Aureliano Pertile

There were seven performances. In May, Pertile was engaged at Milan's Teatro Dal Verme to sing in the Italian premiere of Quo vadis by Jean Nouguès. The performance took place on May 3rd. The other artists in the cast included Zauner, Garelli and Montesanto. Pertile finishes the year at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele of Torino singing in Quo vadis (20 September), Rigoletto (October, with Muzio, Bernal), La Gioconda (November, with Corsi, Vannini, Bernal, Montesanto, Contini) and Norma (15 November with Alloro, Vannini, Contini).

In early 1912, Pertile returned to the Dal Verme for Pagliacci (21 January with Bosini, Zani, Baracchi) and later, Andrea Chénier (17 December with Wroblenska, Passuello). During that year, Pertile sang in Asti (Isabeau, Andrea Chénier) and Vicenza (Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, Andrea Chénier).

1913 finds Pertile in Brescia singing La Gioconda (January), Conchita (28 January). On May 8th, Pertile sang in Verdi's Requiem at Brescia, and on June 3rd, he repeated the work at Genoa. During March, Pertile sang as Don José in Carmen at Padua. Pertile crossed the Atlantic to Chile and Argentina. In Chile, he sang in Santiago (Manon Lescaut, Un ballo in maschera, Cavalleria rusticana, Tzigana) and Valparaiso (Manon Lescaut, Cavalleria rusticana). Pertile made his debut in Buenos Aires on October 25th in Tosca at the Coliseo. During his stay in Buenos Aires, Pertile sang in La traviata, Carmen, and La Gioconda. He finished the year at the San Carlo in Naples singing in Conchita.

Pertile stayed in Naples at the beginning of 1914 singing Madama Butterfly, and Carmen. He moved then to Palermo (Salome, Conchita), Firenze (Lucia di Lammermoor), Padua (Andrea Chénier), Genoa (La giavanese, Carmen, Cavalleria rusticana).

In January 1915, Pertile made his debut at Turin's Regio in Francesca da Rimini (21 January with Linda Cannetti, Francesco Cigada, Emilio Venturini), and in February he continued his engagement with L'amore dei tre re (11 February with Cannetti, Cigada, Nicoletti Korman). Pertile then moved to Roma to sing at the Costanzi in Francesca da Rimini (10 March with Rosa Raisa, Giuseppe Danise, and Nardi), Aida (25 March with Raisa, Perini, Danise and Walter), Una tragedia fiorentina (3 April with Wroblenska, Danise), and Abul (15 April with Raisa, Perini). Before returning to Rome in December to sing in Boris Godunov (26th with Giraldoni, Bettoni, Baldassarre, Tedeschi and Nardi), Pertile went to Bologna to sing in La fanciulla del West, Aida, and Francesca da Rimini.

Pertile began 1916 in Rome singing in Madama Butterfly and Louise by Charpentier (1 February with Cervi Caroli and Giraldoni). On February 22nd, Pertile made his debut at La Scala singing in Francesca da Rimini with Raisa, Danise and Paltrinieri. After quick stops in Rome for Francesca da Rimini, Bologna for a concert, Brescia for La Gioconda, Padua for Carmen, Bologna's Comunale welcomed him as Cavaradossi on November 30th, in a cast that included Tina Poli Randaccio and José Segura Tallien. To end the year, Pertile traveled to Barcelona for Aida (December with Nieto, Camozzi, Bonini, Masini Pieralli), Louise (December with Vix and Bonini).

On January 11th, 1917 Pertile made his debut at Madrid in Aida with Cecilia Gagliardi, Fanny Anitua, Segura Tallien, and Masini Pieralli. During his stay in Madrid, Pertile sang in Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Madama Butterfly (with Storchio), Carmen. In June, Pertile was back in Bologna singing in La rondine (5th with Cannetti, Dal Monte, Dominici and Mugnoz). For the rest of the year, Pertile was in Genoa singing in Andrea Chénier, La rondine, Aida and Un ballo in maschera.

