Bernardo Bernardi

He was born Leib Berek Vogelnest. Already as a child, he moved to Italy, where he grew up in humble circumstances. He then lived in Switzerland as a carpet dealer, and studied voice with Hans Rogorsch in Zürich from 1905 on. Zürich was also where he made his debut after just one year of studies, in 1906. He stayed at the Zürich Stadttheater until 1913; his roles included Narraboth, Bacchus, Lenskij, Manrico, Don Carlo, Turiddu, Canio, Rodolfo, Pinkerton, Wilhelm Meister, Alfredo, Radamès and Italienischer Sänger.

From 1913 to 1915, he sang in Düsseldorf, then he was back to Switzerland, making regular guest appearances in Zürich, Basel, Bern and Lucerne. He sang almost up to his death.

Reference: Kutsch & Riemens

Diskographie

Gramophone, Zürich, October 1906
4760h	Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Hüll dich in Tand nur		3-42662
4761h	Rigoletto (Verdi): Freundlich blick' ich		3-42663
4762h	Das Zauberlied (Meyer-Helmund)				3-42664
4763h	Verbotener Gesang (Gastaldon)				3-42665
4764h	Still ruht der See (Pfeil)				3-42666
4765h	Das Edelweiß (Peuschel)					3-42667, X-22817, 242000, 10833, 12127

Gramophone, Zürich, July 1908
4779r	Das Rütli (Greith)					4-42128, 522162
4781r	Ihr Berge, lebt wohl (trad)				4-42126
4782r	Wie die Blümlein draußen zittern (trad)			X-22920
4783r	Das Schweizerland (Melm)				4-42145
4810r	Agathe (Abt)						4-42146
4811r	Es geht bei gedämpfter Trommeln Klang (Silcher)		X-22963
4812r	Gute Nacht, mein holdes süßes Mädchen (Meyer-Helmund)	X-22919, 10860
4813r	Herzliebchen mein unterm Rebendach (Conradi)		X-22965, 10871
4814r	Verlorenes Glück (Malo)					X-22966, 19871
4815r	Der Schweizer (Silcher)					X-22964

Many thanks to Anton Bieber for the recordings and label scans as well as the discography.