Tullio Serafin
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Tullio Serafin
(b Rottanova di Cavarzere, 1 Sept 1878; d Rome, 2 Feb 1968). Italian conductor. He studied at Milan Conservatory and made his début at Ferrara in 1898. He was principal conductor at La Scala, 1909-14, notably in Strauss and Montemezzi. At the Met (1924-34) he conducted premières of several new American works. He was artistic director of the Teatro Reale, Rome (1934-43), giving well-balanced performances of the Ring and Wozzeck. Latterly he was often associated with Callas. An outstanding conductor of Italian Romantic opera, he did much to foster the revival of interest in Bellini and Donizetti.
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Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin (1 September 1878 - 2 February 1968) was an Italian conductor.
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Contents
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Biography
Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire. He had an unparalleled reputation as a coach of young opera singers and famously harnessed and developed Maria Callas's extraordinary talents.
Born in Rottanova (Cavarzere), near Venice, and trained in Milan, he played viola in the Orchestra of La Scala, Milan under Toscanini, later being appointed Assistant Conductor. He took over as Musical Director at La Scala when Toscanini left to go to New York and served 1909-1914, 1917–1918 and returned briefly after the second World War, 1946 -1947.
He joined the conducting staff of the Metropolitan Opera in 1924 and remained for a decade, after which he became the artistic director of the Teatro Reale in Rome. During his long career he helped further the careers of many important singers, including Rosa Ponselle and Joan Sutherland, and morespecially Maria Callas with whom he made numerous recordings.
Serafin was instrumental in expanding the repertory, conducting the Italian premieres of works by Alban Berg, Paul Dukas, and Benjamin Britten. He also conducted important world premieres by both Italian and American composers such as Franco Alfano, Italo Montemezzi, Deems Taylor, and Howard Hanson.
Recordings
With Europe poised on the edge of WWII, Serafin made a fine recording of the Verdi Requiem in 1939 from the Rome Opera House, with some of the great operatic soloists of the day: Maria Caniglia, Ebe Stingnani, Benjamino Gigli, and Ezio Pinza.
Serafin made the following complete opera recordings with Callas for Angel/EMI Records:
- Armida - 1952
- Lucia di Lammermoor - 1953
- I puritani - 1953
- Cavalleria rusticana - 1953
- Norma - 1954
- Pagliacci - 1954
- La forza del destino - 1954
- Aida - 1955
- Rigoletto - 1955
- Turandot - 1957
- Manon Lescaut - 1957
- Medea - 1957
- Mefistofele - 1958
- Lucia di Lammermoor - 1959
- Norma - 1960
He conducted the Orchestra of the Rome Opera House in tenor Jon Vickers's highly acclaimed first recording of Verdi's Otello, made by RCA Victor in 1960.
References
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
External links
| Preceded by Arturo Toscanini |
Musical Directors, La Scala, Milan 1909–1914 |
Succeeded by unknown |
| Preceded by unknown |
Musical Directors, La Scala, Milan 1917–1918 |
Succeeded by Arturo Toscanini |
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Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia
The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
Falstaff
(1956 Theater Film)
Otello
(1958 Theater Film)
Serafin Conducts Verdi, Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti
(Classical Album)
Arturo Basile
(Classical Musician)
Carlo Tagliabue
(Classical Musician)
» More