Giovanni Lunardi

For the first seven years of his career, Lunardi was a baritone (see repertory below); from 1902, he was a dramatic tenor, and now, his career took off. He was sometimes considered a rival of Tamagno, even Giuseppe Verdi spoke in high terms of his Otello, and Mascagni held him in high esteem – Lunardi had no competition as Guglielmo Ratcliff. He was particularly successful in Buenos Aires, Parma, Venice, Genova, the Netherlands – and in Budapest, where he found his artistic home. Reportedly, the Met wanted to hire him in 1908, but he declined, and preferred to stay in Budapest; in appreciation, the opera theater there triplicated his fee.

When the First World War broke out, he retreated to his villa in Borso del Grappa; in 1917, the frontline got so close to Borso that he had to abandon the house, and from then on lived near his native Padova. He never resumed his career. Shortly before he died, he moved to Bassano del Grappa, near his beloved Borso.

He was seen as an intelligent and sophisticated performer, moreover blessed with a potent voice. But since he never recorded, he was quickly forgotten.

Reference 1, reference 2

La Gioconda (Barnaba) – Verona, Ristori, 20 November 1894
Manon (Lescaut) – Vicenza, Eretenio, 30 December 1894
Cavalleria rusticana (Alfio) – Vicenza, Eretenio. January 1895
Pagliacci (Tonio) – Vicenza, Eretenio, January 1895
Il Guarany (Gonzales) – Milano, Dal Verme, March 1895
Faust (Valentino) – Milano, Dal Verme, March 1895
La forza del destino (Don Carlo) – Alessandria, Politeama Gra, October 1895
L'africana (Nelusco) – Sanremo, Principe Amedeo, 11 February 1896
Ruy Blas (Don Sallustio) – Sanremo, Principe Amedeo, February 1896
Lucia di Lammermoor (Ashton) – Genova, Politeama, 6 June 1896
Aida (Amonasro) – Malta, Royal, 31 October 1896
Il trovatore (Luna) – Malat, Royal, 16 December 1896
Un ballo in maschera (Renato) – Malta, Royal, 7 January 1897
Jone (Burbo) – Malta, Royal, 30 March 1897
Otello (Iago) – Malta, Royal, 23 April 1897
Carmen (Escamillo) – Malta, Royal, 23 April 1897
La bohème – 's Gravenhage, Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen, 19 October 1897
Ernani (Don Carlo) – 's Gravenhage, , Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen, 12 November 1897
Linda di Chamounix (Antonio) – 's Gravenhage, Gebow voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen, 23 November 1897
La favorita (Alfonso) – s' Gravenhage, , Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen, 17 December 1897
Rigoletto (Rigoletto) – Amsterdam, Italianische Opera, 7 January 1898
Guglielmo Ratcliff (Douglas) – Amsterdam, Paleis voor Volksvlijt, 10 March 1898
L'amico Fritz (David) – Rotterdam, Groote Schouwburg, 26 March 1898
La traviata (Germont) – Amsterdam, Paleis voor Volksvlijt, 15 December 1898
Amleto (Amleto) – Rotterdam, Groote Schouwburg, 4 February 1989
Fedora (De Siriex) – Buenos Aires, Opera, 14 May 1898
Sapho (composer: Massenet) – Rio de Janeiro, Lyrico, July 1900
Iris (Kyoto) – Parma, Regio, 12 January 1901
Aida (Radames) – Torino, Vittorio Emanuele, January 1902
Samson et Dalila – Pisa, Nuovo, 19 February 1902
Germania – Trento, Sociale, 21 June 1902
La contessa d'Egmont (composer: Lazzari) – Trento, Sociale, 22 June 1902
Otello – Bergamo, Donizetti, 23 August, 1902
Guglielmo Ratcliff – Venezia, Fenice, 10 January 1903
Euryanthe – Venezia, Fenice, 15 February 1903
La forza del destino – Trieste, Politeama Rossetti, 12 April 1903
Il trovatore – Porto, S. João, December 1903
Pagliacci – Porto, S. João, December 1903
Ernani – Porto, S. João, January 1904
Tosca – Porto, S. João, Janaury 1904
Fedora – Porto, S. João, January 1904
Saffo (composer: de Carvalho) – Porto, S. João, February 1904
Moema (composer: de Carvalho) – Porto, S. João, February 1904
L'Africaine – Porto, S. João, February 1904
Tannhäuser – Porto, S. João, February 1904
Les huguenots – Porto, S. João, February 1904
Faust – Buenos Aires, Politeama, May 1904
La Juive – Rosario, Olimpo, 25 May 1904
Lucia di Lammermoor – Rosario, Olimpo, June 1904
Guillaume Tell – Buenos Aires, Politeama, August 1904
Iris – Buenos Aires, Politeama, August 1904
Cavalleria rusticana – Valparaíso, Victoria, October 1904
Die Walküre – Valparaíso, Victoria, 27 October 1904
Manuel Menendez (composer: Filiasi) – Genova, Carlo Felice, 7 January 1905
Helène – Genova, Carlo Felice, January 1905
Mosè (composer: Refice) – 18 February 1905
Un ballo in maschera – Budapest, Operaház, 7 October 1906
Carmen – Budapest, Operaház, 14 May 1907
Andrea Chénier – Budapest, Operaház, 6 June 1907
Norma – Budapest, Operaház, 4 April 1908
Le prophète – Budapest, Operaház, 4 March 1909
La fanciulla del West – Budapest, Operaház, 12 May 1912

Matteo Dalle Fratte Giovanni Lunardi, un tenore drammatico fra Tamagno e Caruso, ensemble '900, 2004