Camille Everardi
Encyclopedia
Camille Everardi was a Belgian
opera
tic baritone
who had an active international career during the 1850s through the 1870s. He particularly excelled in the works of Vincenzo Bellini
and Gioachino Rossini. Several music critics of his day likened his voice to that of Antonio Tamburini
. He later had a highly successful second career as a voice teacher in the Russian Empire
.
and under Manuel García in Paris. He made his professional opera debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples
in 1850 where he sang for two seasons. He sang at the Teatro Canobbiano in Milan in 1852 and in 1853 he made his first appearance at La Scala
as Francesco in Verdi
's I masnadieri
. From 1853 to 1854 he was engaged at the Teatro Regio di Torino.
In 1855 Everardi returned to Paris to join the roster of principal singers at the Théâtre-Italien. He sang there for two seasons in such roles as Aliprando in Rossini's Matilde di Shabran
and the title role in Mozart
's Don Giovanni
. In 1860 he was engaged at the Royal Opera, London
where he portrayed Comte de Nevers in Meyerbeer
's Les Huguenots
, Elmiro in Rossini's Otello
, Alphonse in Donizetti
's La favorite
, and Count Robinson in Cimarosa
's Il matrimonio segreto
. He also made several appearances at opera houses in Germany.
Beginning in 1853, Everardi made several lauded opera appearances in Russian opera houses. He eventually moved to Saint Petersburg during the late 1850s where he appeared at the Mariinsky Imperial Theatre
until 1873, when he retired from the stage. He remained in Saint Petersburg working as a voice teacher for a few years before taking a position at the Kiev Conservatory
. He eventually left Kiev to teach at the Moscow Conservatory
where he remained until his death in 1899. A large number of his pupils went on to have major careers, including Nikolay Figner
, Maria Slavina, Nikolay Speransky, Fyodor Stravinsky
, Joachim Tartakov, and Dmitri Usatov.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
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...
tic baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
who had an active international career during the 1850s through the 1870s. He particularly excelled in the works of Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
and Gioachino Rossini. Several music critics of his day likened his voice to that of Antonio Tamburini
Antonio Tamburini
Antonio Tamburini was an Italian operatic baritone.Born in Faenza, then part of the Papal States, Tamburini studied the orchestral horn with his father and voice with Aldobrando Rossi, before making his debut as a singer, aged 18, in La contessa di colle erbose . He went on to become one of the...
. He later had a highly successful second career as a voice teacher in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Biography
Born to parents of Italian descent, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège in LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
and under Manuel García in Paris. He made his professional opera debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1850 where he sang for two seasons. He sang at the Teatro Canobbiano in Milan in 1852 and in 1853 he made his first appearance 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...
as Francesco in 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 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....
. From 1853 to 1854 he was engaged at the Teatro Regio di Torino.
In 1855 Everardi returned to Paris to join the roster of principal singers at the Théâtre-Italien. He sang there for two seasons in such roles as Aliprando in Rossini's Matilde di Shabran
Matilde di Shabran
Matilde di Shabran , ossia Bellezza, e cuor di ferro , is a melodramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti after François-Benoît Hoffman’s libretto for Méhul’s Euphrosine and J. M. Boutet de Monvel's play Mathilde...
and the title role in Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. In 1860 he was engaged at the Royal Opera, London
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
where he portrayed Comte de Nevers in Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
's Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
, Elmiro in Rossini's Otello
Otello (Rossini)
Otello is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Berio di Salsi, based on Shakespeare's play Othello....
, Alphonse in Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's La favorite
La favorite
La favorite is an opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play Le comte de Comminges by Baculard d'Arnaud...
, and Count Robinson in Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
's Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...
. He also made several appearances at opera houses in Germany.
Beginning in 1853, Everardi made several lauded opera appearances in Russian opera houses. He eventually moved to Saint Petersburg during the late 1850s where he appeared at the Mariinsky Imperial Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
until 1873, when he retired from the stage. He remained in Saint Petersburg working as a voice teacher for a few years before taking a position at the Kiev Conservatory
Kiev Conservatory
The Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music is a Ukrainian state institution of higher music education. Its courses include postgraduate education.-History:...
. He eventually left Kiev to teach at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
where he remained until his death in 1899. A large number of his pupils went on to have major careers, including Nikolay Figner
Nikolay and Medea Figner
Nikolay Figner , lyric tenor, and Medea Figner , mezzo-soprano, later soprano, were a renowned husband-and-wife team of opera singers active in Russia between 1889 and 1904. Medea was Italian-born but she became competely Russianized after marrying Nikolay...
, Maria Slavina, Nikolay Speransky, Fyodor Stravinsky
Fyodor Stravinsky
Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky ) was a Russian bass opera singer and actor. He was the father of Igor Stravinsky and the grandfather of Soulima Stravinsky....
, Joachim Tartakov, and Dmitri Usatov.