Alarik Uggla (Baritone) (Helsinki, Finland 18. 1. 1860 - Helsinki, Finland 31. 8. 1908)

Chronology of some appearances

1892 Christiania Theater Faust (Valentin)

1892 Christiania Theater Romeo et Juliette (Mercutio)

RECORDINGS FOR SALE 

G&T, Helsinki 1904-11
Laps' Suomen (O barn af Hellas) (Pacius) (pf: Merikanto) 82879 1391e

Zonophone, Helsinki 1905-09 (late)
Du är min ro (Collan) X-72112

G&T, Helsinki 1905-09 (late)
Kung Karls jakt (Pacius): Dryckesvisa 82147 1174d

G&T, Helsinki 1906/1907
Vasa marsch (I högan nord vår vagga stod) (Collan) (pf: Merikanto) 2-82476 4752L

Francesco Valentino (Baritone) (New York 6. 1. 1907 – Fairfax, Virginia 14. 6. 1991)

His real name was Francis Valentine Dinhaupt. He been descended from a German American family, which after his birth soon moved to Denver (Colorado). He began his education in Denver, then went to Milan, where he was a pupil of Emilio Piccoli. He made his debut in 1927 at the Teatro Regio in Parma under the name Francesco Valentino as Germont  in ‘’Traviata’’. In the 1930-1940's he often appeared at  the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, in the 1929-1939 seasons also at the Arena di Verona. On 1. 1. 1938 he sang at La Scala in the premiere of the opera ‘’Margherita di Cortona’’ by Licinio Refice (at the same time his debut in this house). On 29. 4. 1939 he took part at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in the premiere of the opera ’’Re Lear’’ by Vito Frazzi, on 18. 5. 1940 in L. Dallapiccola’s ‘’Volo di notte’’. In the 1938-1939 season he took over during the Glyndebourne festival the title part in G. Verdi’s ‘’Macbeth’’. During his career in Europe he also guested at the operas of Nice and Budapest. In the 1935-1937 seasons he was to be heard at the Italian Opera in Holland. After ten-year-old career in Europe he was engaged in 1940 by the Metropolitan Opera in New York (debut: Enrico in ’’Lucia di Lammermoor’’), where he appeared with success longer than twenty years - now under the name Frank Valentino. Here he had a huge success as Marcello in ‘’La Bohème’’, Rigoletto, Alfio in ’’Cavalleria Rusticana’’, Sharpless in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’, Count di Luna in ‘’Il Trovatore’’, Enrico in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’ and as Germont  in ‘’La Traviata’’. In 1952 he sang at the Edinburgh festival again the title part in ‘’Macbeth’’. He made guest appearances also at the San Francisco Opera (1943-1952) and in Mexico City. In 1962 he retired from the stage and worked till 1971 as a pedagogue at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. 

Chronology of some appearances

Belcore 12/16/1941, Marcello 3/10/1942, Giorgio Germont 3/3/1943, Rigoletto 9/28/1943, Giorgio Germont 9/28/1943, Rigoletto 5/10/1944, Lord Enrico Asthon 5/13/1944, Giorgio Germont 5/16/1944, Amonasro 5/8/1945, Sharpless 5/16/1945, Le comte Capulet 12/11/1945, Sharpless 11/26/1946, Il conte d’Almaviva 12/3/1946, Marcello 2/18/1947, Rangoni 3/11/1947, Barnaba 2/3/1948, Il conte di Luna 12/21/1948, Sharpless 11/6/1953, Roucher 11/23/1954, Il conte di Luna 2/24/1955, Barnaba 10/11/1956, Belcore 1/29/1958, Escamillo 10/9/1958, Il conte di Luna 10/19/1958, Marcello 1/18/1959, Giorgio Germont 11/26/1959, Marcello 2/7/1960, 12/15/1960, 12/14/1961, Sharpless 1/9/1963, Marcello 2/13/1963, 2/13/1964 (Filadelfia).

RECORDING FOR SALE

NBC Symphony Orchestra 1943/Conductor Toscanini
Un Ballo In Maschera (Verdi): Alzati... Eri tu

Raphaël Romagnoni (Tenor) (February 20th, 1906 Lyon - died April 23rd, 1999)

                                                                           Rodolfo

                                                                           Edgardo

He was trained at the Conservatoire de Lyon and made his debut in 1931 at the Opéra de Lyon as Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’.  Afterwards he appeared at numerous French opera houses, sang at theaters of North Africa and in 1947 was engaged by the Grand Opéra and Opéra-Comique in Paris. In these both houses his repertoire included Faust, Roméo in ‘’Roméo et Juliette’’, Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Mylio in ‘’Le Roi d'Ys’’,  José in ‘’Carmen’’,  Hoffmann in ‘’Les contes d'Hoffmann’’, Nadir in ‘’Pêcheurs de perles’’, Gérald in ‘’Lakmé’’ and Pinkerton in ‘’Madame Butterfly’’. Then since 1958 he took over comprimario parts, under it Missail in ‘’Boris Godunov’’, Remendado in ‘’Carmen’’, Spalanzani in ‘’Les contes d'Hoffmann’’and Torquemada in ’’L'Heure espagnole’’. In 1971 he retired from the stage. He appeared as a guest abroad, thus at the Théâtre de la Monnaie  in Brussels (1950), at the Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon (1964), in  Switzerland, Holland, Greece and Brazil. His daughter Odette Romagnoni (26. 6. 1938 Lyon) became a known soprano, who appeared since 1961 at the Opéra de Lyon. Since 1963 she appeared at different French opera houses and in the 1969-1971 seasons she was a member of the Opéra-Comique in Paris.

