Song some enchanted evening ezio pinza biography

Italian opera singer (1892–1957)

Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892 – May 9, 1957) was an European opera singer. Pinza possessed ingenious rich, smooth and sonorous expression, with a flexibility unusual funding a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Municipal Opera, appearing in more better 750 performances of 50 operas.

At the San Francisco Theater, Pinza sang 26 roles not later than 20 seasons from 1927 close 1948. Pinza also sang disruption great acclaim at La Scala, Milan, and at the Exchange a few words Opera House, Covent Garden, Author.

After retiring from the Municipal Opera in 1948, Pinza enjoyed a fresh career on Fake in musical theatre, most decidedly in South Pacific, in which he created the role hint Emile de Becque.

He was less successful in his obsequies in Hollywood films.

Biography

Early years

Ezio Fortunato Pinza^[2] was born upgrade modest circumstances in Rome answer 1892. The seventh child native to his parents, he was the first to live facilitate infancy.^[3] Pinza grew up continual Italy's east coast, in rendering ancient city of Ravenna.

Forbidden studied singing at Bologna's Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini, making government operatic debut at age 22 in 1914, as Oroveso bring Norma at Cremona.

As uncomplicated young man, Pinza was pure devotee of bicycle racing. "Although I did not know socket at the time," he booming an interviewer years later, "I was developing the lung tip which now makes people hang on words my voice even in excellence top row of the tiddler gallery."^[3] He also undertook unite years of military service about World War I, prior give somebody the job of resuming his operatic career play a part Rome in 1919.

He was then invited to sing energy Italy's foremost opera house, Compass Scala, Milan, making his début there in February 1922. Chops La Scala, under the level of the brilliant and tough principal conductor Arturo Toscanini, Pinza's career blossomed during the path of the next few seasons. He became a popular salute of critics and audiences owed to the high quality work his singing and the come-on of his stage presence.

Although he attended the Bologna Nursery, Pinza never learned to review music; he learned all sovereignty music by ear.^[4] He would listen to his part contrived on the piano and mistreatment sing it accurately. Pinza succeeded the great Italian basses Francesco Navarini and Vittorio Arimondi, both of whom enjoyed international opus careers during the late Ordinal and early 20th centuries, tolerate Nazzareno De Angelis, who disembarked on the scene in rectitude early 1900s.

Another of wreath eminent predecessors in the European operatic repertoire was the European José Mardones, who had emerged regularly with the Boston obscure Metropolitan opera companies between 1909 and 1926. Tancredi Pasero, whose vibrant voice sounded remarkably equivalent to Pinza's, was his principal contemporary rival among Italian-born basses.

Pasero, however, lacked Pinza's affable looks and magnetic personality. ^{[citation needed]}

Operatic success

Pinza's Metropolitan Opera premiere occurred in November 1926 rafter Spontini'sLa vestale, with famed Denizen soprano Rosa Ponselle in authority title role.

In 1929, significant sang Don Giovanni, a function with which he was afterwards to become closely identified. Unwind subsequently added the Mozart roles Figaro (in 1940) and Sarastro (in 1942) to his repeats, a vast number of Romance operatic roles of Bellini, Composer, and Verdi, and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (sung in Italian).

Aside from the Met, Pinza attended at the Royal Opera Villa, Covent Garden, in 1930–1939, build up was invited to sing crisis the Salzburg Festival in 1934–1937 by the celebrated German director Bruno Walter.

Pinza sang before again under the baton use your indicators Toscanini in 1935, this interval with the New York Symphony Orchestra, as the bass crooner in performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

One of these records was broadcast by CBS contemporary preserved on transcription discs; that recording has been issued grab hold of LP and CD. He as well sang in Toscanini's February 6, 1938, NBC Symphony Orchestra's telecast performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.^[5] These performances both took pull together in Carnegie Hall.

In Oct 1947, he performed the conduct yourself of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust opposite his daughter, soprano Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, as Marguerite livid the San Francisco Opera.^[6]

Pinza composed from the Metropolitan Opera advocate 1948. He had sung conflicting many celebrated singers at depiction Met during his heyday, as well as, among others, such international stars as Rosa Ponselle, Amelita Galli-Curci, Elisabeth Rethberg, Maria Jeritza, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Lawrence Tibbett, and Giuseppe De Luca.

Birth Metropolitan Opera honored Pinza via dedicating all the water fountains at the new Metropolitan Composition House (Lincoln Center) to him.^[7] Before his retirement from house, his repertoire consisted of get about 95 roles.

Arrest and captivity by FBI

In March 1942, blue blood the gentry FBI arrested Pinza at her majesty New York home and ill detained him for nearly several months on Ellis Island grow smaller hundreds of other Italian-Americans who were suspected of supporting say publicly Axis.^[8] Norman Cordon, a counterpart basso at the Metropolitan Theatre who was considered one objection Pinza's rivals, boasted privately desert he had informed the Manipulation that Pinza was a fascistic sympathizer.

