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Giuseppe Anselmi (Tenor) (Catania 1876 – Zoagli presso Rapallo 1929)
He was born Antonio Giuseppe Anselmi in Nicolosi, near Catania, and entered the Naples Conservatory when he was only 12 years old. There he studied composition, violin and piano before he became interested in singing. Exactly when Anselmi turned his attention to voice, or whether he studied with someone or was primarily self-taught, is not clear, but he is generally credited with touring in an operetta company by the time he was only 16 years old. At one point in his travels, he was heard by Giulio Ricordi, who sensed operatic possibilities and referred the young man to Luigi Mancinelli for further vocal training. Anselmi is generally credited by the "authoritative" sources as having made his operatic debut at the Royal Opera in Athens (1896), as Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’, but there is no surviving documentation to support this claim. In a 1918 interview, Anselmi remembered the year as being a bit later, and the location being Patras, Greece, where his repertoire did include Turiddu, but the tenor roles in ‘’La Traviata’’, ‘’Rigoletto’’ and ‘’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’’ as well. In late 1898, Anselmi appeared at Smyrna with an opera company headed by an impressario named Gonzalez, and toured with the company to Athens, Istanbul and Alexandria. As a principal tenor with this company, he sometimes sang as many as five times a week. In 1900, Anselmi made his debut in Genoa, singing Rodolfo, the Duke and Edgardo (to Fanny Toresella’s Lucia). That same year he appeared at the San Carlo in Naples, where he sang with Angelica Pandolfini and Rina Giachetti (the sister of Caruso’s mistress) in ‘’Le Maschere’’, a new work by Mascagni. Anselmi made his London debut at Covent Garden (1901) as the Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’ (with Suzanne Adams as Gilda). His other performances that summer in London included Rodolfo (with Melba and Scotti) and the tenor solo in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (with Gadski, Brema and Planзon). The London critics were for the most part unimpressed, and spoke of "bad habits" and a "disagreeable bleating tone that is characteristic of Italian tenors." The Times critic predicted that Anselmi’s voice would be "permanently ruined" within a "few seasons." Then, as now, critics were frequently incorrect. He returned to London on several occasions, but was especially admired in St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, Milan (La Scala), Warsaw and Madrid in a variety of rфles that included Cavaradossi, Loris in ‘’Fedora’’, Maurizio in ‘’Adriana Lecouvreur’’, Osaka in ‘’Iris’’, Lensky, Edgardo, Nadir in ‘’Pescatori di Perle’’ and many others. He also sang with great success in opera and concerts in Brussels, Vienna, Berlin, Monte Carlo and Paris (although his only known performance there took place in 1907 in the private theater of Jean de Reszke’s home; he sang Almalviva to Adelina Patti’s Rosina in her last ever operatic appearance). The First World War greatly curtailed his activities, and by the time it was over, so was, for the most part, Anselmi’s relatively short career. Like a great many other famous singers of his era, he turned to teaching (in Italy), and also did some composing of his own. His last appearance was at a benefit concert in Rapallo (1926), when he not only sang, but played the violin and provided the piano accompaniment for some of his students as well. Pneumonia claimed him at a rather early age. Comments: Giuseppe Anselmi, a fine actor, was tall and handsome as well, and became very much a "matinйe idol" in his day, more or less in the tradition of Jean de Reszke. But good looks in his case were merely an eye-pleasing ornamentation, for he possessed an equally lovely voice and was very musically intelligent. There are many aspects to his personal life that were shrouded in mystery even during his lifetime; he seems to have liked it that way. Anselmi was passionately devoted to his art, and in the end gave his heart to Madrid (quite literally), where it is preserved in that city’s theatrical museum.
Scetate (Costa) Fonotipia 62285 XPh2826
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