lirico Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1900 Buenos Aires Teatro dell'Opera Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1901 Odessa Teatro Municipale Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1902 Odessa Teatro Municipale Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1902 Faenza Teatro Comunale Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1902 Modena Teatro Storchi Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1903 Ferrara Teatro Borghi Tosi Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1903 Lodz Teatro Nazionale Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1904 New York Teatro Metropolitan Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1905 New York Teatro Metropolitan Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1905 Montevideo Teatro Solis Amica (Rinaldo)
1910 Il Cairo Teatro Khediviale Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1910 Madrid Teatro Reale Carmen (Escamilio)
1914 Roma Teatro Adriano Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1914 Roma Teatro Adriano Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1916 Roma Teatro Costanzi Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1916 Milano Teatro Carcano Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1918 Roma Teatro Adriano Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1918 Firenze Teatro Della Pergola Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1920 Roma Teatro Costanzi Andrea Chenier (Gerard)
1922 Como Teatro Sociale Carmen (Escamilio)
RECORDINGS FOR SALE
G&T, Milano 1902-11
Cristoforo Colombo
(Franchetti): Notturno 52401 2819b
Demon (Rubinstein):
Deh non plorar 52402 2820b
Tannhäuser (Wagner): O
tu bell'astro 52403 2821b
Don Carlo (Verdi):
Aria della morte 52404 2822b
Hérodiade (Massenet):
Vision fuggitiva 52405 2823b
Aida (Verdi):
Quest'assisa 52406 2824b
Fonotipia, Milano 1905-12-12
Re di Lahore
(Massenet): O casta fior 39444 Xph1510
Demon (Rubinstein):
Non pianger 39443 Xph1511
Otello (Verdi):
Credo 39446 Xph1512
Otello (Verdi): Era e
la notte 39445 Xph1513
Hamlet (Thomas): O vin
discaccia la tristezza 39536 XPh1514
Fonotipia, Milano 1906-03-17
Lasciami (Davidov)
(Ru) 39575 Xph39575
Demon (Rubinstein): Ne
plach' ditja (Ru) 39576 XPh1716
Fonotipia, Milano 1906-05-15
Figlia di Jorio
(Franchetti): Che c'e egli with Giovanni Zenatello 39767 XPh1878
Fonotipia, Milano 1906-10-24
Eugen Onegin
(Tchaikovsky): Se dell'Imen la dolca cura 39918 XPh2179
Fonotipia, Milano 1908-12-02
Andrea Chenier
(Giordano): Un di m'era di gioia 92422 Xph3712
Aida (Verdi): Rivedrai
le foreste with Avelina Carrera 74125 XXPh3713
Aida (Verdi): Su dunque sorgete with Avelina Carrera 74126 XXPh3714
Lohengrin (Wagner): Vendetta avrò with Elisa Petri 92953 XPh3716
very interesting as usual dear Ashot, thanks for share with us these wonderful recordings by your transfer on CD.
ReplyDeleteAureliano1952
Thank you too dear Aureliano for your comment
DeleteAll the best
Ashot