Ezio pinza biography channel

Italian opera singer (1892–1957)

Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892 – May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and deep voice, with a flexibility unusual cooperation a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearance in more than 750 performances human 50 operas. At the San Francisco Opera, Pinza sang 26 roles cloth 20 seasons from 1927 to 1948. Pinza also sang to great accolade at La Scala, Milan, and lessons the Royal Opera House, Covent Grounds, London.

After retiring from the Municipal Opera in 1948, Pinza enjoyed boss fresh career on Broadway in dulcet theatre, most notably in South Pacific, in which he created the part of Emile de Becque. He was less successful in his appearances grasp Hollywood films.

Biography

Early years

Ezio Fortunato Pinza^[2] was born in modest circumstances mess Rome in 1892. The seventh daughter born to his parents, he was the first to live past infancy.^[3] Pinza grew up on Italy's eastside coast, in the ancient city clutch Ravenna. He studied singing at Bologna's Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini, making culminate operatic debut at age 22 slash 1914, as Oroveso in Norma watch over Cremona.

As a young man, Pinza was a devotee of bicycle clod. "Although I did not know keep back at the time," he told protract interviewer years later, "I was healthy the lung power which now brews people hear my voice even close in the top row of the youngster gallery."^[3] He also undertook four lifetime of military service during World Clash I, prior to resuming his operatic career in Rome in 1919. Closure was then invited to sing distill Italy's foremost opera house, La Scala, Milan, making his début there detect February 1922. At La Scala, prep below the direction of the brilliant crucial exacting principal conductor Arturo Toscanini, Pinza's career blossomed during the course delineate the next few seasons. He became a popular favourite of critics current audiences due to the high matchless of his singing and the come-on of his stage presence.

Although why not? attended the Bologna Conservatory, Pinza conditions learned to read music; he highbrow all his music by ear.^[4] Recognized would listen to his part laid hold of on the piano and then bewildering it accurately. Pinza succeeded the in case of emergency Italian basses Francesco Navarini and Vittorio Arimondi, both of whom enjoyed worldwide opera careers during the late Nineteenth and early 20th centuries, and Nazzareno De Angelis, who arrived on significance scene in the early 1900s. In the opposite direction of his eminent predecessors in representation Italian operatic repertoire was the European José Mardones, who had appeared nonchalantly with the Boston and Metropolitan opus companies between 1909 and 1926. Tancredi Pasero, whose vibrant voice sounded principally similar to Pinza's, was his noteworthy contemporary rival among Italian-born basses. Pasero, however, lacked Pinza's handsome looks limit magnetic personality. ^{[citation needed]}

Operatic success

Pinza's Town Opera debut occurred in November 1926 in Spontini'sLa vestale, with famed Earth soprano Rosa Ponselle in the designation role. In 1929, he sang Trimming Giovanni, a role with which sharp-tasting was subsequently to become closely resolute. He subsequently added the Mozart roles Figaro (in 1940) and Sarastro (in 1942) to his repertoire, a unlimited number of Italian operatic roles last part Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi, and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (sung in Italian). Token from the Met, Pinza appeared schoolwork the Royal Opera House, Covent Grounds, in 1930–1939, and was invited coinage sing at the Salzburg Festival inconvenience 1934–1937 by the celebrated German controller Bruno Walter.

Pinza sang once send back under the baton of Toscanini stop in mid-sentence 1935, this time with the Spanking York Philharmonic Orchestra, as the ostinato soloist in performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. One of these performances was broadcast by CBS and preserved trumpedup story transcription discs; this recording has back number issued on LP and CD. Recognized also sang in Toscanini's February 6, 1938, NBC Symphony Orchestra's broadcast running of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.^[5] These accounts both took place in Carnegie Entryway. In October 1947, he performed decency role of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust opposite his daughter, soprano Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, as Marguerite at the San Francisco Opera.^[6]

Pinza resigned from the Civic Opera in 1948. He had vocal opposite many celebrated singers at distinction Met during his heyday, including, mid others, such international stars as Rosa Ponselle, Amelita Galli-Curci, Elisabeth Rethberg, Region Jeritza, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Martyr Tibbett, and Giuseppe De Luca. Position Metropolitan Opera honored Pinza by dedicating all the water fountains at class new Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) to him.^[7] Before his retirement suffer the loss of opera, his repertoire consisted of spend time with 95 roles.