In January 1918, Pertile was still in Genoa for Manon Lescaut, Loreley, La bohème, Madama Butterfly and La traviata. After a brief stop at the Teatro Chiarella to sing La traviata and Fra Diavolo, Pertile spent the rest of the year in South America. On June 2nd, Pertile made his debut at Buenos Aires' Teatro Colón in Carmen with Gabriella Besanzoni, Hina Spani, and Marcel Journet. During the Colón season, Pertile sang in Pagliacci (Vallin, Montesanto, Stabile), Aida (with Raisa, Besanzoni, Rimini, Gaudio), Tucuman (with Spani, Stabile, Urizar), Jacquerie (with Vallin, Besanzoni, Montesanto, Dentale), Un ballo in maschera (with Raisa, Rimini), and Manon Lescaut (Dalla Rizza, Montesanto). After that, the company traveled to Brazil. The first stop was in Rio de Janeiro for Un ballo in maschera, Jacquerie, Carmen, and Aida. São Paulo followed. There, Pertile sang in Aida, Tosca, Pagliacci, Carmen and Rigoletto.

In 1919, Pertile sang in Fedora (30 January) at Turin, Manon Lescaut (13 February) and Mefistofele (24 February) at Piacenza, Francesca da Rimini (8 March) at Verona before returning to Buenos Aires in June. At the Coliseo in Buenos Aires, Pertile sang in Mefistofele (18 June with Dalla Rizza, Carena and De Angelis), Madama Butterfly (24 June) and Mosé (20 July with Carena, Ottein, Stabile, De Angelis). From there, the company moved to Rosario, where Pertile sang in Mefistofele, and Mosé. Montevideo was the next stop of the tour. Pertile finished the year in Italy. At the Chiarella in Turin, he sang in Lohengrin (23 October), Carmen, and Andrea Chénier (29 November with Viganò and Segura Tallien). On December 12th, Pertile made his debut at the Teatro Ponchielli of Cremona in Mefistofele. The year ended at Cremona with Carmen, again partnered by Zinetti.

In 1920, Pertile remained in Italy singing at Parma, Brescia, Verona, Ferrara, Vicenza, Ravenna, Cesena, Trieste (2 October), Bologna, Turin in Francesca da Rimini, Mefistofele, Carmen, Manon Lescaut, Aida, Lohengrin, Un ballo in maschera and La traviata.

In 1921, Pertile was in Milan at the Carcano to sing in La traviata on January 29th. During the first five months of the year, Pertile sang in Italy at Bologna (Andrea Chénier), Firenze (Andrea Chénier, Aida), Catania (Fedora on 5 March, Carmen), Venezia (Andrea Chénier, Il mistero on 7 May, Pagliacci). After some discussion, Pertile had accepted a contract to appear at the Metropolitan Opera. Before singing in New York, Pertile sailed to Mexico, where he made his debut on August 23rd at Mexico City in Mefistofele. There, Pertile sang also in Aida and Sansone e Dalila (8 October with Anitua and Ordonez). On December 1st, Pertile sang in Tosca at the Met with Jeritza and Scotti. Unfortunately for Pertile, it was also Jeritza's first Tosca at the Met, and the reviews were all hers. His season was ultimately a disappointment. Pertile finished the season at the Met singing in Manon Lescaut, Cavalleria rusticana, Boris Godunov, Aida, Pagliacci and Louise. In between, there was a stop in Philadelphia in Louise.

After a Louise on January 17th, 1922 in Brooklyn, Pertile left New York, never again to appear in the United States. In the meantime, Arturo Toscanini had engaged Pertile to sing at La Scala. On March 22nd, Pertile appeared for the first time with the dictator, singing in Mefistofele with Juanita Caracciolo, Iva Pacetti, and De Angelis. After performances of Boris Godunov (23 April with Vanni-Marcoux) at Milan, Pertile sang Mefistofele in Genoa and Padua. A series of Lohengrin in Turin, Verona, Trieste and Milano followed, while Pertile closed the year at the Scala on December 26th, singing in Manon Lescaut with Caracciolo and Badini.

