LINA PAGLIUGHI A TRIBUTE BY LUCIANO DI CAVE, part one
I’d like to begin with the article written by the musical critic Teodoro Celli from “Il Messaggero”, Rome, because before talking about her voice, he dwells upon her physical appearance.
I will explain you why: whenever you read a review about a performance of Lina Pagliughi you will find, in the majority of them, a reference to her stoutness, even when the reviews are full of praise for her voice and her vocal art. Living in Rome I have always had a deep regret that she never appeared at the “Teatro Reale dell’Opera”, during her golden days. There was only one performance (one!) of Rigoletto at the “Terme di Caracalla” in 1938, with Galliano Masini and Gino Bechi. Only in 1949 she appeared at the “Teatro dell’Opera” in “I Puritani”, called in a great hurry to replace an ill Margherita Carosio, scheduled for the role of Elvira. (Two performances). Pagliughi sang her part very well (I was present at the first performance), her performance was a success, but I am sure that, had she sung the same opera on that stage in her golden days, she would have achieved a triumph. But my wishes to hear her legendary Lucia at the Teatro Reale dell’Opera (so called till 1944) became a dead letter. Perhaps the direction of the Teatro Reale dell’Opera ignored the voice and gave to her stoutness the greater importance.
Her golden days lasted till 1943, when I heard her in a fabulous concert with Francesco Merli. After the war she was still in good vocal condition but she began to be more cautious about her technique, especially on the high notes. (But she launched a beautiful Eflat at the end of the cabaletta “Vien diletto”, when she sang I Puritani in 1949).
And now let’s get back back to her physical constitution. In 1973 I wrote about her for The Record Collector but I limited my work only to her chronology and biography. She was still alive and I didn’t dare to deal with a so delicate matter. Mme Lina often spoke witheringly of the argument using some joking allusion, but it was never my intention to insist on discussing it. For what concerns myself I can grant that, every time I heard her in the theater I was so conquered by her voice that I never paid attention to her physical appearance. But very often the great theaters refused to schedule her and even at La Scala, where she achieved great triumphs, she had to fight with the opposition of the Director Mataloni who didn’t accept her figure for Mosè by Rossini. The tenacity of Maestro Gino Marinuzzi, who had already directed Mosè for the EIAR, with Pagliughi in the part of Sinaide,won out over this opposition; he rightly held that no other soprano could have portrayed Sinaide as well as Pagliughi. The performance was a triumph and the critic PARIBENI, from the newspaper “L’Ambrosiano”, wrote: “Among the many characters of the biblic drama only two resulted perfect: Mosè and Sinaide, Tancredi Pasero and Lina Pagliughi.” I have already said that she spoke rarely of her stoutness, it is my opinion that she suffered much because of her length. She was not tall, she was of low stature and this increased the impression she created as soon as she entered the stage. Mezzosoprano Jole Jacchia, a well-known second leading singer told me that before facing the audience, Pagliughi told her: “Be careful to the reaction of the audience as soon as I appear on the stage”. And, in fact there was always a murmur of surprise that changed in admiration as soon as she opened her mouth.
Other memorable “Soirées” were the concert dedicated to the Brazilian composer Gomes, with Beniamino Gigli, Cloe Elmo and Tancredi Pasero and a fabulous Lucia di Lammermoor with Beniamino Gigli. The echoes of this great success induced CETRA to record the complete opera with Lina Pagliughi and Giovanni Malipiero. She sang again Lucia at La Scala with Gigli in 1947 and those performances were the last she sang there.
Her career went on till 1960. At Radio Lugano, Switzerland, she sang in two concerts, one dedicated to opera arias, the other to concert arias she had often sung in her recitals. Thus ended the career of Lina Pagliughi, who now left her house in Milan where she had lived for many years and went to settle in Gatteo a Mare, a charming countryside on the sea, in Romagna. The reason of this move was the quietness of the area (though crowded in Summer) and the purity of the air, compared to the smog of Milan. But another reason was that Pagliughi’s husband, Primo Montanari was born in Gatteo, not very far from Gatteo a Mare. There she lived in a beautiful villa and owned an entire building nearby. The citizens of Gatteo a Mare considered her as a national glory and dedicated a theater-cinema to her, calling it Cinema Pagliughi.
SELECTIVE CHRONOLOGY
I wish to avoid to narrate in detail her biography, that has been dealt with in many books, magazines and by myself (The Record Collector 1973 and “Lina Pagliughi” Tima Club edition 1989), I’ll rather answer many questions delivered to me by the editor. But, before answering the questions I will resume here her career, to emphasize the most important events:
NOTE : The names of the town means that she sang there in concerts and, mainly,
in opera. I avoid to mention the numberless smaller cities and regions of Italy where
she appeared from the beginning of her career to its end.