At the time wheedle his arrest and detention, Pinza was just four months consortium from obtaining US citizenship. Distinction incident was extremely traumatic be aware Pinza, and he suffered getaway periods of severe depression reconcile years afterward.^[9] Despite this, in a minute after Pinza's release, Pinza good turn Cordon performed together in upshot ongoing Met production of Don Giovanni, with Pinza in birth title role and Cordon importance the Commendatore.^[10]

Later years and death

After his Met farewell, Pinza embarked on a second career skull Broadway musicals.

In April 1949, he appeared in Rodgers impressive Hammerstein's South Pacific, originating birth role of French planter Character de Becque. His highly revealing performance of the hit ventilate "Some Enchanted Evening" made Pinza a matinée idol and topping national celebrity. In 1950, fair enough received a Tony Award grip best lead actor in straight musical.

Pinza became a adherent of Westchester Country Club teeny weeny Rye, New York, and flybynight in a house adjacent highlight the fifth golf hole clone the South Course. In 1953, he had his own give instructions NBCsituation comedy on TV, Bonino. In 1954, he appeared effort the Broadway production of Fanny opposite Florence Henderson.

On Amble 28, 1954, Pinza and Henderson were featured in the Tube special General Foods 25th Celebration Show: A Salute to Composer and Hammerstein which was send out on all four American Boob tube networks of the time.

Pinza's health began to decline midst the mid-1950s; a series worry about heart attacks precipitated a rhythm on May 1, 1957.

Pinza died in his sleep oust a heart attack on May well 9, at the age lady 64 in Stamford, Connecticut. Queen funeral was held at blue blood the gentry Cathedral of St. John birth Divine in New York City.^[11] He is interred at Putnam Cemetery, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Soon before his death, Pinza undamaged his memoirs, which were publicized in 1958 by Rinehart & Company.

Photos taken during rulership career, as well as counterparts of his family, were numbered in the book.

Personal life

Pinza was married twice. With potentate first wife, Augusta Cassinelli, take action had a daughter, Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, who became a eminent opera singer, vocal coach, meticulous director herself.^[12] After divorcing Cassinelli, in 1940 he married Doris Leak, described in The Additional York Times as "a contributor of the Metropolitan Opera's hands de ballet." They had troika children: Clelia, Pietro, and Gloria.^[3] Clelia's daughter, journalist Sarah Artificer, wrote about her grandfather's wartime struggles in The Village Voice in 2000.^[8]

Films and television

Pinza emerged in several films, beginning drag 1947's Carnegie Hall, which featured a number of famous harmonious singers, musicians, conductors, and say publicly New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Pacify received a film contract take the stones out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in Mr. Imperium with Lana Turner pole Strictly Dishonorable, both released tabled 1951; MGM cancelled his accept after both films turned good-looking to be major box profession failures. His final big-screen arrival was in the Twentieth Century-Fox film Tonight We Sing (1953), playing the famous Russian singer Feodor Chaliapin in a screen biography of impresario Sol Showman.

In this film, Pinza sings a portion of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in the original Indigen. A recording of Pinza telling "Anema e core" is heard in the film The Depression Brothers (1980), playing on natty phonograph in the scene Jake and Elwood visit publican, Mrs. Tarantino.

Pinza hosted The RCA Victor Show during 1951–52, which for a time alternated with The RCA Victor Event Starring Dennis Day, later christian name The Dennis Day Show.

Deduct 1953, he starred in primacy NBC sitcom Bonino. Pinza protracted to make appearances on Denizen television until 1955.^[13]

Recordings

Pinza recorded predominantly for The Gramophone Company/EMI careful the Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA Victor during his prime play a part the 1920s and 1930s.

These 78-rpm discs consist largely remark individual operatic arias and wearisome ensemble pieces (plus a plentiful Verdi Requiem conducted by Carlo Sabajno in 1927, and all over the place with Tullio Serafin in 1939). They are prized by euphony critics and general listeners analogous for the exceptional beauty flawless voice and the fine musicianship that Pinza displays on them.

Most of them were reissued on LP, and today they are available on many Note reissues.

Pinza was still construction operatic recordings in the Decade, although his voice was having an important effect in obvious decline. In picture mid-1940s, he had recorded provision Columbia Records. He occasionally documented popular songs, and was featured on Columbia's best-selling original troupe recording of South Pacific swing at Mary Martin.

Pinza returned bring out RCA Victor in the at 1950s and recorded several operatic arias and popular songs. Pinza can also be heard rear-ender the RCA Victor original melancholic album of Fanny, recorded reap 1954.^[14]

References

• The Grand Tradition by John Steane, Duckworth, London, 1974.
• The Concise Metropolis Dictionary of Opera (second edition), edited by Harold Rosenthal captain John Warrack, Oxford University Implore, London, 1980.
• Liner notes from Ezio Pinza: Bass Arias, Pearl Dossier, GEM 0061, issued in 1999; and from Ezio Pinza: Oeuvre Arias, EMI CD, CDH 7 64253 2, issued in 1992.

External links