Pertile spent the first part of 1923 in Italy singing in Milan (Meistersinger with Journet, Louise with Heldy and Journet, Boris Godunov with Zalewski, and Lucia di Lammermoor with Dal Monte, Stracciari, Pinza). Then Pertile left again for South America. In Buenos Aires on May 20th, he appeared at the Colòn in Aida with Muzio, Flora Perini, Carlo Galeffi and Mansueto Gaudio. In Buenos Aires, Pertile appeared further in Un ballo in maschera (with Spani, Dragoni, Bertana, Urizar), Lucia di Lammermoor (Dal Monte, Segura Tallien), La traviata (with Muzio and Galeffi), Manon Lescaut (with Muzio and Segura Tallien), Mefistofele (with Cirino), and La leggenda di Sakuntala (5 August with Dahmen, Cirino and Gaudio). After that, the company traveled to Rosario, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo. On November 20th, Pertile returned to La Scala where he sang in Aida (with Rinolli, Besanzoni, Franci, and Pinza), La traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Manon Lescaut and Iris (30 December with Viganò, Badini and Walter).

Pertile started 1924 by singing at La Scala in Lohengrin (18 March) and Meistersinger, before singing in the world premiere of Boito's Nerone on May 1st (with Raisa, Bertana, Galeffi, and Journet). In May, Pertile returned to Florence for Lucia di Lammermoor (27th) with Ada Sari and Reali. During the summer, Pertile sang a series of Lucia di Lammermoor in Bergamo (26 August), Cesena, Vicenza and Padua. After that run, Pertile turned again to Nerone, singing it twelve times both at Bologna's Comunale and La Scala. Pertile finished 1924 at Scala singing in Iris, Mefistofele and La bohème.

1925 was spent in Italy: Milan (Andrea Chénier, Aida, Il trovatore on April 30th with Raisa, Anitua, Franci and Autori, Lohengrin, Un ballo in maschera, Meistersinger, Madama Butterfly, Iris), Torino (Nerone), Firenze (La bohème), Ferrara (Il trovatore, Lucia di Lammermoor) and Bologna (Lucia di Lammermoor).

In 1926, Pertile sang in Italy for the first three months of the year (Milan, Turin), before sailing to South America. In Buenos Aires, Pertile opened the season on May 22nd in Nerone with Muzio, Bertana, Franci and Formichi. Arangi Lombardi replaced Muzio for some performances. Pertile's other operas were Iris (with Pampanini, Vanelli, Pasero), Il trovatore (with Muzio, Anitua, Franci, Pasero), Pagliacci (with Pampanini, Ruffo), Gaito's Ollantay, Madama Butterfly, and La bohème with Isabel Marengo and Ruffo. Giuseppe De Luca sang Marcello in the last performance. In October, Pertile appeared as Edgardo at Trieste, and in November, as Manrico at Bologna before returning to La Scala where he sang in Lohengrin (17 November, with Nieto, Casazza and Galeffi). On the 2nd of December, he sang in Andrea Chénier (with Cobelli and Franci), and on December 19th, he sang in Pagliacci (with Pampanini, Franci, Vanelli and Mascagni). After two performances of Iris (end of December, with Pampanini, Paci and Walter), Pertile went to Turin.

In Turin, Pertile participated in revivals of Nerone (22 Janaury 1927) and Aida (23 February, with Eva Turner, Minghini-Cattaneo and Faticanti). The rest of 1927 was spent mostly in Italy (Milan, Padua, Como, Vicenza, and Trieste), except for four appearances in London. On June 3rd, 1927, Pertile made his debut at London's Covent Garden in Aida (with Stückgold, Onegin, Schipper and Cotreuil). Il trovatore followed on the 14th with Leider, Olczewska, Borgioli and Autori. On December 29th, Pertile sang in Wolf-Ferrari's Sly with Llopart, Rossi Morelli, and Badini under the direction of Panizza.

