Beniamino Gigli

• Commercial and Live recordings from IDIS
• The complete HMV recordings from Romophone
• Beniamino Gigli in London
• Concerts in England and Scotland - 1947 and 1948
  

• Beniamino Gigli Live in Stockholm
• Verdi - Messa da Requiem
• The Bruno Walter Invitation to Beniamino Gigli
• The Pietro Mascagni letter to Beniamino Gigli

Beniamino Gigli Commercial Recordings Volume 4: 1941 - 1951
IDIS6350/51 (2 discs - GB pounds 24.00)

Beniamino Gigli Live Recordings - Buenos Aires & Rio de Janeiro 1951
IDIS6356/57 (2 discs - GB pounds 24.00)

As with the Romophone issues noted below, an Italian record company by the name of Instituto Discografico Italiano (IDIS) have pursued a similar ambition to release, in chronological order, all of the commercial recordings made by Beniamino Gigli. The latest in this series is Volume 4 (IDIS 6350/51) and covers the period from 1941 to 1951 and for many collectors this is a jewel of an album. During the period of the second world war, between 1940 and 1943, Gigli made some splendid recordings in Milano, Roma and even two in Berlin that for obvious reasons were never released in England or in other Allied countries. I believe the only countries that did have them were Italy, Switzerland and Germany and even after the war the majority of them were never released by His Master's Voice and obtainable only in Italy.

It is indeed a great feast for Gigli enthusiasts to be able to hear the tenor in remakes of arias from Fedora, L'Arlesiana and Lodoletta as well as for the first time, versions by Gigli in Maristella, Il Trovatore, Manon Lescaut, Isabeau, La Forza del Destino as well as duets from Carmen and Il Trovatore. Then in 1942, he put to wax some lovely Neapolitan songs not previously heard and whilst in Berlin to take part in the film 'Der Bajazzo' (I Pagliacci) he recorded the prologo and a song from the Millocker operetta Der Feldprediger. Italian HMV then decided in error, to list the song as coming from Gasparone by the same composer.

As if that were not enough, the album continues with well known recordings from La Juive, Le Roi d'Ys, Manon, Werther, Cavalleria Rusticana - the latter is Sicilliana used by EMI for some time on the complete recordings although why has never been published and one story of a faulty master does NOT stand up to reality. Then Naughty Marietta, a beautiful Jocelyn, l'Elisir D'Amore and Turandot and ending with the five duets he made with his daughter, the late Rina Gigli, when they sang from Les Pecheurs de Perles, l'Elisir d'Amore, L'Amico Fritz, Mefistofele and, incredibly, the Act 1 love duet from Otello - an opera in which Gigli was interested but never was to perform.

Even more interesting, perhaps, is the appearance for the first time on CD of some of the arie antiche which Gigli recorded just after the war and which we still await for EMI to release all of them on CD. All in all, a most exciting album.

With this Volume 4, the company says that it is the end of the operatic items and they hope soon to commence with all of Gigli's song recordings that he made for Victor and HMV. We look forward to these with much interest.

I list below the four discs covering all of Gigli's operatic recording sessions:

Volume 1: 1918 - 1923 - IDIS 274/275
Volume 2: 1925 - 1930 - IDIS 286/287
Volume 3: 1930 - 1941 - IDIS 317/318
Volume 4: 1941 - 1951 - IDIS 6350/6351

Another CD album of two discs by Instituto Discografico Italiano (IDIS 6356/57) is of live recitals by the tenor in South America. There is a mistake in the date given for tracks 7 to 15; these should read 24 October 1948 and NOT 24 September 1951. The venue was the same, namely Teatro Jaoa Caetano in Rio de Janeiro. This error in the date was first discovered on the EMI LP Records published in 1981.

Some of these recordings were issued many years ago now on long playing records by both EMI, as noted above, and also on the Eddie Smith EJS series - but here the sound has been much improved. This is Gigli at his best and one can only marvel at his interpretation of the Luisa Miller aria of which there are two versions - one from Buenos Aires and the other Rio de Janeiro. We also hear the tenor in two songs by Donaudy that he never recorded commercially - Quando il; tuo diavol nacque and Vagissima sembianza. The album also includes excerpts from La Forza del Destino and Manon Lescaut both in Rio de Janiero.

Two other issues from Great Opera Performances (GOP) are also of interest but are not currently available in the UK:

GOP821 (2 CD set) has extended excerpts from Verdi's Aida, recorded live in Berlin in 1937. To my knowledge this wonderful recording has only been released once before on CD, on the Eklipse label that existed in England for a short time. This is a must, for the singing of the cast is magnificent and, as you would expect, Gigna, Stignani, Gigli, Nava and Pasero make this reading a great operatic event. Unfortunately, it appears that although it was recorded complete at the time, by the German Radio Corporation, there are now some missing shellacs that include all of Act 4.

