Roberto Marcocci's great career chronologies of incredibly many Italian
or Italian-based opera singers basically cover the period up to 1930; beyond 1930, Marcocci's website offers just a few random
finds. So for research on a singer like Mario Carobbi, who made his debut in 1931, Marcocci would not seem like the best
address. And yet he's the only one who provides any information at all about Carobbi.
Carobbi's April 1931 debut took place in Pistoia, where he had also been born: at the Politeama Mabellini as Almaviva. Other than
that, Marcocci lists him twice as Nemorino: at the Teatro del Giglio in Lucca, and in Pistoia again, at the Teatro Manzoni (both
in January 1933). Now it's evident that this cannot have been Carobbi's entire career; however, it's all that we have, for the
time being. Or wait: almost all. On 25 October 1932, at 5 p.m., he gave a concerto vocale on Radio Firenze, singing a
surprisingly varied program: "Se il mio nome" from Barbiere, "Cercherò lontana terra" from Don Pasquale,
"Da voi lontan" (Lohengrin!), "Giunto sul passo estremo" (Mefistofele), and a song by Tagliaferri ("Se
d'està").
The undeniable incompleteness of this scarce information notwithstanding, we can take for granted that it wasn't exactly a
grand career that resulted from those beginnings.
Reference: Radiocorriere, 22 October 1932
Anton Bieber has provided the recordings and label scans: thank you!