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Cesar VezzaniFrench dramatic tenor of Corsican origin
Date of Birth: 08.08.1888
Country:  France |
Content:
Biography of César Vezzani
César Vezzani was a French dramatic tenor of Corsican descent who was one of the leading performers of French opera for several decades. He possessed an exceptionally wide range and superb diction, which allowed him to sing a variety of roles. In his personal life, he was a proud and generous individual who was always accompanied by admirers.
Early Life
César Vezzani was born on August 8, 1888 (some sources argue for 1886) in the city of Bastia, Corsica. His father passed away shortly before his birth. After 1900, his family moved to the mainland and settled in Toulon. Little is known about his early musical education, but it is known that when Vezzani went to Paris in 1908 to study singing, he could barely read, write, or speak French. His first teacher was the Corsican soprano Agnès Borgo (1879-1958), who helped Vezzani become a student at the Paris Conservatoire.
Career
In 1911, Vezzani made his debut at the Opéra-Comique, performing the lead role in André Grétry's comic opera "Richard Coeur-de-lion." His repertoire at the Opéra-Comique expanded to include works by French composers such as Meyerbeer's "Dinorah" and Erlanger's "La sorcière," as well as Italian composers like Puccini's "Tosca" and Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana."
In 1913, Vezzani married Agnès Borgo, and they had a daughter together. However, they divorced in 1919, and Vezzani was married two more times. Vezzani and Borgo both signed contracts for performances in Boston and Chicago during the 1914-1915 season, but their plans were disrupted by World War I. Vezzani was called to serve in the army, where he fought and was wounded in battle. During the last years of the war, he resumed his musical career, but most of his invitations came from provincial opera houses. He frequently performed in cities such as Nice, Marseille, Toulon, and Toulouse, and occasionally appeared in Brussels.
Vezzani returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1921 and 1922, and likely performed there throughout the 1920s. However, he never sang at the Paris Opéra. His resonant, heroic voice made him an ideal choice for dramatic roles, including Wagnerian parts in French, but he never turned down more lyrical roles from the classical French repertoire.
During World War II, Vezzani lived in North Africa and often performed in Algiers, where he was beloved by the audience. He continued to be the leading tenor of the opera theater in Toulon until 1948 when he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed. Friends of the artist believed that his lifestyle, characterized by a fondness for fatty food and alcohol, contributed to his condition. Shortly before his stroke, he had signed a three-year contract with the La Monnaie theater in Brussels, but his health prevented him from performing, and there was no hope of recovery.
Vezzani returned to Corsica with no money in his pocket and spent the last three years of his life in poverty, relying on the generosity of friends. He passed away on November 11, 1951, in a Marseille hospital and was buried in Bastia. The city named one of its streets after him. The myth that Tsar Nicholas II dubbed Vezzani the "Emperor of Tenors" during his performances in Russia is not supported by any evidence. In reality, the artist accompanied his wife, Agnès Borgo, to Russia as part of an opera troupe.