We hear stories that it was moved from Berlin to Moscow with other recordings after the fall of the City in 1945 and much later returned to Germany. This may be true but it does not really matter except that music lovers have been denied what could have been a glorious and complete opera. It is really a must to listen to these excerpts. The second CD includes the Vienna excerpts of the same opera with Gigli, Nemeth, De Sved and Kipnis but the sound has unfortunately not been improved - but is historically interesting nevertheless.

GOP814 (2-CD set) is titled OMAGGIO A MAFALDA FAVERO. As can be seen from this title, the album is devoted to the fine soprano Favero, but it does include some live excerpts with Beniamino Gigli. These are the 1937 Rome Manon and act 2 of Romeo e Juliette from Alla Scala of April 1934 with Favero, Gigli, Baracchi and Chorus. I believe that the sound of both of these pieces has been much improved from the LP EJS days and a joy to listen to. Perhaps the most beautiful singing on this album is Gigli's version of the 'soliloquy' at the end of the act. It is really spine tingling!!

Bizet's Agnus Dei, Franck's Panis Angelicus and the much loved Gounod arrangement of Bach's Wohltemperirte Klavier BWV846 will be welcome, together with the not so familiar Die Lotusblume by Schumann and Grieg's En Trom, sung respectively in Italian and French.

It is always a pleasure to listen to Gigli singing songs by Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846 - 1916) and I am certain that track 21 - Occhi di Fata - will be re-played again and again to hear that superb voice used in all its glory. It is sad to relate that the lovely song Ideale cannot be heard on this album, for it was recorded by the tenor on 28th May 1937 at the EMI Abbey Road Studio No.1 but it was never released and finally destroyed on 7th September 1942!!

Three takes were made by Gigli on that day with take 3 being placed 'in reserve' and takes 1 and 2 being available for release.

From the archive material that the writer has read in Italy and England, there was correspondence about this particular recording and in a letter Gigli himself stated that he was satisfied with the proof record sent to him - but obviously someone else at EMI had a different view.

It is pleasing to end this sad little tale by saying that at least two versions of Ideale sung by Gigli at concerts have been recorded live and still exist.

This release is the sixth album of all the tenor's commercial recording sessions - from his first in October 1918 until July 1938. All are in chronological order as follows but unfortunately there will be no further issues in the series as Romophone have decided to cease production:-

The Complete Victor Recordings:
Volume 1: 1921 - 1925 (2 discs - 820032)
The Complete Victor Recordings:
Volume 2: 1926 - 1928 (2 discs - 820042)
The Complete Victor Recordings:
Volume 3: 1929 - 1932 (820052)
The Complete HMV Recordings:
1918 - 1919 and 1931 - 1932 (2 discs - 820112)
The Complete HMV Recordings:
1933 - 1935 (2 discs - 820172)
The Complete HMV Recordings:
1936 - 1938 (820202)
The Complete HMV Recordings:
1938 - 1940 (820232)

I would like to thank and acknowledge Mark Obert-Thorn for his very high standard in his remarkable transfers of recordings of Beniamino Gigli. However, you will find that the printers have made some errors in the booklets.

Their latest release includes some of the recordings made by Gigli just after the Second World War from 1947 until 1949, all recorded in London. This period has not been covered by other record companies who specialise in historical singers and will therefore be of very great interest to many collectors.

It was in 1947 when Gigli was here in the UK for an autumn recital tour of England and Scotland that His Master's Voice decided to record the tenor in arias and songs from the 17th and 18th Centuries, known as Arie Antiche. Between 1947 and 1949, Gigli was to record a total of seventeen such pieces, the majority of which were by Italian composers including Monteverdi, Fasolo, Carrissimi, Cesti, Bassani and Caldara and also by Handel and Mozart.

Some collectors will be aware that prior to the war Gigli had already recorded two Arie Antiche; a most beautiful rendering of Amarili by Caccini and an aria from Gluck's Paride ed Elena.

Some of the Arie Antiche recordings made in 1947 to 1949 were duly released on 78 r.p.m. discs but certainly not all. A few appeared on the HMV International Special Catalogue - only available to special order - with others never being released in the United Kingdom.

At a later stage HMV released an album in their Record Library Series, No.457, entitled Italian Classic Songs (Arie Antiche) of XVII and XVIII Centuries, sung by Beniamino Gigli. This album of six 10" records had previously been released singly on catalogue numbers DA1896; DA1906; DA1927; DA1934; DA1955 AND DA1956.