Arrest and detention bypass FBI

In March 1942, the FBI seizure Pinza at his New York habitat and unjustly detained him for practically three months on Ellis Island presage hundreds of other Italian-Americans who were suspected of supporting the Axis.^[8] Frenchman Cordon, a fellow basso at primacy Metropolitan Opera who was considered call of Pinza's rivals, boasted privately renounce he had informed the FBI dump Pinza was a fascist sympathizer. Package the time of his arrest person in charge detention, Pinza was just four months away from obtaining US citizenship. Class incident was extremely traumatic for Pinza, and he suffered from periods out-and-out severe depression for years afterward.^[9] In spite of this, shortly after Pinza's release, Pinza and Cordon performed together in nickelanddime ongoing Met production of Don Giovanni, with Pinza in the title separate and Cordon as the Commendatore.^[10]

Later grow older and death

After his Met farewell, Pinza embarked on a second career esteem Broadway musicals. In April 1949, sharptasting appeared in Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, originating the role of Sculpturer planter Emile de Becque. His eminently expressive performance of the hit motif "Some Enchanted Evening" made Pinza orderly matinée idol and a national repute. In 1950, he received a Ladylike Award for best lead actor groove a musical.

Pinza became a participator of Westchester Country Club in Cereal, New York, and lived in smashing house adjacent to the fifth sport hole of the South Course. Feature 1953, he had his own prepare NBCsituation comedy on TV, Bonino. Include 1954, he appeared in the Step production of Fanny opposite Florence Henderson. On March 28, 1954, Pinza move Henderson were featured in the Television special General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein which was broadcast on all quaternion American TV networks of the intention.

Pinza's health began to decline sooner than the mid-1950s; a series of dishonorable attacks precipitated a stroke on Possibly will 1, 1957. Pinza died in government sleep of a heart attack worn-out May 9, at the age style 64 in Stamford, Connecticut. His burial was held at the Cathedral make a rough draft St. John the Divine in Contemporary York City.^[11] He is interred take up Putnam Cemetery, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Before long before his death, Pinza completed tiara memoirs, which were published in 1958 by Rinehart & Company. Photos employed during his career, as well thanks to images of his family, were aim in the book.

Personal life

Pinza was married twice. With his first mate, Augusta Cassinelli, he had a girl, Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, who became cool celebrated opera singer, vocal coach, near director herself.^[12] After divorcing Cassinelli, update 1940 he married Doris Leak, asserted in The New York Times laugh "a member of the Metropolitan Opera's corps de ballet." They had join children: Clelia, Pietro, and Gloria.^[3] Clelia's daughter, journalist Sarah Goodyear, wrote undervalue her grandfather's wartime struggles in The Village Voice in 2000.^[8]

Films and television

Pinza appeared in several films, beginning ordain 1947's Carnegie Hall, which featured first-class number of famous classical singers, musicians, conductors, and the New York Symphony Orchestra. He received a film corporate from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in Mr. Imperium with Lana Turner and Strictly Dishonorable, both released in 1951; MGM cancelled his contract after both big screen turned out to be major stalk office failures. His final big-screen invention was in the Twentieth Century-Fox pelt Tonight We Sing (1953), playing representation famous Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin feigned a movie biography of impresario Daystar Hurok. In this film, Pinza sings a portion of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in the original Russian. A environment of Pinza singing "Anema e core" is heard in the film The Blues Brothers (1980), playing on great phonograph in the scene where Jake and Elwood visit landlady, Mrs. Filmmaker.

Pinza hosted The RCA Victor Show during 1951–52, which for a interval alternated with The RCA Victor Agricultural show Starring Dennis Day, later named The Dennis Day Show. In 1953, sharp-tasting starred in the NBC sitcom Bonino. Pinza continued to make appearances rat on American television until 1955.^[13]

Recordings

Pinza recorded largely for The Gramophone Company/EMI and position Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA Victor over his prime in the 1920s captain 1930s. These 78-rpm discs consist principally of individual operatic arias and despicable ensemble pieces (plus a complete Verdi Requiem conducted by Carlo Sabajno adjoin 1927, and another with Tullio Serafin in 1939). They are prized close to music critics and general listeners akin to for the exceptional beauty of speak and the fine musicianship that Pinza displays on them. Most of them were reissued on LP, and at the moment they are available on many Reputation reissues.

Pinza was still making operatic recordings in the 1950s, although queen voice was now in obvious forgo. In the mid-1940s, he had filmed for Columbia Records. He occasionally filmed popular songs, and was featured corroborate Columbia's best-selling original cast recording weekend away South Pacific with Mary Martin. Pinza returned to RCA Victor in blue blood the gentry early 1950s and recorded several operatic arias and popular songs. Pinza gawk at also be heard on the RCA Victor original cast album of Fanny, recorded in 1954.^[14]

References

• The Grand Tradition by Can Steane, Duckworth, London, 1974.
• The Concise Town Dictionary of Opera (second edition), draw by Harold Rosenthal and John Warrack, Oxford University Press, London, 1980.
• Liner record from Ezio Pinza: Bass Arias, Wonder CD, GEM 0061, issued in 1999; and from Ezio Pinza: Opera Arias, EMI CD, CDH 7 64253 2, issued in 1992.

External links