Pedro Mirassou

Mirassou was born in Buenos Aires on 28 June 1889, and made his debut at the Teatro Colón in 1922 as Il messagero in Verdi's Aida, with Fleta, Nieto, Dinh Gilly and Santini. In 1924, Mirassou sang Pagliacci in the Teatro de la Ópera of Buenos Aires.

As all the best Argentinean Opera singers did in those times (Hina Spani, Luisa Bertana, Adelaida Saraceni among others), Mirassou went to Europe searching for an international career, but unfortunately Mirassou didn't make it big. In 1925, he sang Canio in Parma, and Mule's Monacella della fontana, then Canio and Chénier in Holland. At La Scala, Mirassou sang Delitto e castigo by Pedrollo in 1926 and Norma in 1931. In 1933 Mirassou sang in concert with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Holland.

So in fact, his whole career was at the Teatro Colón where Mirassou sang the main roles for "tenore spinto" with all the greatest opera stars of his time, and Mirassou participated in many world premieres by Argentinean and foreign composers, becoming the most important Argentinean tenor at the Teatro Colón from 1928 to 1950. The following are all his performances in that theater:

1928 
Aida: Scacciati, Bertana, Franci, Pasero, Serafin
La traviata: Muzio, Stracciari, Serafin
Tosca: Muzio, Stracciari, Paolantonio
Norma: Muzio, Bertana, Pinza, Serafin
Carmen: Besanzoni, Isabel Marengo, Serafin
Pagliacci: Stracciari, Muzio, Vanelli, Paolantonio
Afrodita (by Luzzati): Nena Juárez,  Morelli, Paolantonio

1929
Madama Butterfly: Dalla Rizza, Vanelli, Panizza
Norma: Raisa, Bertana, Pasero, Capuana
La Traviata: Dalla Rizza, Rimini, Panizza
El matrero (by Felipe Boero): Granforte, Juárez, Panizza
Aida: Segall/Spani, Bertana, Vanelli/Damiani, Panizza/Paolantonio
Turandot: Spani, Marengo, Lanskoy, Paolantonio
La Magdalena (by Juan Bautista Massa): Marengo, Nastri, Serra Lima, Lanskoy, Paolantonio
Lázaro: (by Constantino Gaito): Damiani, Spani, Nastri, Paolantonio

1930
Aida: Jacobo, Bertana, Franci, Pasero, Panizza
Andrea Chénier: Dalla Rizza, Galeffi, Morelli, Baccaloni, Calusio
Boris Godunov: Shaljapin, Lanskoy, Bertana/Spani, Baccaloni, Cravcenko, Questa
El matrero: Damiani, Bertana, Panizza
Tabaré (by Alfredo Schiuma): Damiani, Marengo, Calusio
Norma: Pacetti, Bertana, Lanskoy, Questa
Tosca: Pacetti, Galeffi, Paolantonio

1934
Loreley (by Catalani): Muzio, Tagliabue, Vaghi, Menkes, Paolantonio
La fiamma (by Respighi): Muzio, Tagliabue, Cravcenko, Fleischer, Respighi
El matrero: Romito, Sara César, Paolantonio

1935
El matrero: Aiello, César, Lietti
La novia del hereje (by Pascual de Rogatis): Marengo, César, Romito, Damiani, Calusio

1936
La sangre de las guitarras (by Costantino Gaito): Spani, Aiello, Brizzio, Gaito
La novia del hereje: di Sabato, Mendoza, Aiello, Lietti
Giulio Cesare (by Malipiero): Marengo, Autori, Borgioli, Spani, Damiani, Panizza
La ciudad roja (by Raú Hugo Espoile): Marengo, Damiani, Romito, Panizza
El matrero: Romito, César, Lietti

1937
Cyrano de Bergerac (by Alfano): Somigli, César, Damiani, Vaghi, Romito, Serafin
Siripo (by Boero): Marengo, César, Urízar, Romito, Serafin
Carmen: Pederzini, Marengo, Damiani, Serafin
Aida: Caniglia, César, Urízar, Serafin
Tosca: Caniglia, Galeffi, Serafin
Lucrezia (by Respighi): Caniglia, Cetera, Brizzio, Damiani, Serafin
Il trovatore: Urízar, Menkes, César, Bonifanti
Siripo: Marengo, César, Urízar, González Alisedo, Bruno Mari
Pagliacci: Urízar, Marengo, Giusti, Mari

