Armando Agnini (July 11, 1884 – March 27, 1960) was a successful Italian stage director of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Metropolitan Opera

Born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

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, he went to the

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as a

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passenger on the S/S ''Auguste Victoria'' from

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in 1902, at the age of eighteen. He was associated with companies in

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and

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, and made his debut with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

with a production of ''I puritani'' (with Maria Barrientos), in 1919. His work was seen at the Met until 1934, with ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' (with

Titta Ruffo Titta Ruffo (9 June 1877 – 5 July 1953), born as Ruffo Cafiero (double forename) Titta, was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major international singing career. Known as the "Voce del leone" ("voice of the lion"), he was greatly admi ...

as Figaro, and, later,

Elvira de Hidalgo Elvira Juana Rodríguez Roglán (December 28, 1891 – January 21, 1980), known professionally as Elvira de Hidalgo, was a prominent Spanish coloratura soprano, who later became a teacher and vocal coach. Her most famous pupil was Maria ...

as Rosina), ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (with

Amelita Galli-Curci Amelita Galli-Curci (18 November 1882 – 26 November 1963) was an Italian lyric coloratura soprano. She was one of the most famous operatic singers of the 20th century and a popular recording artist, with her records selling in large numbe ...

and

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer ( lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a sho ...

, later

Toti dal Monte Antonietta Meneghel (27 June 1893 – 26 January 1975), better known by her stage name Toti Dal Monte, was a celebrated Italian operatic lyric soprano. She may be best remembered today for her performance as Cio-cio-san in Puccini's ''Madama Butt ...

), ''Tosca'', ''Aïda'' (with

Rosa Ponselle Rosa Ponzillo, known as Rosa Ponselle (January 22, 1897 – May 25, 1981) was an American operatic dramatic soprano. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the ...

, later Elisabeth Rethberg), ''Madama Butterfly'' (with

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing Dramatic soprano, dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." In the 191 ...

and

Giovanni Martinelli Giovanni Martinelli (22 October 1885 – 2 February 1969) was an Italian operatic spinto tenor. He was associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well. Martinelli wa ...

), ''Rigoletto'', ''Cavalleria rusticana'', ''La bohème'', ''Manon Lescaut'' (with

Aureliano Pertile Aureliano Pertile (9 November 1885 – 11 January 1952) was an Italians, Italian lyric tenor. Many critics consider him one of the most exciting operatic artists of the inter-war period, and one of the most important tenors of the 20th century. ...

as des Grieux), ''Pagliacci'', ''Zazà'', ''La navarraise'', ''L'oracolo'' (with Antonio Scotti), ''Il trovatore'', ''La forza del destino'', ''L'amore dei tre re'', ''Manon'', ''Samson et Dalila'', ''Boris Godunov'' (with

Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɨˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; 12 April 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass voic ...

in the name part, and

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 75 ...

as Pimenn), ''Faust'', Pizzetti's ''Fra Gherardo'' (United States premiere, conducted by

Tullio Serafin Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala. Biography Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19t ...

, 1929), ''La traviata'' (with Ponselle, later Claudia Muzio and Tito Schipa), ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'', ''Il signor Bruschino'' (U.S. premiere, 1932), ''Lakmé'' (with

Lily Pons Alice Joséphine Pons (April 12, 1898 – February 13, 1976), known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic lyric coloratura soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an op ...

), ''L'africaine'', ''The Emperor Jones'' (with

Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (November 16, 1896 – July 15, 1960) was an American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone with large, deep, and dark-timbred voice. His dynamic range (in ...

), ''Simon Boccanegra'', ''Gianni Schicchi'', and ''Roméo et Juliette''. Agnini was also on the staff of the

San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...

, and guest-directed in

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Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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, and

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Hollywood

Maestro Agnini was "Technical Advisor" for the film ''Metropolitan'' (with Tibbett, 1935). Uncredited, he held the same position for ''Going My Way'' (with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

and

Risë Stevens Risë Stevens (; June 11, 1913 – March 20, 2013) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano and actress. Beginning in 1938, she sang for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for more than two decades during the 1940s and 1950s. She was most ...

, 1944) and ''The Lost Weekend'' (with

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...

and

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007). was an American actress. A star of both movies and television, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress, four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Pr ...

, directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

, 1945).

New Orleans Opera

In 1947, Agnini debuted at the New Orleans Opera Association, with ''Il trovatore'' (with Stella Roman and Enzo Mascherini, conducted by Walter Herbert), and went on to stage ''Carmen'', ''Faust'' (with Pinza), ''Madama Butterfly'' (with

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...

in a rare operatic appearance, 1948), and ''Samson et Dalila''. By 1954, he had joined the Association's staff, and directed ''La bohème'' (conducted by

Renato Cellini Renato Cellini (; April 24, 1912 – March 25, 1967) was an Italian opera conductor. Studies and Early Career Cellini's father Ezio Cellini was an operatic stage director who worked with Arturo Toscanini; his mother Traversa Usellini was a ...

), ''Otello'' (with Ramón Vinay and

Herva Nelli Herva Nelli (January 9, 1909May 31, 1994) was an Italian and American operatic soprano. Biography Named after the French socialist Gustave Hervé, she was born in Florence, where she attended a convent school. At the age of ten, however, she and ...

), ''Tosca'' (with Inge Borkh and Robert Weede), ''Lakmé'', ''Rigoletto'', ''Andrea Chénier'', ''Martha'', ''Die Fledermaus'', ''Madama Butterfly'', ''Carmen'' (with

Norman Treigle Norman Treigle (né Adanelle Wilfred Treigle (March 6, 1927February 16, 1975) was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror. Biograp ...

in his first Escamillo), ''Gianni Schicchi'', ''Aïda'' (with Nelli), ''Manon'', ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', ''Elektra'', ''L'amore dei tre re'', ''La traviata'' (with Lucia Evangelista), ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (with Virginia MacWatters as Susanna), ''Falstaff'' (with Leonard Warren), ''Cavalleria rusticana'', ''Pagliacci'', ''Werther'', ''Faust'', ''La Cenerentola'', ''Boris Godunov'' (with Boris Christoff), ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', ''Manon Lescaut'' (with

Eleanor Steber Eleanor Steber (July 17, 1914October 3, 1990) was an American operatic soprano. Steber is noted as one of the first major opera stars to have achieved the highest success with training and a career based in the United States. Life and career E ...

), ''Il trovatore'' (with Nelli and Warren), ''Don Pasquale'', ''Turandot'', ''L'elisir d'amore'', ''Hänsel und Gretel'', ''Norma'', ''Don Giovanni'', ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'', and ''Tannhäuser''. Act IV (or an excerpt thereof) of Agnini's 1959 production of ''La bohème'' (with Licia Albanese,

Giuseppe di Stefano Giuseppe Di Stefano (24 July 19213 March 2008) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s. Called "Pippo" by both fans and friends, he was known as the "Golden Voice" or "The Most Beautiful Vo ...

, Audrey Schuh, Giuseppe Valdengo, and Treigle) was televised in New Orleans, but a

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

has never been discovered. He died on March 27, 1960, of a heart condition, during rehearsals for his production of ''Samson et Dalila'' (with Stevens and Vinay), in New Orleans, leaving behind his widow (Madeleine Leweck Agnini) and two daughters (Luisa Agnini and Cristina Agnini).

References

* "Armando Agnini Dies," ''The New York Times'', March 28, 1960.

External links

*
Photograph of Armando Agnini, Mario Lanza, and Walter Herbert, 1948.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnini, Armando Italian opera directors 1884 births 1960 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States