Lamberto Gardelli
Encyclopedia
Lamberto Gardelli was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera
repertory, especially the works of Giuseppe Verdi
.
Born in Venice
, Italy, he studied with Amilcare Zanella and Adriano Ariani at the Liceo Musicale Rossini in Pesaro
, and later at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
in Rome. He worked as the assistant of Tullio Serafin
at the Rome Opera, and made his debut as conductor there with La traviata
in 1944.
He became chief conductor at the Stockholm Opera in 1946 and remained until 1955. He was then chief conductor of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1955 until 1961, and of the Hungarian State Opera from 1961 until 1966, while making guest appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, the Royal Opera House
in London, the Metropolitan Opera
in New York, etc.
Gardelli was considered a specialist in the works of Verdi
, and made several recordings of his operas in the 1960s and 1970s, especially many of the neglected early ones with record companies such as Orfeo and Philips
. These included Alzira
, Attila
, Stiffelio
, I masnadieri
, Ernani
, Oberto
, Un giorno di regno
, Il corsaro
, as well as more well-known works such as Nabucco
, Macbeth
, La traviata
, La forza del destino
.
He did not limit himself to Verdi; he also recorded the first complete French version of Rossini's Guillaume Tell
with Montserrat Caballé
, Nicolai Gedda
and Gabriel Bacquier
, and Giordano
's Fedora with the rarely recorded Magda Olivero
and Mario del Monaco
. He was also mentor to several noted sopranos, including Lucia Aliberti
and Sylvia Sass
.
In later years, Gardelli held posts as chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra
.
He was made an "Officier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres" in 1995, by the Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie.
Gardelli died in Munich
, Germany, at the age of 82.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
repertory, especially the works of Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
.
Born in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy, he studied with Amilcare Zanella and Adriano Ariani at the Liceo Musicale Rossini in Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
, and later at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
in Rome. He worked as the assistant of Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin
-Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire...
at the Rome Opera, and made his debut as conductor there with La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
in 1944.
He became chief conductor at the Stockholm Opera in 1946 and remained until 1955. He was then chief conductor of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1955 until 1961, and of the Hungarian State Opera from 1961 until 1966, while making guest appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London, the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York, etc.
Gardelli was considered a specialist in the works of Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, and made several recordings of his operas in the 1960s and 1970s, especially many of the neglected early ones with record companies such as Orfeo and Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
. These included Alzira
Alzira (opera)
Alzira is an opera in a prologue and two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Alzire, ou les Américains by Voltaire.The first performance was at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on August 12, 1845...
, Attila
Attila (opera)
Attila is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the play Attila, König der Hunnen by Friedrich Ludwig Zacharias Werner. Initially, Verdi had enlisted Francesco Maria Piave to prepare the libretto, after Verdi's own scenario...
, Stiffelio
Stiffelio
Stiffelio is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Le pasteur, ou L'évangile et le foyer by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois...
, I masnadieri
I masnadieri
I masnadieri is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on Die Räuber by Friedrich von Schiller....
, Ernani
Ernani
Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...
, Oberto
Oberto (opera)
Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio is an opera in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an existing libretto by Antonio Piazza probably called Rocester....
, Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao is an operatic melodramma giocoso in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on the play Le faux Stanislas by Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval...
, Il corsaro
Il corsaro
Il corsaro is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron's poem The Corsair...
, as well as more well-known works such as Nabucco
Nabucco
Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
, Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
, La forza del destino
La forza del destino
La forza del destino is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino , by Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas, with a scene adapted from Friedrich Schiller's Wallensteins Lager. It was first performed...
.
He did not limit himself to Verdi; he also recorded the first complete French version of Rossini's Guillaume Tell
William Tell (opera)
Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...
with Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
, Nicolai Gedda
Nicolai Gedda
Nicolai Gedda is a Swedish operatic tenor. Having made some two hundred recordings, Gedda is said to be the most widely recorded tenor in history...
and Gabriel Bacquier
Gabriel Bacquier
Gabriel Bacquier is a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories, he is considered a fine singing-actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles.-Life and career:Gabriel Bacquier was born in...
, and Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's Fedora with the rarely recorded Magda Olivero
Magda Olivero
Magda Olivero is a soprano of the verismo-school of singing. She was born in Saluzzo, Italy. Olivero made her operatic debut in 1932 on Turin radio in Cattozzo’s oratorio I misteri dolorosi. She performed widely and increasingly successfully until 1941, when she married and retired from performing...
and Mario del Monaco
Mario del Monaco
Mario Del Monaco was an Italian tenor who is regarded by his admirers as being one of the greatest dramatic tenors of the 20th century....
. He was also mentor to several noted sopranos, including Lucia Aliberti
Lucia Aliberti
Lucia Aliberti is a prominent Sicilian soprano opera singer. She is much appreciated for her performances of the bel canto roles of , Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Vivaldi, Mercadante, etc.A dramatic soprano of vocal agility, Lucia Aliberti was awarded...
and Sylvia Sass
Sylvia Sass
Sylvia Sass is a Hungarian operatic soprano who has sung leading roles both in her native country and internationally.-Life and career:...
.
In later years, Gardelli held posts as chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
The Danish National Symphony Orchestra , is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR...
.
He was made an "Officier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres" in 1995, by the Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie.
Gardelli died in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany, at the age of 82.
Recordings
- Cherubini - Medea - Dame Gwyneth Jones, Bruno Prevedi, Fiorenza Cossotto, Justino Diaz - Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia - DECCA
- Verdi - Nabucco - Tito Gobbi, Elena Souliotis, Dora Carral, Bruno Prevedi, Carlo Cava - Vienna State Opera Chorus and Orchestra - DECCA
- Verdi - Macbeth - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elena Souliotis, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Symphony - DECCA
- Verdi - La traviata - Mirella Freni, Franco Bonisolli. Sesto Bruscantini - Berlin State Opera Chorus and Orchestra - ACCORD
- Verdi - La forza del destino - Martina Arroyo, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli, Bianca Maria Casoni, Ruggero Raimondi, Geraint Evans - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Royal Philarmonic Orchestra - EMI
- Ponchielli - La Gioconda - Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merrill, Marilyn Horne, Nikolai Ghiuzelev, Oralia Dominguez - Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia - DECCA
- Puccini - Il tabarro - Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, Robert Merrill - Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino - DECCA
- Puccini - Suor Angelica - Renata Tebaldi, Giulietta Simionato - Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino - DECCA
- Puccini - Gianni Schicchi - Fernando Corena, Renata Tebaldi, Agostino Lazzari - Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino - DECCA