Francesco Dominici (1885,
Havana,
Cuba – 3 February 1968, Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban Italian operatic
tenor particularly admired for his acting in comedic roles.
He made his professional opera debut as Fernando in
Donizetti's ''
La favorite'' at the
Teatro Donizetti
The Teatro Donizetti is an opera house in Bergamo, Italy. Built in the 1780s using a design by architect Giovanni Francesco Lucchini, the theatre was originally referred to as either the Teatro Nuovo or Teatro di Fiera. The first opera to be mo ...
in
Bergamo
Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
in 1914. He created the role of Prunier in the original 1917 production of
Puccini's ''
La rondine
''La rondine'' (''The Swallow'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and . It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo (or the Théâtr ...
'' at the
Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo, a role which he performed at many other opera houses including the
Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Over the next several years he played mostly leading roles at the
Teatro Costanzi in Rome including Rodolfo in Puccini's ''
La bohème'', Fenton in
Verdi's ''
Falstaff'', and the Ernesto in Donizetti's ''
Don Pasquale''. In the early 1920s he joined the roster at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
where he began playing more buffo roles than leading roles. In 1921, he sang the role of doctor Cajus in Verdi's ''Falstaff'' at La Scala and in 1922 was Filipeto in the company's first production of
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's ''
I quatro rusteghi''. In 1926 he created the role of Emperor Altoum in the original production of Puccini's ''
Turandot'' at La Scala. In 1929 he went on tour with La Scala to Germany. Other roles that Dominici performed at La Scala include David in
Wagner's ''
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
(; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...
'', Monostatos in
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
's ''
The Magic Flute'', and the Neipperg in
Umberto Giordano's ''
Madame Sans-Gêne
Madame Sans-Gêne may refer to:
* Marie-Thérèse Figueur (1774–1861), French female soldier
* Catherine Hübscher (1753–1835), wife of Marshal of France François Joseph Lefebvre, whose life has been dramatised in:
** ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' ...
''. In 1931 he moved to Cuba, where he taught music for many years. Dominici died in
Havana in 1968.
February 3 – Today in classical music
Classic Almanc
References
Italian operatic tenors
1885 births
1968 deaths
Italian emigrants to Cuba
20th-century Italian male opera singers
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