Giuseppe de Luca, "Ambo nati in questa valle", Donizetti: Linda di Chamounix (rec. 1907)

The great Italian baritone Giuseppe de Luca (1876-1950) in Antonio's aria "Ambo nati in questa valle" from Act 1 of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. The recording was made in 1907 for Italian Fonotipia.

The following biographical notes come from Wikipedia:
"De Luca was born in Rome, the son of a blacksmith, and sang in church choirs as a boy. After his voice broke, a wealthy patron paid for him to have singing lessons at the Rome Conservatory, where he studied with two renowned pedagogues, Venceslao Persichini (who also taught De Luca's fellow baritone stars Mattia Battistini and Titta Ruffo) and Antonio Cotogni. He made his operatic debut at Piacenza in 1897, singing Valentin in Gounod's Faust. His debut proved a success and he was invited to sing at a string of more important venues.

He appeared at Italy's foremost opera house, La Scala, Milan, from 1902 to 1910, and made his London debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1907.

Subsequently, De Luca moved to America where he became a leading baritone at the Metropolitan Opera for 20 years, from 1915 to 1935. (He returned briefly to the Met in 1939-1940.) His first appearance at that house was on November 25, 1915, as Figaro in The Barber of Seville with Frieda Hempel as Rosina and Giacomo Damacco as Count Almaviva, with Gaetano Bavagnoli conducting.

After his retirement, he taught voice at the Juilliard School. He died in New York at the age of 73.

De Luca is notable for creating two important Puccini roles: Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (La Scala, 1904) and the title role in Gianni Schicchi (Metropolitan Opera, 1918). He also created the Marquess in Massenet's Grisélidis, Michonnet in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, Gleby in Giordano's Siberia (1903), and Sancho Panza in Massenet's Don Quichotte opposite Feodor Chaliapin.

The illustrious but dictatorial conductor Arturo Toscanini is reputed to have once called De Luca, "absolutely the best baritone I ever heard". Certainly, he was praised by critics and audiences alike in a wide range of operatic roles, ranging from buffo and bel canto parts through to the core Verdi and Puccini characters. He even made some early forays into Wagner during his days at La Scala. (He sang, however, only in Italian and French)"

De Luca's elegant vocalism is preserved on numerous recordings which he made for the Fonotipia and Victor companies in Italy and America from the early 1900s through to the 1920s and '30s. On some of them, he is partnered by other great singers of the Metropolitan Opera's golden age, including Enrico Caruso, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Elisabeth Rethberg, Rosa Ponselle and Ezio Pinza. CD reissues of his recordings are widely available today. Film clips of him performing also exist.

De Luca was renowned as a master of lyric, smooth-toned legato singing and his recordings confirm his excellence in this regard. Being a small man, his voice was not of huge dimensions; but it was immaculately used and had ample carrying power in even the largest theatres. During De Luca's best years, his voice also possessed exceptional beauty of tone in the middle register. He was a clever and versatile actor, too, and was considered to be especially memorable in ebullient comic roles."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Giuseppe
• de
• Luca
• Ambo
• nati
• inquesta
• vale
• Donizetti
• Linda
• di
• Chamounix
• 1907

[racheleleeba]

I am only familiar with de Luca from his enjoyable duets with Caruso, so this was a pleasure to hear. Thank you.

[dantitustimshu]

@racheleleeba Thank you, Roberta. My pleasure.

[Kievest]

Giuseppe de Luca had a voice like a mink coat...elegant, luscious coloration,

and sheer sensuous pleasure. The expressivity in his performances comes

from the intimacy of his singing. Although a fine actor, it is the drama in his

inviting, velvety voice that beckons the listener and reveals the character.

Marvelous photos and superb video! Thank you, Tim!

[dantitustimshu]

@Kievest Many thanks, Candy. Always a great pleasure to have you sharing the joys & many more that a great singer's record can bring. Meanwhile, please do also check out Mattia Battistini's version of the same aria, which I have sent to you. Both of them really make very interesting comparison, especially since they studied under the same teacher.

[0Gioacchino]

This is a precious record of a wholly Italian baritone who exported his artistry around the world, instead of modifying it in the tradition of Caruso. Thank you for sharing it. I am always delighted to hear the silken tones and shimmering vibrato of Giuseppe De Luca.

[mayatatyana1]

Tim, beautiful performance. Thank you. Maya

[meltzerboy]

@meltzerboy Ancona was a baritone, not a bartione!

[meltzerboy]

@65attila I think the great bartione Mario Ancona had that same ease and beauty of tone.

[65attila]

@meltzerboy

I agree with you - DeLuca's singing has a wonderful ease

sort of like Perry Como did in pop music. I mean this as a complement to

DeLuca and Como.

Tim - thanks for posting and regards-John

[meltzerboy]

De Luca cannot compete with Ruffo, Battistini, Amato, and Stracciari with respect to vocal opulence or interpretive detail; but this great artist does offer a warm, round tone, masterly technique, and pure legato lyricism. His duets with Galli-Curci are some of the finest ever made. Thanks for posting this selection, Tim.