Guido Volpi
In RA format
Guido Volpi was born in 1889 in Castelnuovo del Zappa, located 5 or 6 km from Cremona. Volpi started learning music with maestro Caudana with
whom he remained friends until his death in 1944. At La Spezia, Volpi studied with the composer Domenico Cortopassi. Another teacher was
maestro Ottorino Vertova. Volpi started appearing in concerts when he was about 22 or 23 years old. In 1914, Volpi made his debut as
Rodolfo in La bohème at a theater near Mantova. (According to Roberto Marcocci, the debut took place in Piacenza in November 1913, as Lorenzo
in Fra Diavolo.) Following that, Volpi sang in Cavalleria rusticana and Il barbiere di Siviglia,
Sonnambula, Fra Diavolo and Traviata (at Vercelli and La Spezia), then again Bohème. While in the military, Volpi stopped all
activities during the four years of the war. In December 1918, Volpi gave a concert at an hospital in Piacenza, and that was his last
military act. Soon after that, in February 1919, Volpi sang in Cuneo in Cavalleria rusticana.
La Provincia di Cremona wrote that he sang also Tosca in Cuneo, Traviata and Rigoletto at the Chiarella di Torino and Tosca at the
Teatro Morgana in Roma with great success.
Unfortunately Volpi did not keep a diary of his appearances and unless an extensive newspaper research is done, most of the dates will not be
known.
Volpi retired in 1936. He died suddenly in 1944.
Repertory
Il signor Bruschino
La cambiale di matrimonio
Il barbiere di Siviglia
L'elisir d'amore
Lucia di Lammermoor
La favorita
Don Pasquale
Luisa Miller
Ernani
Un ballo in maschera
Falstaff
La sonnambula
Cavalleria rusticana
L'amico Fritz
Iris
Lodoletta
L'arlesiana
Adriana Lecouvreur
Fedora
Andrea Chénier
La Gioconda
Manon Lescaut
La bohème
Tosca
Madama Butterfly
Il tabarro
Gianni Schicchi
Mefistofele
Manon
Werther
Carmen
I pescatori di perle
L'africana
Boris Godunov
Faust
Lohengrin
Il gatto dagli stivali
Beatrice Cenci
Some dates and performances
Piacenza
Teatro Politeama, 19 November 1913, Fra Diavolo
Teatro Politeama, 11 December 1918, La bohème
Cuneo
Teatro Toselli, February 1919, Cavalleria rusticana, Tosca
Torino
Teatro Chiarella, April 1919, La traviata, Rigoletto
Bari
Teatro Petruzzelli, April 1919, La sonnambula
Roma
Teatro Morgana, May 1919, Tosca
La Spezia
Teatro Duca di Genova, November 1919, La bohème
Piacenza
Teatro Politeama, December 1919, La bohème
Torino
Teatro Scribe, March 1920, La bohème
Alessandria
Teatro Municipale, February and December 1922, Cavalleria rusticana
Crema
Teatro Sociale, February 1922, La bohème
Sermide
Teatro Sociale, August 1922, Cavalleria rusticana
Venezia
Teatro Malibran, April 1923, La traviata
Codogno
Teatro Sociale, November 1923, Manon
Venezia
La Fenice, December 1923 to end of February 1924, Manon, Falstaff
Genova
Teatro Carlo Felice, March 1924, Falstaff
Ancona
Teatro Vittorio Emanuele, April/June 1924, La traviata, Adriana Lecouvreur
Firenze
Teatro La Pergola, June 1924, Madama Butterfly
Bergamo
Teatro Sociale, 1924?, Don Pasquale
Brescia
Teatro Sociale, December 1924 to January 1925, La bohème, Tosca
Genova
Teatro Carlo Felice, February/March 1925, La bohème, Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi
Fiume
Teatro Verdi, March 1925, La bohème
Urbino
Teatro Sanzio, April 1925, Madama Butterfly
Piacenza
Teatro Municipale, June 1925, La bohème
Piacenza
Teatro Municipale, January 1926, Boris Godunov
Verona
Teatro Filarmonico, date unknown, Boris Godunov
Lausanne
Grand Théâtre, Il barbiere di Siviglia
Trento
Teatro Sociale, date unknown, Madama Butterfly
Napoli
Teatro Politeama, date unknown, Madama Butterfly
Como
Teatro Sociale, January 1926, Falstaff
Savona
Teatro Wanda, Stagione 1926, La bohème
Bergamo
Teatro Duse, 1926?, Manon
Varese
Teatro Sociale, September/October 1926, Falstaff
Como
Teatro Sociale, February/March 1927, Boris Godunov
Brescia
Teatro Sociale, date unknown, Mefistofele
Volterra
venue and date unknown, L'amico Fritz
Fiume
Teatro Verdi, date unknown, Boris Godunov
Pisa
venue and date unknown, L'amico fritz
Livorno
Teatro Politema, date unknown, L'amico Fritz
Cremona
Teatro Politeama, date unknown, La traviata
Lecce
Teatro Politeama D. Greco, stagione lirica 1929, Adriana Lecouvreur
Cremona
Teatro Ponchielli, May 1934, Mefistofele
Tour in South America 1927–1929 (Company Bracale):
Havana (La traviata, Cavalleria rusticana), Puortorico (Traviata, Bohème), Medellin (Tosca, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen), Caracas
(La bohème) among others.
Tour in Tunisia and Algeria, date unknown:
Rigoletto, La favorita, La Gioconda, Il barbiere di Siviglia
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Reference: Mauro Volpi: Guido Volpi, tenore lirico, 1889-1944.
This book is more a recollection of the tenor by his son than a detailed research of his
career as the dates found in the book were provided only by the documentation in possession of the family.
I wish to thank Anton Bieber for the Fedora recording and label scan.
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