With the eventual release of Microgroove records HMV re-issued the arias and songs on one 12" long play record ALP1174, long since deleted.

Many of the younger collectors will have never heard these recordings by Beniamino Gigli and I am sure they will be very impressed by the result of the tenor's collaboration with the orchestras and the conductors Rainaldo Zamboni and Vito Carnevali, together with the able management by the famous Fred Gaisberg assisted by Victor Carne.

In the EMI archives lies a letter from Gigli written after he had completed all the seventeen numbers saying how grateful he was to have been asked by the company to record these old classics and that it had given him so much personal pleasure and satisfaction in doing so.

As we know, Gigli had been singing Arie Antiche from the time he first joined the Choir of the Cathedral of his home town of Recanati when he was seven years of age - and then later on when he was a student at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome where the tenor studied for nearly four years to become a professional operatic tenor. After his debut in 1914 he continued to sing Arie Antiche and would always include one or two of them in his recital programmes right up to his retirement in 1955.

At his final recital in Washington, USA on 25th May 1955 the second item on his programme was the preghiera Vergin tutto amor by Francesco Durante (1684-1755); the recording of this song still remains unpublished in CD format and it is to be hoped that some record company which specialises in historical singers will take up the challenge and issue a CD that contains all seventeen recordings of Classic Arias and Songs together with the two made by Gigli in 1935 and 1939.

Two different programmes were printed which I shall call No.1 and No.2. Then a No.3 was issued. Most cities would use a standard programme that did not show the town or theatre by name but there were exceptions to this. The Royal Albert Hall, London, and Manchester programmes did have this information on them and probably some others did as well. It is this system that does cause a lot of problems for us archivists unless somebody at the time of the recital pencils in the town and theatre name. Not many folk did this, unfortunately. Some other maniacs, like myself, also tended to pencil in encores in their programmes which make interesting reading - but again not all.

For this series of concerts I do hold a total of five programmes in my collection, with one being a photocopy of the original. This one, being for the Glasgow 21st November 1947 recital, has the encores inked in. The Glasgow encores were the work of Jean Holt who attended this concert and several others, I am sure. I also hold a typed sheet of the programme at the Davis Theatre, Croydon, on December 28th 1947 with no encores shown.

Beniamino Gigli should have arrived in London from Italy on the 13th November 1947 and the next day was was due to record for HMV at Kingsway Hall. Then he was due to go to Newcastle for the 16th November recital and to Dundee for the 17th November recital but both were postponed. The Newcastle concert finally took place on 2nd January 1948 with the Dundee recital rescheduled for the 4th January but that was eventually cancelled for unknown reasons. On that day Gigli left London for Paris to sing there on 6th January 1948. Gigli eventually arrived in London on the 18th November 1947 and as usual when in London he stayed at the Savoy Hotel.

His commitments were as follows:

18 November 1947: Arrives London Victoria Station
19 November 1947: Usher Hall, Edinburgh Programme No.1
21 November 1947: St Andrews Hall, Glasgow Programme No.1
23 November 1947: Royal Albert Hall, London Programme No.1
25 November 1947: Royal Albert Hall, London Programme No.1

26 November 1947: Kingsway Hall, London HMV Recording Session
27 November 1947: Kingsway Hall, London HMV Recording Session
29 November 1947: Royal Albert Hall, London Programme No.2
30 November 1947: Abbey Road, London HMV Session
2 December 1947: De Montfort Hall, Leicester Programme No.1
4 December 1947: Kings Hall, Manchester Programme No.1
7 December 1947: Odeon Theatre, Southend on Sea Programme No.1
9 December 1947: King's Hall, Manchester Programme No.2
10 December 1947: DeMontfort Hall, Leicester Programme No.2
12 December 1947: Abbey Road, London HMV Recording Session
14 December 1947: New Opera House, Blackpool Programme No.1
15 December 1947: Town Hall, Birmingham Programme No.1
18 December 1947: Royal Albert Hall, London Programme No.3
19 December 1947: Abbey Road, London HMV Recording Session
21 December 1947: Odeon Theatre, Leeds Programme No.1
22 December 1947: City Hall, Sheffield Programme No.1
24 December 1947: Abbey Road, London HMV Recording Session
25 December 1947: Alexandra Palace, London TV Recital
26 December 1947: Afternoon Winter Gardens, Bournemouth Programme No.3
26 December 1947: Evening Winter Gardens, Bournemouth Programme No.2
28 December 1947: Davis Theatre, Croydon Programme No.1
30 December 1947: St Andrews Hall, Glasgow Programme No.2
2 January 1948: City Hall, Newcastle Programme No.2
3 January 1948: Abbey Road, London HMV Recording Session
4 January 1948: Leaves London Victoria Station for Paris

