Francesco Maria Bonini Italian opera singer, baritone Country: Italy

Biography of Francesco Maria Bonini

Francesco Maria Bonini, an Italian opera singer, was an active baritone in opera houses around the world from 1896 to 1927. He was one of the first musicians whose performances were recorded on artificial media, having recorded several times for Fonotipia Records in Milan from 1905 to 1906.

Francesco was born in Naples and studied singing with Beniamino Carelli at the Conservatory of San Pietro in Naples. He made his debut in 1896 at the Teatro Mercadante in Foggia, playing the role of Don Carlo di Vargas in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La forza del destino". In 1897 and 1898, Francesco performed at the Amazon Theatre in Brazil, the Valletta Royal Opera House in Malta, and the Cairo Opera House in Egypt.

In 1899, Bonini returned to Italy and was invited to perform in the operas of Brescia and Cremona. However, he did not stay long in his home country. By 1900, he had already performed at the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, and in 1901, he graced the stage of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In 1903, Bonini debuted at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and later at Milan's La Scala. On December 19, 1903, he played the role of Mignonnet in the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, where he stayed for several years, performing in numerous famous operas of the time.

From 1905 to 1907, Bonini worked in Lisbon at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and had the opportunity to perform in the world premiere of "Amor de Perdição". From 1907 to 1908, he sang in Parma, and from 1909 to 1911, he performed in Turin.

In 1911, Bonini returned to La Scala, where he played roles in renowned operas such as Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Armide", Pietro Mascagni's "Isabeau", and Richard Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg". After spending a year at La Scala, Francesco returned to Turin, where he played Friedrich of Telramund in "Lohengrin" for the first time in his life. In 1913, he also performed multiple times at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

During the last years of his career, Francesco worked as a freelance artist mainly in Italy. In 1918, he made his first appearance at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, playing the role of Falstaff. In the same year, he brilliantly portrayed Germont in "La Traviata" in Bologna at the Teatro Comunale, alongside Ester Mazzoleni as Violetta. Francesco returned to Bologna in 1922 for memorable performances in "Les Huguenots" and "Rigoletto". He also performed in other major Italian opera houses, playing characters like Alfonso in "La Favorita", Amonasro in "Aida", and Barnaba in "La Gioconda".

In 1927, Francesco retired and settled in Milan, where he earned a living by teaching singing. He passed away in Milan on January 11, 1930, at the age of 65.