Gigli was born in Recanati near Ancona, March
20, 1890 as the youngest child of a poor cobbler
(later parish clerk). Very early, his great talent
for singing was noted and his voice was trained
in the choir of the San Flaviano Cathedral. Gigli
studied in Rome 1907-14 with great difficulties
and sacrifices (1911-14 at the Santa Cecilia
Academy). In July 1914 he won the international
singing contest at Parma which led him to make
his début in October at Rovigo (La Gioconda).
Now his career was rising immediately, first via
Genoa (Manon, Tosca) to Palermo, where he
sang in Boito's Mefistofele with great success.
In this role he made his début at several
important opera houses: Rome (1916), La Scala
(1918) and finally at the Metropolitan, New York,
on Novernber 26,1920.
After Carusos death, Gigli gradually won the
rivalry of the succession of Caruso in his lyrical
roles. In the 1920s, he was the highest paid
opera singer in the world and sang 28 roles at
the Met in a total of 510 performances
(including tours) . He did not accept the salary
cut called forth by The Great Depression, which
led him to leave the Met in 1932.
He continued his career in Europe. As the
most famous opera singer in the world he made
extensive concert and opera tours in Europe and
South America (e.g. 1933, 1935). The fame and
income of Gigli were increased by his
participation in 15 musical films during 1935-50.
At the end of the 1930s and the beginning of the
1940s he conquered more dramatic roles: Aida
(1937), Trovatore (1939), Carmen (1941) and
Pagliacci (1942).
Gigli was famous for his charity. He sang for
such purposes about 1000 times! During his last
ten years he gave more than 900 performances,
although his health was failing (diabetes and
heart disease). From 1947 to 1954 he even sang
40 times in Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci in
the same evening. During his farewell tour in
1955, that lasted four and a half months, Gigli
gave 41 concerts in Europe, USA and Canada.
The last concert of his career was in
Washington DC May 25,1955. Gigli lived in
retirement until Novernber 30,1957, when he
died in Rome. Gigli is the only opera singer in
the history of Italy, who has, been
commemorated in a special session of the
Italian parliament.
During his career of 41 years,
Gigli sang in 2249 opera performanees. He also
gave 1300 concerts and some 1000 benefit
concerts. The number of his roles was 62 and
he made some 400 commercial recordings. His
voice can be characterized as one of the most
beautiful of the century and he used it with a
perfect singing technique. It has been said that
Gigli made with his voice what he wanted, while
others were doing what they could. The critic
Paolo Isotta said in 1990 that Gigli was the King
Midas of singing art. Even the most miserable
song became art in his golden throat. On
October 8,1997 "The Gigli Day" was proclaimed
in New York by the Mayor, mr. Rudolph Giuliani,
and in the Metropolitan a bust of Gigli was
unveiled. Gigli is the eternal example of the old
Italian school of singing. The Italian people has
not loved any other singer so much as Gigli.
That's why in the 1930's he was called "The
Singer of the Italian People", but we can call
him the singer of all peoples in the world.
BENIAMINO GIGLI IN THE NORTH
Scandinavia had to wait for the first meeting with
Gigli until June 1924, when he gave three
concerts in Copenhagen. One
year later he travelled by train to Stockholm for
two concerts. "The ecstasy of the audience was
on a level with the peaks of the Alps", reported
the critic of Dagens Nyheter. During his return
journey he gave two more recitals in
Copenhagen. Now Scandinavia had to wait for
him until 1932, when he sang at the Forum in
Copenhagen before 7500 listeners. The tickets
were sold out in two hours. The critic Kai Floor
wrote: "This was singing art by the grace of God,
which filled the eyes with tears". On this tour he
also sang his only performance at the Royal
Opera, Copenhagen (La Bohème).
Most of Gigli's Scandinavian performances
were given in Denmark: Aarhus
(1949-50, 1952), Odense (1949), Aalborg
(1934, 1952, 1954) and even in the little
town Ollerup (1934). The Norwegians
were able to enjoy his singing in five concerts
in Oslo 1933-54. After the war, in
1949, Gigli met Jussi Björling in
Gothenburg, who said that Gigli was the
best tenor in the world - Gigli said the
same of Jussi. On February 10, 1952,
Gigli sang his only performance at the
Royal Opera, Stockholm, in Tosca with
Birgit Nilsson. She said that Gigli seemed
a very old man for the role of young
Cavaradossi, but how wonderfuly he could still
sing! Besides Stockholm and Gothenburg he
sang in Sweden also in Malmö, March 27,1950.
The Finns had to wait for Gigli 30 years.
Finally, during his farewell tour he came to
Finland at the end of October 1954. At the
Exhibition Hall, Helsinki, he gave two concerts
which were a triumphal succes. There more
than 11000 people became his last new public.
The critics said that they could criticize nothing,
just describe what happened. Gigli sang in the
four Nordic countries in 51 concerts and in two
opera performances leaving an unforgettable
memory to all his enthusiastic listeners in the
cold North.
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Torsten Brander
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President of the
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Finnish Beniamino Gigli Society
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