San Francisco 1919 Washington Theater Concerts at age 12.
1920 Temple Israel, Jean Parker School, Dante Alighieri Society : Concerts
1920 The concert entitled “La Piccola Tetrazzini”
Milano 1927 Teatro Nazionale Rigoletto (debut)
Torino 1927 Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Lucia di Lammermoor
1928
Appearances in Trieste and Budapest
Tour in South America (many towns including Buenos Ayres and Montevideo : Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Rigoletto, Guarany.
1929
Copenhagen Il Barbiere di Siviglia & Rigoletto (with Stracciari)
Lisbon Carmen (with Zanelli), la Sonnambula, Lucia di
Lammermoor
The Hague (Holland) and Amsterdam
1930
The Hague gli Ugonotti (with Tullio Verona), + la Sonnambula Verona
Budrio (Teatro Consorziale) Lucia di Lammermoor with Aureliano Pertile
Milano (Teatro alla Scala) Rigoletto with D’Alessio, Galeffi
& Bruna Castagna
Barcelona + Montecarlo + Genova + Padova
1931
Appearances in : Padova, Pavia, Trieste, Brescia
Montecarlo Théatre du Casino Lucia di Lammermoor with Alcaide
“ “ “ Rigoletto with Alcaide & Lulli
Genova Teatro Carlo Felice Il Barbiere di Siviglia with L.Cecil & Galeffi
Napoli Teatro San Carlo Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Ederle-Franci/Inghilleri
Bettoni
1932
Turin + Catania + Tournée in Australia with Apollo Granforte, Primo Montanari, Cesarina
Valobra, Pedro Mirassou, Bruna Castagna
1933
Appearances in Trieste, Geneva, Pavia, Bari
1934
Novara + Bologna
Her first Radio broadcast by EIAR Torino: Linda di Chamounix with Stracciari
Appearances in Bari, Mantova, Catania, Bologna
EIAR Turin and Rome (Serraglio, il Re, Guarany, la Gazza ladra)
1935
Appearances in Bologna, Verona, Trieste, Venice
EIAR Rome and Turin (I Puritani , L’Elisir d’amore, L’Impresario, Il Matrimonio segreto)
1936
Appearances in Napoli, Mantova, Florence, Perugia
Milan Her first concert from EIAR sponsored by “Martini & Rossi” (producers of wines,
Vermouth...) She sang with Enzo De Muro Lomanto
Rome (Augusteo) EIAR (Mosè, a broadcast entirely dedicated to Donizetti with Giuseppe
De Luca, Enzo De Muro Lomanto)
Milan (Teatro Lirico-Guarany) Parma (Lucia with Ziliani/Civil/Malipiero)
1937
Appearances in Cremona, Turin-EIAR Concert with Tito Schipa, Genova, Padova, Novara, Bergamo, Bologna
Milan (La Scala) Mosè with Pasero-Cigna-Elmo
A concert dedicated to Gomes with Beniamino Gigli-Cloe Elmo-Tancredi Pasero
Milan Concert with Beniamino Gigli-Enrico De Franceschi
EIAR Turin Arianna a Nasso
1938
Verona Cremona Milano (Castello Sforzesco) Venice Pavia
London Rigoletto with Beniamino Gigli & Carlo Tagliabue
Tournée in Brazil San Paul Rio de Janeiro
Roma EIAR (il Barbiere di Siviglia)
1939
Tournée of concerts in Great Britain with her husband Primo Montanari and the flutist John Amadio
Pisa Cremona Trieste Bologna Turin Milan (Castello Sforzesco)
EIAR Turin il Conte Ory Rome L’Impresario
Rome (Terme di Caracalla) Rigoletto with Galliano Masini & Gino Bechi
1940
Napoli Pavia Livorno Parma Piacenza Florence (Teatro Verdi) Genoa
Tour of concerts in New York Chicago San Francisco with the flutist John Amadio
Milan (La Scala) Rigoletto with Basiola/Galeffi-Malipiero
Florence (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) the Magic Flute with Mafalda Favero-Tancredi Pasero
Ferruccio Tagliavini
EIAR Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Giovanni Malipiero
Rome (il Barbiere di Siviglia-Serraglio)
1941
Novara Ravenna Bari Pisa Brescia Verona (Teatro Nuovo) Milan (Teatro Puccini)
EIAR Turin Concerts Martini & Rossi a) with Tancredi Pasero b) with Giovanni Malipiero
EIAR Turin Lucia di Lammermoor with Giovanni Malipiero
Roma (Teatro Adriano for Accademia di Santa Cecilia) Concert conducted by Bernardino
