Gino Vanelli

Gino Vanelli (26 March 1896, in Bergamo – 9 April 1969, in Monza) was an Italian operatic baritone who had an active international career from 1917 until his retirement in 1955. He made several recordings for His Master's Voice and Columbia Records, including complete recordings of the operas ''La boheme'', ''Pagliacci'', and ''Madama Butterfly''.

Life and career

Born in Bergamo on 26 March 1896, Vanelli studied at the Donizetti Conservatory in his native city and with Dante Lari in Milan. He made his professional opera debut in Bergamo in 1917 as Perichaud in Giacomo Puccini's ''La Rondine'' at the Teatro Donizetti. In 1919 he portrayed Barone Douphol in Giuseppe Verdi's '' La traviata'' and the Count di Luna in Verdi's '' Il trovatore'' at the Teatro Olimpia in Bassano del Grappa. In 1920 he sang the role of Don Carlos in Verdi's '' La forza del destino'' in Lodi and the role of Lescaut in Puccini's ''Manon Lescaut'' at the Teatro Sociale in Casalmonferrato. He returned to Lodi soon after to sing the roles of Count di Luna and Giannotto in Pietro Mascagni's ''Lodoletta''.

In 1921 Vanelli portrayed Hermann in Alfredo Catalani's ''Loreley'' at the Teatro Comunale in Forli, and in 1922 he sang Sharpless in Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly'' at the Politeama Verdi in Cremona. In 1923 he performed the role of Tonio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'' at the Teatro all'Aperto in L'Aquila. In 1924 he toured Egypt where he appeared at the Cairo Opera House and at the Teatro Alhambra of Alessandria in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’ as Lord Enrico Ashton. That same year he toured to Brazil. In 1925 he performed at the Teatro Real in Madrid and appeared as Marcello in Puccini's ''La bohème'' at the Teatro Principal in Palma di Majorca.

In 1926 Vanelli made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as Escamillo in ''Carmen'' with Maria Gay in the title role. That same year he made his debut at La Scala in Milan as Ping in Puccini's ''Turandot''. He remained committed to La Scala as a resident artist for the next 20 years. From 1926-1928 he made numerous appearances at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, including starring roles in the world premieres of Rafael Peacan del Sar's '' Chrysantheme'' (1927) and Raúl Espoile's ''Frenos'' (1928). Other operas he sang in Buenos Aires were ''Turandot'', Ildebrando Pizzetti's ''Fra Gherardo'', Felice Lattuada's "Le preziose ridicole", and Ottorino Respighi's ''La campana sommersa''.

In 1932 Vanelli appeared in the world premiere of Alfredo Casella's ''La donna serpente'' at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. He returned there in 1934 to perform in the world premiere of Licinio Refice's ''Cecilia''. In 1935 and 1941 he toured in Holland, and in 1951 he appeared at the Arena di Verona Festival. In 1952 he portrayed Belcore in Donizetti's ''L'elisir d'amore'' at the Wexford Festival Opera. In 1954 he performed in the world premiere of Giulio Viozzi's ''Allamistakeo'' at the Teatro delle Novità in Bergamo; a role which he subsequently performed in Venice. His last appearance was as Alessio in Vincenzo Bellini's ''La Sonnambula'' at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo in October 1955. Other opera houses he appeared at during his career included La Fenice, Teatro Carlo Felice, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, the Theatro Municipal in São Paulo, the Teatro Regio in Parma, and the Teatro Regio in Turin.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanelli, Gino
1896 births
1969 deaths
Italian operatic baritones
20th-century Italian male opera singers
Bergamo Conservatory alumni