On January 18th, 1928 Turin saw Pertile in Pagliacci, and in February he returned to La Scala for Edgardo and the Duke of Mantua, after which he sang in Andrea Chénier at Genoa's Carlo Felice. Before returning to London, Pertile sang in Milan, and Naples. At La Scala, he sang in Tosca with Gilda Dalla Rizza and Stabile, Andrea Chénier with Bruna Rasa and Galeffi and La traviata with Dalla Rizza and Victor Damiani. Then he was back in London. Pertile sang in Pagliacci (with Pampanini, Inghilleri and Baracchi), Aida (with Dusolina Giannini, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, Armando Borgioli and Manfrini), and La bohème (with Sheridan, Carosio, Inghillleri, Baracchi, and Manfrini). Eva Turner sang in later performances of Aida. In July, on Piazza San Marco in Venice, Pertile sang in Pagliacci with Pampanini and Galeffi. It was preceded by Cavalleria rusticana with Bruna Rasa and Antonio Melandri, with Mascagni conducting both operas. In October he sang in Tosca with Bruna Rasa and Giovanni Inghilleri at Forlì. Pertile finished the year at La Scala with Sly, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Meistersinger.

During 1929, Pertile was very busy singing in Milan, Nice, Genoa, Turin, Rome, Naples, Vienna (19 May in Lucia di Lammermoor with Dal Monte, Franci and Righetti), Berlin (25 May in Lucia di Lammermoor, Manon Lescaut and Aida), London, Buenos Aires, Pisa, Ferrara, Trieste and Bologna. During 1929, Pertile appeared more than 80 times on stage. Toscanini had left La Scala and Italy after the Manon Lescaut revival in May. Pertile stayed on, and remained a very important part of the new picture, but he would never again be its centerpiece, as he had been when he was following Toscanini's marching orders.

On January 12th, 1930 Pertile sang in Francesca da Rimini with Dalla Rizza and Mariano Stabile at La Scala and then appeared as Manrico at Parma, with Spani, Bruna Castagna, Giulio Fregosi and Tomei. At Turin he sang in five performances of Andrea Chénier with Sheridan and Granforte and in Gianni Schicchi with Sheridan and Badini. At Genoa's Carlo Felice Pertile appeared as Lohengrin and Radamès, and at the Rome Opera he sang in Un ballo in maschera with Arangi Lombardi, Pasini, Casazza and Montesanto. Later in March, the Romans heard Pertile in La traviata with Muzio and Stabile. At Naples, he appeared in Andrea Chénier, Madama Butterfly, L'ultimo lord by Alfano and La forza del destino. In May Pertile returned to Ravenna for Andrea Chénier with Bruna Rasa and Franci. They joined in a benefit concert at the Alighieri on the 17th. After that, Pertile appeared at Florence's Comunale in Lohengrin with Maria Laurenti, Stignani, Borgioli, Nava and Vaghi. During October, Pertile sang Edgardo at Budrio to the Lucia of Lina Pagliughi, Radamès at Ferrara with Arangi Lombardi, Dal Monte, Borgioli and Righetti. At the end of the year, Pertile sang in Rome in Manon Lescaut with Pampanini.