Molinari, dedicated to Vincenzo Bellini – with Gabriella Gatti & Aurelio Marcato
1942
Piacenza Reggio Emilia Pavia Rovigo Naples Verona
Roma (Teatro Brancaccio - La Traviata)
EIAR Roma (Rigoletto il Barbiere di Siviglia)
EIAR Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Tito Gobbi)
1943
Como Rimini Treviso
EIAR Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Francesco Merli
Rigoletto with Prandelli & Mascherini
1944
EIAR Milan Concert with Armando Borgioli
Como (Teatro Sociale) il Barbiere di Siviglia with Basiola & Pasero
1945
Ravenna Concerts
Milan (Castello Sforzesco) La Traviata with Galliano Masini-Piero Guelfi
no more EIAR but “RAI” Concert with Emilio Renzi / Pavia Turin
1946
Reggio Emilia Parma La Spezia Pisa
Roma (Teatro Adriano) Lucia di Lammermoor la Traviata
RAI Roma la Sonnambula with G.Malipiero-N.Rossi Lemeni
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with G.Malipiero
1947
Milan (La Scala) Lucia di Lammermoor with Beniamino Gigli-U.Savarese-C.Siepi
Modena (Teatro Municipale) Lucia di Lammermoor with Beniamino Gigli
RAI Roma Rigoletto with Giacomo Lauri Volpi-Tito Gobbi
Il Conte Ory Lucia di Lammermoor with Filippeschi
Roma The sound-track of Rigoletto with M.Filippeschi-T.Gobbi
Roma (Teatro Adriano + Teatro Quirino) Barbiere, Lucia, Traviata
1948
Pisa San Remo Turin
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Giacinto Prandelli
RAI Turin Concert dedicated to Verdi “ Giacinto Prandelli
RAI Rome l’Elisir d’amore with Tito Schipa & Luciano Neroni
RAI Turin i Puritani with Filippeschi-P.Guelfi-Neroni
1949
Rome (Teatro dell’Opera) i Puritani with Filippeschi-Tagliabue-Neroni
Turin San Marino
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Vasco Campagnano
RAI Turin La Reginetta delle rose (Leoncavallo) with Cesare Valletti
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Renato Capecchi
1950
Asti Ventimiglia Turin San Remo Ravenna
Rovereto Concert with Tito Schipa
RAI Turin la Figlia del Reggimento la Traviata Parsifal with Maria Callas-B.Christoff
The Seasons (Haydn) with Rodolfo Moraro-Sesto Bruscantini
Carmen with Giulietta Simionato-Amedeo Berdini-Mario Borriello
1951
Vercelli Sondrio Turin Savona Asti Venice Cremona
Turin (Teatro Alfieri) Lucia di Lammermoor with Tito Schipa
RAI Milan Un Giorno di Regno La Campana sommersa La Reginetta delle rose with E.Renzi
Il Principe felice (Bossi)
RAI Turin Le Stagioni (The Seasons-Haydn) with Petre Munteanu-Renato Capecchi
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Giuseppe Taddei
1952
Turin Sondrio Savona Cremona
RAI Roma i Puritani with Filippeschi-Panerai-Bruscantini La Fille de Mme Angot (in italian)
L’Usignolo (The Nightingale by Stravinsky) Lord Inferno (Ghedini)
RAI Turin Concert Martini & Rossi with Giuseppe Di Stefano
RAI Milan Concert Martini & Rossi with Antonio Galiè
1953
Reggio Calabria Turin Bari
RAI Milan Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra (Rossini)
1954
Turin Parma
RAI Milan Concert with Rolando Panerai
Roma Teatro Argentina Missa Solennis (Beethoven) with Marga Höffgen-Petre Munteanu
Perugia (Sagra Musicale Umbra) Missa Solennis (Beethoven) with Marga Höffgen-Petre Munteanu
RAI Roma Concert Martini & Rossi with Boris Christoff
1955
Ravenna Genova Bari Piacenza
RAI Roma Viaggio d’Europa (Rieti) Un curioso accidente (Jacopo Napoli)
1956
Bergamo Teatro Duse La Risurrezione di Lazzaro (Perosi)
Treviso Teatro Comunale La Risurrezione di Lazzaro (Perosi) with Luigi Borgonovo
1958
Venezia La Risurrezione di Lazzaro (Perosi) with Luigi Borgonovo (Cardinal Roncalli was present)
1959
Lugano RSI (Radio Svizzera Italiana) Concert opera arias
1960
Lugano RSI Ancient arias and opera arias