Bianca Scacciati Explained

Bianca Scacciati (3 July 1894 in Florence – 15 October 1948 in Brescia) was an Italian operatic dramatic soprano, noted for her prominence in verismo.

Bianca Scacciati
Birth Date:3 July 1894
Birth Place:Florence, Italy
Death Date:15 October 1948
Death Place:Brescia, Italy
Occupations:operatic soprano
Years Active:1917 - 1942

Biography

Born into a family of opera-loving railwaymen, she showed her talents at singing from a very early age. Her abilities as a soprano was first recognised by the singing teacher Ernesta Bruschini, sister of the more famous Matilde Bruschini.

On 1 November 1917, only just turned 24, she made her debut at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence in the role of Margherita in Faust by Charles Gounod in the (sung in Italian), going on with the same role at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, with such names as Alessandro Bonci (Faust), Vincenzo Bettoni (Mefistofele) and Luigi Piazza (Valentino).

On the 27th of July 1920, she sang at the Arena di Verona, in one of the first seasons of the theatre, in Boito's Mefistofele, alongside Nazzareno De Angelis, Aureliano Pertile, Linda Barla Ricci, directed by Piero Fabbroni.

In 1922 she played three important roles in the season of the Teatro Regio in Parma: Desdemona in Otello by Verdi, La Wally by Catalani and Margherita in Mefistofele. In the same year she played Margherita again in Mefistofele at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, with De Angelis and Pertile, conducted by Gino Marinuzzi.

In 1922 she made the first of her six tours in South America where, in order to replace an indisposed colleague, she had to perform Aida; in spite of the initial complexity, she obtained a resounding success with the critics and the audience.

At the Teatro alla Scala in Milan she performed, among other operas: in 1926 Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, in the title role, alongside the tenor Francesco Merli. In the same year also, in the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, later Don Carlo, again Cavalleria rusticana, Siberia by Umberto Giordano, and Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata.

In 1927 she made her debut at Covent Garden, London for the first London performance of Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, in the title role, alongside the tenor Merli.

At the Teatro Costanzi in Rome she triumphed in Tosca 1924, then also Turandot again in 1928, and again at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples in 1929.

On her debut in Rome with Turandot, she was invited by Mussolini to the Palazzo Venezia to be given a signed photograph by the Duce. She declined the invitation, stating her belief in her family's socialist viewpoint.

This 'disrespect' got her ostracised by theatres, so she was forced to continue her career singing mainly in South American theatres.

She also sang at the Teatro Colòn, Buenos Aires, in 1928, in Aida, Il Trovatore, Manon Lescaut and Un Ballo in Maschera. While in South America, she also sang in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, in the late 1920s, alongside other famous singers.

In 1933 she married Giulio Poli and settled in Brescia, the latter's hometown.

She retired in 1942, after finally having sung as Tosca at the Brescia Theatre.

List of operas at La Scala

A regular presence at La Scala, she had been called by Arturo Toscanini for an audition in 1926, but had proudly refused, inviting the Maestro to the premiere of Don Carlo in Rome. The charm of her voice and her excellent stage presence impressed him, so much so that he immediately cast her.

The following are the operas performed by Scacciati at La Scala in the various years:

Discography

Columbia

Some discs recorded by Columbia of Bianca Scacciati:[1]

(Disc number, Side A and Side B, Ø = disc diameter in centimetres):

Complete Works Columbia

Other labels

Excelsius - Edizioni Ricordi

Notes

Maybe the correct catalogue number is CQX 10502

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Catalogue. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090706194534/http://www.charm.kcl.ac.uk:80/discography/disco_catalogues.html . 2009-07-06 . charm.kcl.ac.uk.
  2. Book: Flury, Roger. Giacomo Puccini: A Discography. 2012-06-21. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-8329-1. en.

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