Juan Oncina
Encyclopedia
Juan Oncina was a Spanish tenor
, particularly associated with Rossini and light Donizetti roles, one of the leading tenore di grazia
of the 1950s.
, and later in Milan, with Oltrabella. He made his debut in Barcelona, as des Grieux in Manon
, in 1946. The same year he made his Italian debut in Bologna, as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He appeared in 1949, as Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto
, in Paris, and in Cherubini's L'osteria portoghese and Lully
's Armide
, in Florence.
The turning point in his career came in 1952, when he made his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he was to appear until 1961, especially in Rossini roles such as Almaviva, Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri
, Ramiro in La Cenerentola
, and most notably as Le comte Ory
, possibly his greatest success.
Apart from Rossini, he also excelled in opera by Cimarosa and Paisiello. Other notable roles included: Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni
, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
, Ernesto in Don Pasquale
, Fenton in Falstaff
. In the 1960s, he began, perhaps unwisely, to expand his repertory towards heavier roles in opera by Verdi and Puccini.
Oncina was married to soprano Tatiana Menotti
.
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...
, particularly associated with Rossini and light Donizetti roles, one of the leading tenore di grazia
Tenore di grazia
Leggiero Tenor, also called tenor leggiero or tenore di grazia, is a lightweight, flexible tenor type of voice. The tenor roles written in the early 19th century Italian operas are invariably leggiero tenor roles, especially those by Rossini such as Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri, Don Ramiro in La...
of the 1950s.
Life and career
Juan Oncina began his vocal studies in Barcelona with Mercedes CapsirMercedes Capsir
Mercedes Capsir was a Catalan Spanish opera singer, a high coloratura soprano, particularly associated with light Italian roles, such as Lucia and Gilda.- Life and career :...
, and later in Milan, with Oltrabella. He made his debut in Barcelona, as des Grieux in Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
, in 1946. The same year he made his Italian debut in Bologna, as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He appeared in 1949, as Paolino in 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...
, in Paris, and in Cherubini's L'osteria portoghese and Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
's Armide
Armide (Lully)
Armide is an opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully. The libretto was written by Philippe Quinault, based on Torquato Tasso's La Gerusalemme liberata .Critics in the 18th century regarded Armide as Lully's masterpiece...
, in Florence.
The turning point in his career came in 1952, when he made his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he was to appear until 1961, especially in Rossini roles such as Almaviva, Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca...
, Ramiro in La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
, and most notably as Le comte Ory
Le comte Ory
Le comte Ory is an opéra written by Gioachino Rossini in 1828. Some of the music originates from his opera Il viaggio a Reims written three years earlier for the coronation of Charles X...
, possibly his greatest success.
Apart from Rossini, he also excelled in opera by Cimarosa and Paisiello. Other notable roles included: Don Ottavio in 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...
, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
, Ernesto in Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
, Fenton in Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
. In the 1960s, he began, perhaps unwisely, to expand his repertory towards heavier roles in opera by Verdi and Puccini.
Oncina was married to soprano Tatiana Menotti
Tatiana Menotti
Tatiana Menotti was an Italian operatic soprano. Born to Italian parents in Boston, Menotti grew up in Trieste. In 1936, she sang the role of Despina in Così fan tutte at Glyndebourne. For 25 years she was a principal artist at La Scala in Milan. She was married to the Spanish tenor Juan Oncina....
.
Selected recordings
- Rossini - Le Comte Ory - Vittorio GuiVittorio GuiVittorio Gui was an Italian conductor and composer.Gui was born in Rome in 1885. In 1933 Bruno Walter invited him to be guest conductor at the Salzburg Festival....
- EMI - 1956 - Rossini - La Cenerentola - Vittorio Gui - EMI - 1953
- Donizetti - Don Pasquale - István Kertész - DECCA - 1964
- Verdi - Falstaff - Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
- Sony - 1966
Sources
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6