Francesco Conti
1874 Palermo – ?
Conti graduated as an accountant. He studied singing with maestro Cantelli.
In 1900, he made his debut as baritone. However his ease with high notes convinced him he was a tenor.
He made his tenor debut in 1902 as Pollione at the Apollo in Lugano without any rehearsal.
In 1921, when he was at Palermo for the season at the Politeama Garibaldi, he was with a woman when her husband,
the tenor Matteo Bruno, discovered them and shot his wife dead.
His tenor career evolved as follows:
1902 Lugano, Biella, Este, Malta
1903 Malta
1904 Palermo, Biella, Catania, Zara
1905 Parma (Regio), Catania, Belem
1908 Savona
1909 Savona, Bologna, Oporto, Reggio Emilia
1910 Reggio Emilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo
1911 Casale Monferrato
1912 Marsala
1913 Ferrara, Santa Maria Capua Vetere
1914 Bologna
1917 Corfu
1921 Palermo
1923 Roma (Guglielmo Tell, Adriano, 13 October 1923, with Colasanti, Beuf, Zaccarini, Ferrari)
His repertory included: Pollione,
Chénier, Canio, Pery, Ruy Blas, Ernani, Radames, Otello,
Alfeo (Aretusa by Casalaina),
Piero (Nel sempione by Costantino),
Manrico, Federico, Alvaro,
Paolo (Moena by Pacheco),
Samson, Cavaradossi, Riccardo (Maria di Rohan),
Arnoldo, ...
Selected Performances
Otello
1903, in January (sharing with Mariani Carlo) La Valletta/Malta - Teatro Reale with Tebro Ernestina, Cigada Francesco
1905, in May Belem - Teatro Paz with Silva Laura, Vinci Salvatore
1908, in December Savona - Teatro Chiabrera with Tacchi Emma, Del Grillo Pio
1909, in March Bologna - Teatro Del Corso with Corsi Emilia, Dadone Bartolomeo
1910, in March Reggio Emilia - Teatro Municipale with Massa Jole, Bozzoli Iginio
1910, in June Rio de Janeiro - Teatro Lirico with Tacchi Emma/Poli Randaccio Tina, Giraldoni Eugenio
1910, in July San Paolo - Politeama with Tacchi Emma, Viglione Borghese Domenico
1911, in October Casale Monferrato - Teatro Sociale with De Silva Herminia, Zuffo Mino
1912, in February Marsala - Teatro Garibaldi with Corneri Elena, Parigi Galileo
1913, in May Santa Maria Capua Vetere - Teatro Comunale with Rossini Maria, Viggiani Giuseppe
1923, in June Roma - Teatro Adriano with Carugati Thea/Di Pisa Antonietta, Beuf Augusto
Tosca
1909, in February (sharing with Gasparri Galileo) Savona - Teatro Chiabrera with Cutti Berta, Del Grillo Pio
Il trovatore
1903, in July Biella - Teatro Sociale with Barbera Lina, Badini Maria, Aldobrandi Filippo, Paer Alessandro
1905, in June Belem - Teatro Paz with Poli Randaccio Tina, Longhi Emma, Vinci Salvatore, Fiore Michele
1909, in November Oporto - Teatro Prince Real with Araclil, Monti Brunner Linda, Morro Mattia/Rebonato Gaetano, Gaudio Mansueto
1910, in June San Paolo - Politeama with Poli Randaccio Tina, Gramegna Anna, Viglione Borghese Domenico, Torres de Luna José
1914, in January, Bologna - Teatro Del Corso with Baldini Maria, Gramegna Anna, Zuffo Mino
Pagliacci
1902, in August Biella - Teatro Sociale with Calvi Marina, Aldobrandi Filippo, Negrini Antonio, Font Vittorio
1904, in April Palermo - Teatro Massimo with Degli Abbati Armanda/Grassi Gargiulo Giuseppina, Polese Giovanni/Amato Pasquale/Aineto Marino, Di Gennaro Osvaldo, Cecchi Ernesto
1904, in July Catania - Politeama Pacini with Ardizzoni Tosi Luisa/Garagnani Carolina/Rapisardi Fernanda, Schottler Giorgio/Tudisco Umberto,
Omodei Ercole/Bruno
1905, in May Belem - Teatro Paz Aifos Sofia, Vinci Salvatore, Cerratelli Arturo, Maini Primo
1910, in August San Paolo - Politeama with Allegri Elisa, Giraldoni Eugenio, Federici Francesco, Algos Angelo
| Francesco Conti sings | Andrea Chénier: Vicino a te, with Bianca Besalù
|
| Francesco Conti sings | La Gioconda: Enzo Grimaldo, with Ernesto Badini
|
Chronology
