Francisco d’Andrade (Baritone) ( Lisbon 1859 - Berlin 1921)

                                                                Nelusko

His brother was the famous tenor Antonio d'Andrade. His full name was Francisco Augusto de Andrade E Silva. In 1881 he studied singing under Manuel Carreira, Luiz da Costa and José Romano in Lisbon, but in  1886 he went to Milan, where he was a pupil of pedagogues Miraglia and Ronconi. In 1882 he made his debut in Sanremo as Amonasro in Verdi’s ‘’Aida’’. During the following years he appeared with success first in Italy, then in Spain and Portugal, performing not only at the Teatro alla Scala, but also at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. In 1886 he made guest appearance at Covent Garden, London as Renato in Verdi’s ‘’Ballo in maschera’’, in which he had big success till 1890, among other things as Germont ‘’Traviata’’, Enrico in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’ and as Count di Luna in ‘’Trovatore’’. In 1887 he sang in Moscow as Telramund in ‘’Lohengrin’’. In 1889 he went with an opera troupe of the impresario Gardini, the husband of the soprano Etelka Gerster, to Berlin. He was so successful there as Figaro in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Rigoletto and as Don Giovanni that he took later here his residence. From 1906 to 1916 he was often to be heard at the Berlin Court Opera. From 1891 to 1910 he was nearly every year appeared at the Opera House of Frankfurt a. M., in 1894, 1896, 1901 and 1909 at the Municipal Theatre of Zurich. He performed also in Germany, Holland, Austria, Russia, England and Scandinavia mainly as a Don Giovanni. In this part he counted as unequalled; his amusing representation of the Don Giovanni was painted by Max Slevogt. Also in Salzburg (1901) he sang the role of Don Giovanni together with Lilli Lehmann, Johanna Gadski and Geraldine Farrar. Up to 1919 he appeared on the stage, last only as Don Giovanni. His other star role was Figaro in Rossini’s ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’. He controlled a stage repertoire of 56 roles into six languages, under it numerous parts from the area of the French opera (Nevers in ‘’Les Huguénots’’, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Hoël in ‘’Dinorah’’ of  Meyerbeer, Zurga in ‘’Pêcheurs de perles’’ of Bizet, Nelusco in ‘’L'Africaine’’, Valentin in ‘’'Faust’’ of Gounod, Scindia in ‘’Le Roi de Lahore’’ of Massenet). When Portugal entered into the First World War, he had to leave in 1916 Germany. Then he lived in Portugal, where in 1918 for the last time he appeared on the stage as Figaro in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’. However, in 1919 he came back again to Berlin, but two years later died suddenly.

Chronology of some appearances

1882 Sanremo Opera House Aida (Amonasro)

1886 London Covent Garden Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1891-1910 Frankfurt a. M. Opera House

1906-1916 Berlin Court Opera

1894, 1896, 1901, 1909 Zurich Municipal Theatre

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Lyrophon, Berlin 1908?

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Sohn, knie nieder (Gebet) d'A4
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Ich bin das Faktotum  d'A5
Tannhäuser (Wagner) Wie Todesahnung  d'A9

Favorita (Donizetti): Arie des Alfonso d'A8

Don Giovanni (Mozart): Finch'han dal vino d'A12