Beniamino Gigli Italian opera tenor Date of Birth: 20.03.1890 Country: Italy

Biography of Beniamino Gigli

Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957) was an Italian tenor, renowned for his performances in lyrical tenor roles. He studied at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome (1911-1914) under Antonio Cotogni and Enrico Rosati. Gigli won the International Singing Competition in Parma in 1914. That same year, he made his debut in Rovigo as Enzo in Ponchielli's "La Gioconda".

Early in his career, Gigli performed in Genoa, Bologna, Palermo, Naples, and Rome, singing roles in operas such as "Manon Lescaut", "Tosca", and "La Favorita". In 1918, he debuted at La Scala in Milan, at the invitation of Arturo Toscanini, in the role of Faust in Boito's "Mefistofele". In 1919, Gigli sang the role of Gennaro in Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia" at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, to great acclaim.

From 1920 to 1932, Gigli performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, making his debut as Faust in "Mefistofele". He also made several appearances at Covent Garden from 1930 onwards. In 1937, he sang the role of Radames in the first season of the Caracalla Festival in Rome. In 1940, Gigli performed in the rarely staged opera "Polieucte" by Donizetti at La Scala.

Gigli's fame came from his performances in lyrical tenor roles, with notable portrayals of Nemorino in "L'elisir d'amore", Cavaradossi in "Tosca", and Andrea Chénier in Giordano's opera of the same name. It was only in the late 1930s that Gigli began performing in some dramatic roles, such as Radames (1937) and Manrico (1939). In his memoirs, Gigli emphasized the importance of carefully selecting repertoire that suited his vocal abilities, which contributed to his long and successful career that ended in 1955.

Apart from his operatic career, Gigli also ventured into the world of cinema, appearing in films such as "Giuseppe Verdi" (1938), "Pagliacci" (1943), "You, My Happiness", and "A Voice in Your Heart". He also wrote memoirs in 1943. Some notable recordings include his performances as Radames conducted by Tullio Serafin (EMI), Rodolfo conducted by Umberto Berrettoni (Nimbus), and Turiddu conducted by Gigli himself (Nimbus).