UMBERTO DI LELIO (ROME,
1890 - MILAN, 1946)
He was a pupil of Antonio Cotogni in Rome. He began his career in
smaller town opera houses, and by 1916 he was already singing at the Teatro
Petruzzelli in Bari in U. Giordano’s Fedora
and Verdi’s Ernani. His first
major success came in 1920 at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. In 1921, he sang
the role of Pistola in Verdi’s Falstaff
at La Scala in Milan, where he enjoyed a long and successful career until 1941.
In 1923, he took part in the world premiere of Ildebrando Pizzetti’s Debora e Jaele at La Scala. In 1927,
he appeared there in Dukas’ Ariane et
Barbe-Bleue, and in 1929, he performed in the Italian premiere of
Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar
Saltan. His La Scala repertoire included roles such as Klingsor in Parsifal, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Warlaam in Boris Godunov, Lodovico in Otello, Sulpice in La Fille du régiment, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, the Wanderer in Siegfried, and Orest in Elektra—the latter performed under
the direction of composer Richard Strauss himself.
During the 1924–1925 season, he took part in a guest performance tour
of Australia under the direction of the celebrated prima donna Nellie Melba. In
1923, he also appeared at the Arena di Verona. In 1935, he made a guest appearance
in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1936, he sang at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa in
the Italian premiere of Richard Strauss’s Arabella.
Although he achieved his greatest fame as an interpreter of buffo
roles, he also found notable success in dramatic parts, including Ramfis in Aida and King Heinrich in Lohengrin. His daughter, Loretta di
Lelio, became a noted soprano and married the celebrated tenor Franco Corelli.
Chronology
of some appearances
1922 Milano Teatro alla Scala Debora e Jaele (Hever)
1926 Parma Teatro Regio Norma (Oroveso)
1926 Parma Teatro Regio La Leggenda di Natale (Badro)
1930 Roma Teatro Reale dell'Opera Don Pasquale (Don Pasquale)
1933 Venezia Teatro La Fenice Don Pasquale (Don Pasquale)
1933 Venezia Teatro La Fenice Crepuscolo degli Dei (Hagen)
1934 Venezia Teatro La Fenice Don Pasquale (Don Pasquale)
1934 Venezia Teatro La Fenice Aida (Ramfis)
1938 Venezia Teatro La Fenice Elisir d'amore (Dulcamara)
TRACKLIST
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) with Edoardo Taliani, Malvina Pereira,
Ernesto Badini and Davide Carnevali HMV, Milano 1919
Barbiere di
Siviglia (Rossini) La calunnia D16245 WBX179 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky) Canzone di Varlaam D5744 WB1610 Columbia,
Milano 1927-11
Faust (Gounod) Dio dell'or D5750 WB1712 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
Faust (Gounod) Serenata D5750 WB1709 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
Lohengrin (Wagner) O re del ciel D5751 WB1701 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
Mefistofele (Boito) Aria del fischio 1943-M WB1716 Columbia, Milano
1927-11
Mefistofele (Boito) Ecco il mondo 1943-M WB1608 Columbia, Milano
1927-11
Sonnambula (Bellini) Tu non sai D5749 WB1698 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
Sonnambula (Bellini) Vi ravviso D5749 WB1696 Columbia, Milano 1927-11
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