Alessandro Valente

9 January 1890 Torino – 7 October 1958

As a boy, Valente sang opera in the choir at Verona (in Tosca and Carmen). After vocal studies, he came to London as early as 1912, and sang Turiddu under Mascagni's direction at the Hippodrome (being announced, for marketing reasons, as a 17-year-old tenor). He was no success, and remained in England, singing operatic arias in vaudeville and music halls – minimum four shows per day (also under the name "Alex Vallo"). He fought WWI in the Italian army, then he was back to vaudeville, this time in Italy.

In 1924, he was hired by Luisa Tetrazzini as a supporting artist for her farewell tour, after which he returned to England – and to vaudeville.

After the April 1926 world premiere of Turandot, it took surprisingly long until any selection from that opera appeared on record – only in 1927, His Master's Voice published the two tenor arias for the first time. And the singer was Alessandro Valente; how come has not been clarified. The record was a huge success, certainly also because it was well-sung, but above all because people had been waiting to finally buy a Turandot record – over night, Valente was famous. Not on stage, though; he made a few more records, but no operatic career. Already his contemporaries wildly speculated why; perhaps his voice was simply too strained from all the vaudeville drudgery. In 1931, he gave a few concerts in Berlin, and at the Cologne radio.

In later years, he lived in Italy as an inventor; a very successful curtain rack was his invention.

Alessandro Valente sings Pagliacci: Un tal gioco, with Apollo Granforte, Nello Palai, Giuseppe Menni and Adelaide Saraceni

Alessandro Valente sings Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba
In RA format

Alessandro Valente sings Pagliacci: No, Pagliaccio non son
In RA format

Alessandro Valente sings Turandot: Nessun dorma
Discography

HMV, London, 23 January 1915
HO1118ak	A Trieste (Carosio)				   7-52064, B364, 7-252013, R6171

Phono Record, Milano
307		Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia		   not numbered
3??		Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Addio, fiorito asil	   not numbered

HMV, London, 8 March 1927
Bb10413-1  	Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Addio, fiorito asil	   unpublished (test)

HMV, London, 25 March 1927
Cc10496-1  	Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba	   unpublished (test)

HMV, Milano, 25 April 1927
CR1323-2   	Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba	   2-052333, S5336, C1387, EJ173, Z172, AF163
BR1324-4   	Turandot (Puccini): Nessun dorma		   7-52360, R5335, HN763, B2458, EW26, AM667, K5335, DA2033, VA73
BR1325-2   	Turandot (Puccini): Non piangere, Liù		   7-523661, R5335, HN763, B2458, AM667, K5335, DA2023, VA73

HMV, Milano, 10 May 1927
CR1332-2   	Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia		   2-052338, S5336, C1387, EJ173, Z172, AF163

HMV, Milano, 7 February 1928
BF1518-2   	Tu ca si' mamma (D'Annibale)			   unpublished

HMV, Milano, 21 February 1928
CF1530-2   	Manon Lescaut (Puccini): Tu, tu, amore, tu	   2-054214, S5338, C1503, EH197, AF206
           	with Emma Lattuada
CF1531-1   	Manon Lescaut (Puccini): O tentatrice		   2-054215, S5338, C1503, EH197, AF206
           	with Emma Lattuada

HMV, Milano, 29 March 1928
BF1519-2   	'A vela (Frustaci)				   unpublished

HMV, Milano, 17 April 1928
CF1636-2   	Sly (Wolf-Ferrari): Un orso in musoliera	   2-052375, S5340, AN174
CF1637-1   	Sly (Wolf-Ferrari): Non sono un buffone		   2-052376, S5340, AN174

HMV, Milano, 4 December 1928
BF2512-1   	La fanciulla del West (Puccini): Ch'ella mi creda  7-52420, R10093, HN764, B3015, EG1272, AM1848
BF2513-1   	La fanciulla del West (Puccini): Or son sei mesi   7-52421, R10093, HN764, B3015, EG1272, AM1848

