Giovanni Genzardi
A nephew of baritone Mario Sammarco, he studied in Palermo with Cantelli. He made his debut in 1903 at
the Massimo in Palermo in Traviata. Success was quick, and long-running: his career lasted well into the 1930s.
He sang
throughout Italy: Catania, Naples, Bari, Rome, Florence, Genova, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Milano,
Venice, Trieste, Torino, as well as in countless smaller towns. He sang at all major theaters, but more often at smaller
venues: more often at the Teatro Malibran and Teatro Rossini in Venice than at La Fenice, more often at the Teatro Biondo
than at the Massimo in Palermo, and so on; in Milano, he sang usually at the Teatro Carcano, the Teatro Dal Verme or the
Teatro Lirico, and only in 1924 at La Scala (in comprimario roles that were not typically part of his repertory). But he sang
a lot at the San Carlo in Naples.
Abroad, he visited North America with a touring troupe in 1907 and also appeared in Buenos Aires (Teatro Coliseo, 1915),
Paris (Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, 1905), Barcelona (Liceu, 1914), Rijeka (1919) and Warsaw (1912 and 1913).
His repertory included, in the order of his role debuts, Alfredo, Araquil (La Navarraise), Loris, Osaka, Puccini's
des Grieux, Turiddu, Don José, Alexis (Siberia), Massenet's des Grieux, Edgardo, Duca, Cavaradossi, Fernand,
Maurizio, Rodolfo, Nadir, Ernesto, Fortunio (in Niccolò Van Westerhout's opera of the same name), Nicias, Fritz,
Rimuel (La nave rossa by Seppilli), Werther, Conte Riccardo (La débacle by Masucci), Enzo Grimaldo, Allan
(La favola di Helga by Santoliquido), Gounod's Faust, Almaviva, Roméo, Elvino, Pinkerton, one of the tenor
roles in Il signor Bruschino (unknown which one), Nemorino, some (again unknown) role in Fanfulla by Attilio
Parelli, some comprimario role in Louise, and Augustin Moser (Meistersinger). That the last roles he learned
were secondary parts could mislead; in fact, he typically sang main roles (just no new main roles) up to the
end of his career.
After he retired, he lived in Milano and spent his last years at the Casa di Riposo G. Verdi.
Reference 1 and picture source: Roberto Marcocci's great website, reference 2: Kutsch & Riemens
Zon-o-phone, Milano, 1906 or 1907 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Tu qui, Santuzza (w. Chelotti) 12706 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Fior di giaggiolo 12707 (w. Chelotti & Colombati) Odeon, Milano, about 1907 xM778 Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia X37427 xM779 Carmen (Bizet): Il fior che avevi a me tu dato X37439 Favorite, Verona, 1 June 1911 Werther (Massenet): O natura piena di grazia 1-35540 Werther (Massenet): Ah non mi ridestar 1-35541 5338-t Manon (Massenet): Chiudo gli occhi 1-35542 Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Nel verno al piè 1-35543 Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Della mia vita 1-35544 Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Ecco ridente in cielo, pt. 2 1-35545 Favorite, Verona, 3 June 1911 5347-t Favorite (Donizetti): E fia vero? (w. Friggi) 1-39126 Favorite (Donizetti): Ah! crudel fato (w. Micucci) 1-39128 Favorite, Verona, 6 June 1911 Manon (Massenet): Tu! Voi! (w. Bevignani), pt. 1 1-39129 60%-w Lohengrin (Wagner): Mercè, mercè ... Mio salvatore (w. Bevignani) 2-39029 Favorite, Verona, 8 June 1911 Werther (Massenet): Ma come dopo il nembo 1-35573 Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Ecco ridente in cielo, pt. 1 1-35574 5376-t Manon (Massenet): Ah dispar, vision 1-35575 Contessa d'Amalfi (Petrella): Tra i rami fulgida 1-35576 Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Mi par d'udir ancora 1-35577 Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Bell'astro tinto 1-35578 Favorite, Verona, 12 June 1911 Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Del tempio al limitar (w. Marcolini) 2-39032 63-w Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Chi mi frena 2-39033 (w. Bevignani, Marcolini & Friggi) Manon (Massenet): A Parigi n'andrem (w. Bevignani & Marcolini) 1-39131 Favorite, Verona, 13 June 1911 Africaine (Meyerbeer): O paradiso 1-35580 Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Fra poco a me ricovero 1-35581 5400-t Lohengrin (Wagner): Da voi lontan 1-35582 64-w Lohengrin (Wagner): Da voi lontan 2-35043 Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti): Se tanto in ira agli uomini 1-35583 Favorite (Donizetti): Pietoso al par del nume (w. Micucci) 1-39135 Favorite, Verona, mid-June 1911 Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Com'è gentil 1-35589 Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Voi dovrete travestirvi (w. Marcolini) 1-39138 Manon (Massenet): Tu! Voi! (w. Bevignani), pt. 2 1-39140 Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Numero quindici (w. Marcolini) 1-39144 Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Sulla tomba (w. Bevignani) 1-39148 Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Se il mio nome 1-39152 (w. Bevignani & Marcolini) Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Tornami a dir (w. Bevignani) 1-39154 Traviata (Verdi): Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo cuore 1-39158 (w. Bevignani & Marcolini) Columbia, Milano, about 1905 10402-1 Fedora (Giordano): Amor ti vieta 10402 10403 Traviata (Verdi): Questa donna conoscete 10403 10404 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): O Lola 10404 10405 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Viva il vino 10405 10407 Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Maledetto sia l'istante 10407 10418 Carmen (Bizet): Il fior che avevi a me tu dato 10418 10419 Carmen (Bizet): Mia tu sei 10419 10420 Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea): L'anima ho stanca 10420 10421 Navarraise (Massenet): O mia adorata perché non sei tu qui? 10421 10422 Fedora (Giordano): Vedi, io piango (w. Joanna) 10422 10423 Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea): Tu sei la mia vittoria (w. Joanna) 10423 Source for the discography: Gesellschaft für historische Tonträger, Wien |