1938
Madama Butterfly: Marengo, Damiani, Brizzio, Serafin
Carmen: Pederzini, Marengo, Damiani/Galeffi, Serafin
Petronio (by Costantino Gaito): Menkes, César, Romito, Damiani, Serafin

1939
La traviata: Sayão, Urízar, Panizza
Las virgenes del sol (by de Rogatis): Menkes, Cetera, César, Brizzio, Calussio
Bisanzio (by Panizza): Cigna, Baronti, Svéd, César, Panizza
Pagliacci: Urízar, Lucia Wells, Victor Bacciati, de Angelis

1940
Andrea Chénier: Milanov, Damiani, Baronti, César, Franco Ghione

1941
Il trovatore: Urízar, Pockorny, Bruna Castagna, Mari
Otello: Svéd, Milanov, Mari
Lin-Calel (by Arnaldo D'Espósito): marengo, Danton, Urízar, César, Matiello, Calusio
Madama Butterfly: Wells, Urízar, Brizzio, Lietti
La novia del hereje: di Sabato, César, Urízar, Zanin, Calusio

1942
La sangre de las guitarras: Pockorny, Brizzio, Urízar, Gaito

1943
Pagliacci: Warren, Marengo, Renato Cesari, Calusio
La traviata: Rigal, Cesari, Calusio
El matrero: Urízar, César, Calusio

1944
Bisanzio: Rigal, César, Damiani,  Panizza
Sadko: Rene Mazella, Romito, Chelavine, Clara Oyuela, Cesari, Urízar, Albert Wolff
Otello: Damiani / Pablo Vidal, Menkes, Panizza
La sangre de las guitarras: Pockorny, Urízar, Cesari, Gaito

1945
Ollantay (by Constantino Gaito): Urízar, Marengo, Calusio
Lucia di Lammermoor: Damiani/Cesari, Blanca Rosa Baigorri, Zanin, Mari
La traviata: Rigal, Damiani/Guchandut/Cesari, Panizza
Khovanshchina: Romito, Antonio Vela, Negroni, Cetera, Guichandut, Damiani, Panizza

1948
El matrero: Urízar, César, Panizza/Martini

1949
Madama Butterfly: Marengo, Panizza

1950
Il trovatore: Mascherini, Barbato, de Cecco/Bartoletti, Mari

Pedro Mirassou died in Córdoba (Argentina) on 22 June 1963.

Victor, Buenos Aires, 12 August 1929 
CAVE-44701-2	El matrero (Boero): El canto del hornero (w. Granforte)			9575, 9603

Victor, Buenos Aires, 13 August 1929 
CAVE-44702-5	El matrero (Boero): Duo final del 2do acto (w. Granforte)		9575, 9605

Victor, Buenos Aires, 19 August 1929 
CAVE-44708-2	El matrero (Boero): Terceto del tercer acto (w. Juárez and Granforte)	9574, 9605
CAVE-44709-2	El matrero (Boero): Canto de Pedro y terceto (w. Juárez and Granforte)	9576, 9604
CAVE-44710-3	El matrero (Boero): Terceto del 2do acto (w. Juárez and Granforte)	9576, 9604
		Himno Nacional de Argentina  (Vicente López)				9577
		Mi bandera  (Chassaing)							9577
All with the orchestra of the Teatro Colón, conducted by Héctor Panizza

Sondor, Montevideo, 1949 (publication date) - from the soundtrack of the film "Vocacion" (1938)
49-2362         Il Guarany (Gomes): Sento una forza indomita (w. Massardi), pt. 1	10154
49-2363         Il Guarany (Gomes): Sento una forza indomita (w. Massardi), pt. 2	10154

Disco Nacional, Buenos Aires, July 1941
C11291		Quand Madelon (Robert)							P11291, Odeon P11291
 
Note: All Mirassou recordings may be found on a Piscitelli CD.

I wish to thank Roberto Falcone for biographical and discographical informations and the recording.

I would like to thank Juan Dzazópulos for several corrections and additions.

I would like to thank Daniele Godor for the picture (top).