In 1931 Rome saw Pertile in Un ballo in maschera, Aida and Andrea Chénier, after which he sang Riccardo at Genoa. In March Pertile returned to Rome for Adriana Lecouvreur (24th with Cobelli, Gianna Pederzini, and Damiani). After Lucia di Lammermoor and Un ballo in maschera in Naples, Pertile appeared at La Scala in Martha. In June he returned to London to sing in La forza del destino with Ponselle, Pederzini, Franci, Pasero, and in Tosca with Pacetti and Stabile. The summer kept him busy with Radamès at Udine and Trieste. He returned to the Donizetti of Bergamo in September for Adriana, this time with Florica Cristoforeanu, Toini and Vanelli. In October, he sang in La bohème with Mafalda Favero, Vanelli, Baracchi and Lauri at Bologna. On December 26th, Pertile sang Pollione for the first time in a Scala production that also starred Scacciati, Stignani and De Angelis.

During 1932, Pertile remained in Italy singing his repertoire in Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples, Verona, Bergamo, Ferrara and Bologna.

In 1933 Pertile stayed mainly in Italy singing in Turin, Milan, Trieste, Rome, Genoa, Verona, Ancona (4 October in Un ballo in maschera with Bruna-Rasa, Valentino), Cento (31 October in a concert), and Parma. He ventured outside Italy to Barcelona on November 13th to sing Aida with Jacobo, Rossini and Morelli.

In 1934 Pertile started reducing his appearances. He sang at La Scala as Fernando in La favorita for the only six times in his career (18 January with Stignani, Danise and Pasero). One can wonder what happened to the high parts of the role since Pertile had no high C. For the rest of the year, Pertile sang at Rome, Palermo, Florence, Rimini and Modena. He sang in Fra Diavolo, Aida, Lohengrin, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino and Andrea Chénier.

In 1935 Pertile sang in another world premiere: on January 16th, Nerone by Mascagni was presented for the first time with a cast including Bruna-Rasa, Carosio, Parmeggiani, Granforte and Pasero. Pertile sang Nerone later that year also at Livorno and Bologna. Besides that, Pertile sang in Pagliacci (Milan), Fedora (Milan), Aida (Vienna, Modena) and Un ballo in maschera (Modena).

1936 found the tenor at Trieste for Francesca da Rimini, Bari for Aida, Parma and Naples for Andrea Chénier, La Scala for Mefistofele, Turin for Il trovatore, and Genoa, Naples and Rome for Nerone.

In 1937 Pertile curtailed his appearances even more. He sang in Aida at Rome, Un ballo in maschera at Venice, La campana sommersa at Naples, and additional performances of Nerone at La Scala and Zürich. Pertile had another major role to add to his repertory. At Malta in late 1937, Pertile sang Otello with Scacciati and Guicciardi. Until 1945, Pertile would sing Otello at Brescia, Parma, Padua, Turin, Trento, Lecce, Vicenza, Ravenna, Bergamo, San Remo, Cairo, Alexandria, Budapest, Milano, Firenze, Mantua, Reggio Emilia, Alessandria, Trieste, Treviso, Bologna, Udine, Venice and Rome (radio).

In 1938, Pertile sang Otello 22 times. During the rest of the year Pertile sang twice in Aida.

In 1939, Pertile sang Otello at least five times. The rest of the year, Pertile sang in Il trovatore (twice), Andrea Chénier (4), Pagliacci (1), and Poliuto for the radio.

In 1940, Pertile sang Otello at least six times. The rest of the year, he sang in Un ballo in maschera (3), Andrea Chénier (2) and Pagliacci (1). He even made guest appearances in Budapest.

In 1941 Pertile sang Otello (11), Il trovatore (2) and Un ballo in maschera (3).

In 1942 Pertile sang Otello (6), Fedora (2), Un ballo in maschera (2), Andrea Chénier (3) and Nerone (twice for the radio).

In 1943 Pertile sang Otello (9) and Un ballo in maschera (6).

In 1944 Pertile sang Otello (4) and Un ballo in maschera (9).

In 1945 Pertile sang Otello (2), Nerone (3) and La traviata (2). In his final year before the public, Pertile sang Pagliacci in Naples and Salerno. Pertile died in 1952 at the age of sixty-six.