|
1902 |
|
|
|
|
05 |
Lugano |
Teatro Apollo |
NORMA (Pollione) |
|
07/08 |
Biella |
Teatro Sociale |
ANDREA CHÉNIER (Chénier) / PAGLIACCI (Canio) |
|
09 |
Este |
Teatro Sociale |
ANDREA CHÉNIER (Chénier) |
|
11/12 |
Malta |
Teatro Reale |
GUARANY (Pery) / RUY BLAS (Ruy Blas) / ERNANI (Ernani) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1903 |
|
|
|
|
01 |
Malta |
Teatro Reale |
AIDA (Radames) / OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1904 |
|
|
|
|
04 |
Palermo |
Teatro Massimo |
PAGLIACCI (Canio) / ARETUSA di R. Casalaina (Alfeo) / NEL SEMPIONE di
L. Costantino (Piero) |
|
07 |
Biella |
Teatro Sociale |
TROVATORE (Manrico) |
|
07 |
Catania |
Politeama Pacini |
PAGLIACCI (Canio) / RIGOLETTO (Duca) |
|
10 |
Zara |
Teatro Comunale |
GERMANIA (Federico) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1905 |
|
|
|
|
01 |
Parma |
Teatro Regio |
GERMANIA (Federico) |
|
01 |
Catania |
Teatro Bellini |
AIDA (Radames) |
|
05/06 |
Belem |
Teatro Paz |
AIDA (Radames) / GUARANY (Pery) / OTELLO (Otello) / PAGLIACCI (Canio) /
FORZA DEL DESTINO (Don Alvaro) / MOEMA di A. Pacheco (Paolo) / SANSONE E
DALIDA (Sansone) / TROVATORE (Manrico) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1908 |
|
|
|
|
12 |
Savona |
Teatro Chiabrera |
OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1909 |
|
|
|
|
01/02 |
Savona |
Teatro Chiabrera |
TOSCA (Cavaradossi) |
|
03 |
Bologna |
Teatro Del Corso |
OTELLO (Otello) |
|
11 |
Oporto |
Teatro Prince Real |
AIDA (Radames) / TROVATORE (Manrico) |
|
12 |
Reggio Emilia |
Teatro Municipale |
OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1910 |
|
|
|
|
01 |
Reggio Emilia |
Teatro Municipale |
MARIA DI ROHAN (Riccardo) |
|
06 |
Rio de Janeiro |
Teatro Lirico |
OTELLO (Otello) |
|
07 |
San Paolo |
Politeama |
AIDA (Radames) / GERMANIA (Federico) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1911 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
Casale Monferrato |
Teatro Sociale |
OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1912 |
|
|
|
|
02 |
Marsala |
Teatro Garibaldi |
OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1913 |
|
|
|
|
03 |
Ferrara |
Teatro Comunale |
AIDA (Radames) |
|
05 |
Santa Maria Capua Vetere |
Teatro Garibaldi |
OTELLO (Otello) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1914 |
|
|
|
|
01/02 |
Bologna |
Teatro Del Corso |
TROVATORE (Manrico) / AIDA (Radames) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1917 |
|
|
|
|
01 |
Corfù |
Teatro Nuovo |
AIDA (Radames) |
| |
|
|
|
|
1923 |
|
|
|
|
05 |
Roma |
Teatro Adriano |
GUGLIELMO TELL (Arnoldo) / OTELLO (Otello) |
Discography
Gramophone, Milano
900ah Aida (Verdi): Pur ti riveggo (w. Fanny Lotti) 54461
901ah Aida (Verdi): Si fuggiam (w. Fanny Lotti) 54462
203aj Aida (Verdi): Morir, si pura e bella (w. Fanny Lotti) 054309
204aj Aida (Verdi): O terra addio (w. Fanny Lotti) 054310
905ah Gioconda (Ponchielli): Enzo Grimaldo (w. Ernesto Badini) 54438, R3323 Victor 45033 A
906ah Gioconda (Ponchielli): O grido di quest'anima (w. Ernesto Badini) 54439, R3323
910ah Otello (Verdi): Già nella notte densa (w. Fanny Lotti) 54437, R3481
212aj Otello (Verdi): Quando narravi (w. Fanny Lotti) 054301, S3478
213aj Otello (Verdi): Venga la morte (w. Fanny Lotti) 054308, S3478
947ah Andrea Chénier (Giordano): Vicino a te (w. Bianca Besalù) 54468
970ah Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns): Spezza i ceppi (w. chorus) 2-52798, R3575
246aj Aida (Verdi): Nume custode (w. Amleto Galli & chorus) 054302
248aj Otello (Verdi): Uragano (w. Ermanno Pezzuti, ernesto Badini & chorus) 05430
Source for the chronology, picture, recordings and discography the extraordinary website of Roberto Marcocci.
|