Chronology of some appearances

1931 Opéra de Lyon

1947 Paris Grand Opéra

1947 Paris Opéra-Comique

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Concert version/Complete 1951
Faust (Gounod) with Geori Boué, Huc Santana, Charles Cambon and Nadine Sautereau

1958
Trovatore (Verdi): Brise D'amour Et Miserere with Jules Gressier 

Aldo Bertocci (Tenor) (Turin, Italia 9 May 1915 – Cassano Valcuvia, Italia 2 May 2004)

                                                                             Otello

                                                                             Canio

He studied singing in his hometown Turin, where he was a pupil of maestro Beltramo and Anna Maria Nobile. In 1943 he won a song competition in Alessandria. In 1944 his stage debut took place in Turin. He appeared in the post-war period at Italian provincial operatic stages as Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Alfredo in ‘’La Traviata’’, Rodolfo in ‘’La Bohème’’, Cavaradossi in ‘’Tosca’’, Rinuccio in ‘’Gianni Schicchi’’ and Edgardo in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’. He performed also in operas of contemporary composers like Paul Hindemith, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Carl Orff, Luigi Dallapiccola, Alfredo Casella, Igor Strawinsky and Lodovico Rocca. In 1953 he appeared for the first time at La Scala in Milano, namely as Dimitri in ‘’Boris Godunov’’ (1956). Here he appeared on 24. 1. 1953 in the premiere of the opera ‘’Cagliostro’’ of I. Pizzetti (which was repeated in a broadcasting Turin RAI), in 1954 in M.Peragallo’s ‘’La Gita in Campagna’’, on 10. 1. 1957 in Felice Lattuada’s ‘’Caino’’. A narrow connection continued between the artist and La Scala, where he was to be heard all together during 16 seasons. In 1958 he sang there in the premiere of the opera ‘’L'Assassinio nella Cattedrale’’ by I. Pizzetti, in 1966 at the Piccola Scala in Flavio Testi’s ‘’Albergo dei Poveri’’. By the end of his career he added to his repertoire Otello of G. Verdi, which he sang at many famous Italian and European operatic stages. At the Vienna State he guested in 1959 as Riccardo in G. Verdi’s ‘’Un Ballo in maschera’’. At the Roma Opera he appeared in 1970 as Robespierre in ‘’Dantons Tod’’ by G. von Einem.

Chronology of some appearances

1947 Torino Teatro Carignano Gianni Schicchi (Rinuccio)

1953 Milano La Scala Cagliostro  (sentinella)

1956 Milano La Scala Boris Godunov (Vassili Sciuiskij)

1957 Milano La Scala Caino (Abele)

1962 Firenze Teatro Comunale Il Dibuk (messaggero)

1969  Torino Teatro Nuovo Kovancina (scrivano/confidente)

1970 Venezia Teatro alla Fenice Don Tartufo Bacchettone (Valerio)

1971 Milano La Scala Kovancina (scrivano)

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Musical Masterpiece Society ‎– MMS-2157
Aida (Verdi): Se quel guerrier io fossi!...Celeste Aida
Aida (Verdi): Pur ti riveggo with Anna de Cavalieri
Aida (Verdi) Nel fiero anelito with Anna de Cavalieri
Aida (Verdi): Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti with Anna de Cavalieri
Aida (Verdi): Già i Sacerdoti adunansi with Anna de Cavalieri
Aida (Verdi): Nume, custode e vindice  Paolo Dari
Aida (Verdi): La fatal pietra with Anna de Cavalieri

Ewa Bandrowska-Turska (Soprano) (ur. 20 maja 1894 w Krakowie, zm. 25 czerwca 1979 r. w Warszawie)

Niece of the tenor Alexander von Bandrowski (1860-1913). She received her education by Helena Zboinska-Ruszkowska in Warsaw. In 1919 her debut took place as a concert soprano in Warsaw. In 1920 she made her debut at the Warsaw Opera as Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’ of C. Gounod. In 1921 she joined to the Lwów (Lvov) Opera, however, her career was interrupted by a long lasting illness. In 1925 she started to appear at the Theater of Poznán (Posen). In 1929 she became a member of the Warsaw Opera. In 1929 she made guest appearance in Hamburg. In 1939 she sang at the Opéra-Comique in Paris the title role in ‘’Lakmé’’ and Violetta in ‘’Traviata’’. Other guest performances: Vienna State Opera (1933), Opera Houses of Budapest, Zurich, Amsterdam and Stockholm (1936), also Theaters of Nice and Brussels. In the USA she appeared at the Chicago Opera and as a concert singer at the New York Carnegie Hall. She gave concerts in London (1931) and Vienna (1937) and undertook concert tours in the Scandinavian lands and in the Soviet Union. In the 1947-1949 seasons she was engaged again by the Warsaw Opera. Then she worked as pedagogue first in Cracow, later at the College of Music of Warsaw. Her repertoire included Elsa in ‘’Lohengrin’’, Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’, Manon by J. Massenet, Rosina in ‘’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Traviata, Mimi in ‘’La Bohème’’, Butterfly, Tatiana in ‘’Eugene Onegin’’. 

Chronology of some appearances

1920 Warsaw Opera

1921 Lviv Opera

1925 Poznán Opera

1929 Warsaw Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Muza
Wiosna, Op. 74, Nr. 2. Piesn mx WA 340

Odeon
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Una voce poco fa
Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Un bel dì vedremo
Skowronek (Bettinelli)
King Roger (Szymanowski); Aria

Moskau
Halka (Moniuszko): Two arias of Halka