Beniamino Gigli - Live in Stockholm 1952: Songs and Arias by Puccini, Cilea, Meyerbeer, Bizet, Verdi, de Curtis, di Capua and others
Beniamino Gigli with Enrico Sivieri (piano) - Recorded at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 25^th November 1952
Bluebell ABCD076 (GB pounds 14.99)

This recital was probably broadcast by Swedish Radio as the Swedish Broadcasting Company, together with Gigli's daughter Rina, gave their permission for its general release and to whom we are thankful. The recital totalled some 26 numbers, operatic and song, official programme and encores, and as always Gigli was very generous to his audience.

Of the ten operatic arias, two of them - from Luisa Miller and from La Fanciulla del West - were not in Gigli's repertoire and in fact it was rare for him to sing them in concert halls.

However, it is the inclusion of the aria L'anima ho stanca from Francesco Cilea's opera Adriana Lecouvreur that is probably the most important item from this recital. Gigli never recorded it commercially and no other "live" version is known until this recital. So it really is a "first" for collectors. But even more important is the beauty that Gigli gives this very short aria. Cilea marks the passage Andante mesto, quasi adagio (moderately slow, sadly and gently) and for the singer he notes mezza-voce and piano down to pianissimo. This is exactly how this tenor sings it!!"

Complete recording made by Italian HMV at the Teatro Reale dell' Opera, Rome in1939 with soloists Maria Caniglia, Ebe Stignani, Beniamino Gigli and Enzio Pinza with the orchestra of the Rome Opera House, Chorus master Giuseppe Conca, conducted by Tullio Serafin.

From its first release on 78rpm records, critics have complained that one bar of music was missing at the beginning of the Lacrymosa.

In the recent release of this recording on the Naxos label, Mr Ward Marston makes note of this matter and states that in 1950 an ‘adjustment' was made by RCA on their Long Play release of the 1939 recording. He has done the same on this new CD issue.

I have played all the recordings in my collection and find that the missing section has in fact been inserted on the Long Play Italian EMI record 153-00571, Side B, as well as the Compact Disc PH5012 released on the Phonographe label by Nuova Era Records of Italy.

The following are the checks I have made of my own collection of this recording which may be of interest:-

1. 78rpm British HMV record DB6215, matrix 2BA3261, Take 1 - Missing
2. Long Play Record EMI Italiana 153-00571, side B - Included

• 1990 EMI CDH763341 British pressing - Missing
• 1994 Dutton LX7010 British pressing - Missing
• 1994 Phonographe PH5012 Italian pressing - Included
• 1995 Pearl GEMM9162 British pressing - Missing
• 1996 Opera 54502 Italian pressing - Missing
• 1998 Arkadia 78538 Italian pressing - Missing
• 2000 EMI 567486 (Remastered) British pressing - Missing
• 2001 Aura 235 Italian pressing - Missing
• 2001 Naxos 8.110159 Unknown pressing - Included

In the1940 live version with Gigli on both Long Play issues, and the three Compact Discs in my collection, all the music is included. I feel certain that it was originally recorded by Serafin during the 1939 sessions but for some reason it was not transferred to the stampers.

November 2001

Bruno Walter Wien XV111 Turkenschanzstrasse 20
31.12.1936

Distinguished and most honoured Signore Gigli
I have received information that you have expressed your approval to sing with me in one of my concerts in August 1937 in Salzburg.
It will be a great joy for me to make music and be in personal contact with such a unique artist like you. I never had the occasion of hearing you on stage but I am familiar with three of your films and I cannot describe the impression which your singing has left on me. Your voice, your personality, the pure soul of music itself lives in you and sings from you. It has been my desire to write to you and thank you for these impressions. But my desire has grown bigger by knowing better your artistic qualities. I would be most glad if you accept to sing with me not only in the concert but also on stage in the part of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by Mozart. You will find that our productions will be worthy of you, in which you will feel good artistically. Don't be held back from fear of becoming tired by rehearsals - these will not be more than really necessary and you will have the last word on this matter.
The first performance of Don Giovanni took place in 1787 at Prague. 1937 will be therefore the 150 anniversary of the greatest masterpiece in musical-dramatic art. Don't you want to unite your noble art with us to celebrate Mozart in his native town? We shall be staging three performances in August. I ask you to give me your reply at the earliest. If it is a positive one, as I wish most intensely, the Direction of the "Salzburger Festspicle" will be in communication regarding the details.

