Carlo Broccardi
Encyclopedia
Carlo Broccardi was an Italian opera
tic tenor
who had an active international career during the first third of the 20th century. He notably sang for the first complete recordings of Giuseppe Verdi
's Rigoletto
(1915, the Duke of Mantua) and Giacomo Puccini
's Tosca
(1919, Cavaradossi); both for His Master's Voice. He also made recordings for the Fonografia Nazionale and Kalliope record labels.
's Lohengrin
. He was soon engaged with major opera house
s throughout Italy, including the Teatro Carlo Felice
, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
, the Teatro di San Carlo
, and the Teatro Regio di Torino. In 1919 he made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi
's Rigoletto
.
In 1922 Broccardi performed several parts opposite Toti dal Monte
at the Teatro Massimo
in Palermo; including the Duke of Mantua, Giuseppe Hagenbacha in Alfredo Catalani
's La Wally
, and Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
. In 1924 he sang the role of Osaka in Pietro Mascagni
's Iris
at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza. In 1925 he performed the role of Enzo Grimaldo in La Gioconda
at La Fenice
opposite Tina Poli-Randaccio in the title role. In 1926 he made his debut at La Scala
in Milan and at the Liceu
in Barcelona. Also that year he undertook a concert tour of Spain. He appeared as a guest artist at the Teatro Colón and other South American theatres during the 1920s. He retired from the stage sometime during the early 1930s. In 1951 he became a resident of the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti
.
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 tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
who had an active international career during the first third of the 20th century. He notably sang for the first complete recordings 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...
's Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
(1915, the Duke of Mantua) and 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...
's Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
(1919, Cavaradossi); both for His Master's Voice. He also made recordings for the Fonografia Nazionale and Kalliope record labels.
Career
Broccardi studied singing in Milan with Antonio Aversa. He made his professional opera debut in 1911 at the Teatro Corso in Bologna as the title hero in Richard WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
. He was soon engaged with major opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s throughout Italy, including the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
, the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
, and the Teatro Regio di Torino. In 1919 he made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as the Duke of Mantua 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 Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
.
In 1922 Broccardi performed several parts opposite Toti dal Monte
Toti Dal Monte
Antonietta Meneghel , better known by her stage name Toti Dal Monte, was a celebrated Italian operatic soprano with a sweet and limpid lyric voice. She was a favourite artist of the celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini...
at the Teatro Massimo
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II....
in Palermo; including the Duke of Mantua, Giuseppe Hagenbacha in Alfredo Catalani
Alfredo Catalani
Alfredo Catalani was an Italian operatic composer. He is best remembered for his operas Loreley and La Wally...
's La Wally
La Wally
La Wally is a four-act opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed on a libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at La Scala, Milan on 20 January 1892....
, and Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
. In 1924 he sang the role of Osaka in Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Iris
Iris (opera)
Iris is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. Its first performance was at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 22 November 1898.The opera is through-composed and set in Japan during legendary times...
at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza. In 1925 he performed the role of Enzo Grimaldo in La Gioconda
La Gioconda (opera)
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835...
at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
opposite Tina Poli-Randaccio in the title role. In 1926 he made his debut 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...
in Milan and at the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in Barcelona. Also that year he undertook a concert tour of Spain. He appeared as a guest artist at the Teatro Colón and other South American theatres during the 1920s. He retired from the stage sometime during the early 1930s. In 1951 he became a resident of the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti
Casa di Riposo per Musicisti
The Casa di Riposo per Musicisti is a rest home for retired opera singers and musicians in Milan, northern Italy, founded by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. The building was designed in the neo-Gothic style by Italian architect, Camillo Boito. Both Verdi and his wife, Giuseppina...
.