This Week in Classical Music: April 19, 2021. Franco Corelli. For the past two weeks we’ve been so busy with Karajan that we missed an important date: the 100th anniversary of Franco Corelli. Corelli was one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century, who excelled on the biggest opera stages of Europe and America and left a wonderful recording legacy. He had a clear, powerful voice with a wide range, what the Italians call “spinto” tenor: he could handle both the dramatic roles (think of Mario del Monaco in the role of Canio in Pagliacci or Radames in Aida) and the lyric ones (like Pavarotti singing Rodolfo in La Boheme). It didn’t hurt that Corelli was also a handsome man with good acting abilities. Franco Corelli was born in Ancona on April 8th of 1921. His grandfather was a successful opera singer and many other family members sung either professionally or as amateurs. For a while Corelli studied at the Pesaro Conservatory, but soon decided that he didn’t like voice teachers; from that time on he was mostly self-taught. Corelli made his operatic debut in 1951 in Spoleto, singing Don José in Carmen. In 1952 he sung in the Rome Opera and joined it in 1953. That same year he sung Pollione in Norma, with Maria Callas performing the title role. In 1954 he made his debut in the famed La Scala, again singing with Callas in Spontini's opera La vestale (the opera is rarely staged these days, but YouTube has both the full opera and also this wonderful scene). Corelli would appear with Callas many times, both in La Scala and at the Met. He was asked to perform in the best opera theaters of Italy; then, in 1957, he appeared in Vienna’s State Opera, and the same year made a sensational debut in the Covent Garden, singing Cavaradossi in Tosca. The following year he went to the US, singing in Chicago and San Francisco, and in 1961 made his debut at the Met. During these years he sung with the best sopranos of the generation, Maria Callas, his favorite, Renata Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, the mezzo Giulietta Simionato and, later, Joan Sutherland. At the Met he sung with Leontine Price (she was his Leonora when Corelli sung Manrico in Il Trovatore in his first appearance at the theater) and Birgit Nilsson (their Turandot was spellbinding). Corelli sung at the Met for ten years, giving 282 performances of 18 roles.
Corelli performed at the highest level for about 20 years, but in the early 1970s his voice became a little tired, making Corelli nervous. He later said that at that time he could either eat or sleep. Corelli’s last performance was in 1975. Corelli left so many wonderful recordings, both live and studio, that it’s almost impossible to pick one to illustrate his art. Probably one of the best is his Pollione, from Norma, which he recorded in 1960 with Maria Callas and Christa Ludwig – one of the greatest Normas ever. Here is the aria Meco all'altar di Venere from Act I. Tullio Serafin conducts the La Scala Orchestra.
Corelli 100
This Week in Classical Music: April 19, 2021. Franco Corelli. For the past two weeks we’ve been so busy with Karajan that we missed an important date: the 100th anniversary of Franco Corelli. Corelli was one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century, who excelled on the biggest
opera stages of Europe and America and left a wonderful recording legacy. He had a clear, powerful voice with a wide range, what the Italians call “spinto” tenor: he could handle both the dramatic roles (think of Mario del Monaco in the role of Canio in Pagliacci or Radames in Aida) and the lyric ones (like Pavarotti singing Rodolfo in La Boheme). It didn’t hurt that Corelli was also a handsome man with good acting abilities. Franco Corelli was born in Ancona on April 8th of 1921. His grandfather was a successful opera singer and many other family members sung either professionally or as amateurs. For a while Corelli studied at the Pesaro Conservatory, but soon decided that he didn’t like voice teachers; from that time on he was mostly self-taught. Corelli made his operatic debut in 1951 in Spoleto, singing Don José in Carmen. In 1952 he sung in the Rome Opera and joined it in 1953. That same year he sung Pollione in Norma, with Maria Callas performing the title role. In 1954 he made his debut in the famed La Scala, again singing with Callas in Spontini's opera La vestale (the opera is rarely staged these days, but YouTube has both the full opera and also this wonderful scene). Corelli would appear with Callas many times, both in La Scala and at the Met. He was asked to perform in the best opera theaters of Italy; then, in 1957, he appeared in Vienna’s State Opera, and the same year made a sensational debut in the Covent Garden, singing Cavaradossi in Tosca. The following year he went to the US, singing in Chicago and San Francisco, and in 1961 made his debut at the Met. During these years he sung with the best sopranos of the generation, Maria Callas, his favorite, Renata Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, the mezzo Giulietta Simionato and, later, Joan Sutherland. At the Met he sung with Leontine Price (she was his Leonora when Corelli sung Manrico in Il Trovatore in his first appearance at the theater) and Birgit Nilsson (their Turandot was spellbinding). Corelli sung at the Met for ten years, giving 282 performances of 18 roles.
Corelli performed at the highest level for about 20 years, but in the early 1970s his voice became a little tired, making Corelli nervous. He later said that at that time he could either eat or sleep. Corelli’s last performance was in 1975. Corelli left so many wonderful recordings, both live and studio, that it’s almost impossible to pick one to illustrate his art. Probably one of the best is his Pollione, from Norma, which he recorded in 1960 with Maria Callas and Christa Ludwig – one of the greatest Normas ever. Here is the aria Meco all'altar di Venere from Act I. Tullio Serafin conducts the La Scala Orchestra.