I cannot express all the joy that a "Yes" from you will give me. With all my heart, best wishes. With affectionate admiration.
Yours devoutedly Bruno Walter

Walter suggested that, apart from a vocal concert in August 1937 in which Gigli was to participate, it would be a wonderful idea for the tenor to also sing in the performances of Don Giovanni to be held in Salzburg - as 1937 also celebrated the 150th year of the premiere of the opera in Prague on the 29th October 1787. The Conductor was considered to be one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, so this anniversary must have been of great importance to Walter.

Walter must have known at the time of Gigli's very successful appearance at the Salzburg Cathedral on 30th August 1936 when Gigli sang music by Handel, Stradella, Perosi, Bach-Gounod, Verdi, Bizet, Franck and Wagner. He would no doubt also be aware that the role of Don Ottavio was in Gigli's repertoire as he first sang in Don Giovanni in 1929 and again during the 1930/31 and 1931/32 seasons at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

However, for Beniamino Gigli the year of 1937 was to be a very busy, important and difficult time with so much to study and so much travel. He had finally decided to add the part of Radames to his repertoire and had been studying the opera with his coach Luigi Ricci for some time - when of course he had the time!

His debut was arranged for March at the Teatro Reale dell 'Opera in Rome whilst he was also studying the role of Pery in Carlo Gomez's opera Il Guarany scheduled for April and again at the Rome Opera.

Gigli was also very aware that he was to sing in the first ever Annual Festival of Opera at the Caracella Baths near Rome. Lastly, and again in August, Gigli would produce and sing in some of the operas at the Arena Gigli at Porto Recanati. It was the tenor's original idea to have open air opera near his birthplace and the proposal was very dear to him.

In June 1937 Gigli had to travel to Germany with the entire Company of the Teatro alla Scala di Milano to sing in Munich and Berlin where he would be participating in Aida and Verdi's Messa da Requiem.

It was obvious with these heavy obligations upon him that it just was not possible for him to have gone to Salzburg to re-study Don Giovanni which would have inevitably resulted in many rehearsals in spite Walter's assurances that they would have been kept to a minimum.

Strangely enough Don Giovanni was to come back to worry Gigli in 1939 when a lady who had associations with Glyndebourne Opera wrote to ask the tenor if he would sing Don Ottavio at their season of operas. Once again, he was, as always, heavily committed for that summer with filming (Casa Lontana), recording (Madama Butterfly and Messa da Requiem) and other singing venues.

In the event Gigli never sang in Don Giovanni again.

Beniamino Gigli as Piccolo Marat in
IL PICCOLO MARAT by Mascagni
Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires, September 1921

The composer would naturally have been happy for the tenor to sing his operas 'all over the world' but Gigli had just completed his first season at the Metropolitan Opera House and now lived in New York - he would do so for twelve years with its obvious restrictions. Il Piccolo Marat has not been performed at the Metropolitan Opera House and in fact Gigli would not sing in this opera again.

This letter clearly shows the confidence Mascagni had in Gigli's interpretations of his operas and this must have been very pleasing to the tenor. Gigli certainly did justice to Mascagni's works and during his career would sing in six of them:

Cavalleria Rusticana: From 1916 - at least 77 times (40 of them in double-bills with Pagliacci)
Iris: From 1917 - at least 23 times
Lodoletta: From 1917 - at least 87 times
Il Piccolo Marat: From 1921 - at least 6 times
L'Amico Fritz: From 1937 - at least 17 times
Isabeau**: From 1940 - at least 2 times

** Ardenza - A sea resort about two miles from Livorno where Mascagni made his home away from Rome.

* these were two radio broadcasts from Torino EIAR.

L'Orca
Mariella
Il Piccolo Marat
La Mamma
Il Soldato
La Spia
Il Lauro
La Tigre
Il Carpentiere
Il Capitano dei Marats
Il Portatore di Ordini

Conductor
Chorus Master

Giulio Cirino
Gilda Dalla Rizza
Beniamino Gigli
Agnese Porter
Salvatore Perischetti
Gino de Vecchi
de Petris
Mario Pinheiro
Giacomo Rimini
Attillo Muzio
Attillo Muzio

Gino Marinuzzi
Not known

Gigli sang in six performances of this opera during his 1921 tour of South America, details as follows:

20 September: Buenos Aires Teatro Coliseo
22 September: Buenos Aires Teatro Cervantes
24 September: Buenos Aires Teatro Coliseo
26 September: Buenos Aires Teatro Coliseo
6 October: Rosario Teatre Colon
13 October: Montevideo Teatro Urquiza

Brittens Music Eastbourne