HMV, Milano, 10 December 1928
BF2526-1	La cena delle beffe (Giordano): Tornato è maggio   7-52423, R10117, EG1429

HMV, Milano, 17 December 1928
BF2547-2T1 	La cena delle beffe (Giordano): Calato in Arno     7-52424, R10117, EW1429

HMV, Milano, 10 April 1929
CM802-2		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba	   AF358, C7056, S10096, C1834, EH511
CM804-1		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): I zampognari		   AF355, C7053, S10093, C1831, EH508
CM805-1		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Son quà! (w. Palai)	   AF354, C7051, S10092, C1830, EH507

HMV, Milano, 12 April 1929
CM811-1		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Suvvia, così terribile	   AF361, C7049, S10099, C1837, EH514
		(w. Saraceni, Granforte, Basi, Palai)

HMV, Milano, 16 April 1929
CM818-2		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Arlecchin! Colombina!	   AF360, C7051, S10098, C1836, EH513
		(w. Saraceni, Granforte, Palai)

HMV, Milano, 22 April 1929
CM829-2		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Cammina adagio		   AF357, C7057, S10095, C1833, EH510
		(w. Saraceni, Granforte, Basi, Palai)

HMV, Milano, 23 April 1929
BM833      	La cena delle beffe (Giordano): Calato in Arno	   unpublished

HMV, Milano, 4 June 1929
BM921-2    	Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Addio, fiorito asil	   30-614, R10206, HN765, B3141, EG1609, AM2474
           	(w. Pilotto)

HMV, Milano, 7 June 1929
BM927-2    	Tosca (Puccini): E lucevan le stelle		   30-939, R10372, HN768, B3487, EG1991

HMV, Milano, 25 June 1929
BM922-4    	L'Africaine (Meyerbeer): O paradiso		   30-615, R10206, HN765, B3141, EG1609, AM2474

HMV, Milano, 26 June 1929
CM986     	La Gioconda (Ponchielli): Cielo e mar		   32-767
BM987-2    	Aida (Verdi): Se quel guerrier io fossi		   30-1321, R10225, HN767, B3682, EG2532
BM988-2    	Aida (Verdi): Celeste Aida			   30-1322, R10225, HN767, B3682, EG2532

HMV, Milano, 10 July 1929
BM1028-1   	La bohème (Puccini): Che gelida manina		   30-1319, R10224, HN766
BM1029-1   	La bohème (Puccini): In povertà mia lieta	   30-1320, R10224, HN766

HMV, Milano, 24 September 1929
CM820-3		Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Via di lì!		   AF354, C7052, S10092, C1830, EH507
		(w. Saraceni, Granforte, Menni, Palai)

HMV, Milano, 3 January 1930
CM810-10	Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): No, Pagliaccio non son	   AF361, C7050, S10099, C1837, EH514
		(w. Saraceni, Basi)

HMV, Milano, 6 January 1930
BM1378-2   	Serenata (Mascagni)				   30-2613, R10371, B3486

HMV, Milano, 13 March 1930
BM1377-3   	Carmen (Bizet): Il fior				   30-3390, R10372, HN768, B3487, EG1991

HMV, Milano, 14 March 1930
BM1539-2   	Andrea Chénier (Giordano): Sì, fui soldato	   30-3389, R10371, B3486

Decca, London, 1932
CB6406-2	Tu ca nun chiagne (De Curtis)			   unpublished
TB1110-2  	Canta pe' me (De Curtis)               		   F3871
TB1111-2  	Tu ca nun chiagne (De Curtis)			   F3871
TB1114-2	L'arlesiana (Cilea): È la solita storia		   unpublished
TB1115-2	Germania (Franchetti): No, non chiuder gli occhi   unpublished

I wish to thank Thomas Silverbörg for the recordings (Vesti la giubba, No Pagliaccio non son, Nessun dorma).
Source for the discography: Robert Johannesson's 78opera.com (alas defunct)
References for the biography: Kutsch & Riemens; Preiser CD liner notes
Picture source
I wish to thank Anton Bieber for the recording (Un tal gioco) and relative label scan.
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