Adamo Didur
Encyclopedia
Adamo Didur was a top-class Polish
operatic bass vocalist
. He sang extensively in opera
in Europe and appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera
from 1908 to 1932.
, Poland
. Didur studied in Lwów with Valery Wysocki. He was later working with Franz Emmerich in Milan
. His concert
debut came in Milan in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven
's Ninth Symphony
. In 1894, he made his operatic debut in Rio de Janeiro
, after which he appeared in Russia. He sang at La Scala
, Milan, in 1903-1906, and at London's Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden, in 1905. He also appeared with the Warsaw
Opera from 1899 to 1903. Later, he travelled to Argentina, singing in Buenos Aires
in the 1905-1908 operatic seasons. Didur's North American debut came at the Manhattan Opera House
in 1907.
Didur made his Metropolitan Opera debut on November 14, 1908, singing Ramfis in Giuseppe Verdi
's Aida
. He remained with the company for a quarter of a century and becoming one of its principal bass singers. It was at the Met in 1913 that he appeared in the title role in Boris Godunov
in the American premiere of Mussorgsky's opera. He also created roles in three operas by Giacomo Puccini
at the Met, namely, La fanciulla del West
and the Il tabarro
and Gianni Schicchi
segments of Il Trittico
. He also appeared in the world premiere of Die Königskinder. His last appearance at the Met was in The Tales of Hoffmann on February 11, 1932. His voice had been on the wane for some time and he returned to Europe to live.
Two months before the outbreak of World War II
, Didur was appointed director of the opera company in Lwów, but the conflict made work impossible. He was appointed the first director of the Silesian Opera
in 1945.
He died on January 7, 1946 in Katowice
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
operatic bass vocalist
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
. He sang extensively in opera
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...
in Europe and appeared at New York's 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...
from 1908 to 1932.
Career
He was born on December 23, 1873 or 1874 in SanokSanok
Sanok is a town in south-eastern Poland with 39,110 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It's the capital of Sanok County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Previously, it was in the Krosno Voivodeship and in the Ruthenian Voivodeship , which was part of the Lesser Poland province...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Didur studied in Lwów with Valery Wysocki. He was later working with Franz Emmerich in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. His concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
debut came in Milan in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
. In 1894, he made his operatic debut in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, after which he appeared in Russia. He sang at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, Milan, in 1903-1906, and at London's 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...
, Covent Garden, in 1905. He also appeared with the Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
Opera from 1899 to 1903. Later, he travelled to Argentina, singing in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in the 1905-1908 operatic seasons. Didur's North American debut came at the Manhattan Opera House
Manhattan Center
The Manhattan Center building, built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, houses Manhattan Center Studios , its Grand Ballroom, and the Hammerstein Ballroom, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues...
in 1907.
Didur made his Metropolitan Opera debut on November 14, 1908, singing Ramfis in 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...
's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
. He remained with the company for a quarter of a century and becoming one of its principal bass singers. It was at the Met in 1913 that he appeared in the title role in Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
in the American premiere of Mussorgsky's opera. He also created roles in three operas by Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
at the Met, namely, La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by the American author David Belasco. Its highly-publicised premiere occurred in New York City in 1910...
and the Il tabarro
Il tabarro
Il tabarro is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
and Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
segments of Il Trittico
Il trittico
Il trittico is the title of a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini...
. He also appeared in the world premiere of Die Königskinder. His last appearance at the Met was in The Tales of Hoffmann on February 11, 1932. His voice had been on the wane for some time and he returned to Europe to live.
Two months before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Didur was appointed director of the opera company in Lwów, but the conflict made work impossible. He was appointed the first director of the Silesian Opera
Silesian Opera
Silesian Opera is an opera company in Bytom, Silesia, Poland which was founded in 1945. It has its home at the former City Theatre, which was built between 1898-1901. Adamo Didur was the first artistic director.-External links:*...
in 1945.
He died on January 7, 1946 in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
.
Family
Didur was twice married; with his first wife, the Mexican singer Angela Aranda Arellano (1874-1928), he had five children, two of whom later became singers themselves. After her death he married the French dancer Marguerite Vignon in 1928.Legacy
Didur's large, sonorous and magnificently rich-toned voice was in its prime between the late 1890s and the World War I period. It was particularly suited to the performance of Italian operas. He made many memorable recordings of operatic arias which are available on CD transfers.Further reading
- David Ewen, Encyclopedia of the Opera: New Enlarged Edition. New York; Hill and Wang, 1963.
- Harold Rosenthal and John Warrack (editors), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (corrected second edition). London; Oxford University Press, 1980.