Franco Corelli

Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian and French repertories, he was celebrated universally for his powerhouse voice, electrifying top notes, clear timbre, passionate singing and remarkable performances. Dubbed the "prince of tenors", audiences were enchanted by his handsome features and charismatic stage presence. He had a long and fruitful partnership with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City between 1961 and 1975. He also appeared on the stages of most of the major opera houses in Europe and with opera companies throughout North America.

Biography Franco Corelli on the occasion of the performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, Naples, San Carlo Theatre, 1955–1956 season.

Early life and education: 1921–1950 Corelli was born Dario Franco Corelli in Ancona into a family some say had little or no musical background. While his parents were not particularly musical, his paternal grandfather Augusto had actually quit working at 35 to establish a successful career as an operatic tenor. His older brother Aldo subsequently quit school to become an operatic baritone, and two of his uncles sang in the Teatro delle Muse chorus in Ancona. His father was a shipbuilder for the Italian Navy and the family lived beside the Adriatic Sea. Corelli studied with Melocchi himself only "sometimes". The same year he appeared in operas with smaller opera houses throughout Italy and on the Italian radio. In 1953 he joined the Rome Opera's roster of principal tenors where he spent much of his time performing through 1958.

While singing at the Met, Corelli continued to be a presence on the international stage. In 1961 he made his debut with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He returned to La Scala in 1962, for a revival of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, opposite Joan Sutherland, and that same year appeared as Manrico in a lauded production of Il trovatore at the Salzburg Festival under Herbert von Karajan and opposite Leontyne Price, Giulietta Simionato, and Ettore Bastianini. He made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1964 opposite Callas in Tosca and Norma. He also earned high acclaim while collaborating with the Italian-American conductor Alfredo Antonini in several gala concerts in New York during the mid-1960s.

In the early 1970s, Corelli's voice began to show some signs of wear after years of hard use in a demanding repertory. As a result, the resultant nerves surrounding performances became increasingly difficult to handle for the tenor. He made his last opera appearance as Rodolfo in 1976 in Torre del Lago at the age of 55. He was briefly coaxed out of retirement for concerts in 1980 and 1981. However, while the public was enthralled with the tenor, music critics were divided, with some complaining about what they perceived as self-indulgence of phrasing and expression. During the 1960s the anti-Corelli sentiment was epitomized by Alan Rich of The New York Herald Tribune in a 1966 article which, while acknowledged the vibrancy and white heat of his singing, considered Corelli a throwback. Rich said that Corelli is "not employed by an opera, but employs it to serve purposes it was not meant to serve." Met Opera 1964 Verdi – Il trovatore Franco Corelli, Gabriella Tucci,Giulietta Simionato, Robert Merrill,Ferruccio Mazzoli Thomas SchippersRome Opera Chorus and Orchestra EMI 1965 Puccini – Turandot Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli,Renata Scotto, Bonaldo Giaiotti Francesco Molinari-PradelliRome Opera Chorus and Orchestra EMI 1967 Verdi – Aida Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli,Grace Bumbry, Mario Sereni, Bonaldo Giaiotti Zubin MehtaRome Opera Chorus and Orchestra EMI 1966 Gounod – Faust Joan Sutherland, Franco Corelli,Nicolai Ghiaurov Richard BonyngeAmbrosian Opera Chorus,London Symphony Orchestra DECCA 1966 Puccini – Tosca Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli,Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Lorin MaazelOrchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia DECCA 1968 Gounod – Roméo et Juliette Franco Corelli, Mirella Freni,Xavier Dupraz Alain LombardParis Opera Chorus and Orchestra EMI 1970 Bizet – Carmen Franco Corelli, Anna Moffo,Helen Donath, Piero Cappuccilli Lorin MaazelOrchester und Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin RCA