Mario Del Monaco is the greatest tenor who made an undeniable contribution to the development of opera music. His repertoire is rich and varied. The Italian singer used the lowered larynx method in singing.
Childhood and youth years of the artist
The artist's date of birth is July 27, 1915. He was born on the territory of colorful Florence (Italy). The boy was lucky to be brought up in a creative family.
So, the head of the family worked as a music critic, and his mother had an amazing soprano voice. In his later interviews, Mario will refer to his mother as his only muse. Parents and the creative mood that reigned at home definitely influenced the choice of the profession of a young man.
At an early age, Mario learned to play the violin. Thanks to sensitive hearing, the musical instrument succumbed to the boy without much effort. But soon, Mario realized that singing was much closer to him. Thanks to the efforts of maestro Rafaelli, the guy began to study vocals and soon took on serious parts.
After some time, the family moved to Pesaro. In the new city, Mario entered the prestigious Gioacchino Rossini Conservatory. He came under the patronage of Arturo Melocchi. He studied and practiced a lot. The teacher of the soul doted on his disciples. He shared with him unique techniques.
Another serious passion of Mario's youth was the fine arts. He was seriously engaged in painting, and sometimes, sculpted from clay. The artist said that drawing really distracts and relaxes him. The singer especially needed relaxation after a long tour.
In the mid-30s of the last century, he managed to win a scholarship for a special course at the Teatro dell'Opera. He was dissatisfied with the teaching methods at the institution, so he tactfully refused to take the course.
The creative path of Mario Del Monaco
At the end of the 30s of the last century, he made his debut on the theater stage. Then he was involved in the play "Rural Honor". Real success and recognition came to the artist a year later. He was entrusted with the role in Madama Butterfly.
The creative upsurge coincided with the beginning of the Second World War. For a while, the artist's activity was "frozen". However, after the war, the tenor's career began to rise sharply. In the 46th year of the last century, he appeared at the Arena di Verona theater. Mario was involved in the play "Aida" to the music of D. Verdi. He brilliantly coped with the task that the director set for him.
In the same period of time, he first appeared on the stage of the Royal Opera House, which is located in Covent Garden. By the way, his cherished dream came true on the stage. Mario was involved in Puccini's Tosca and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
Unknown to anyone, the opera singer has grown into one of the country's most popular tenors. At the end of the 40s of the last century, he played in the operas Carmen and Rural Honor. A few years later he shone at La Scala. He was entrusted with one of the key roles in Andre Chenier.
In the early 50s, the opera singer went on a large-scale tour in Buenos Aires. He performed one of the most iconic roles in his creative career. Mario was involved in the opera "Otello" by Verdi. In the future, he repeatedly took part in Shakespeare's productions.
This period of time is marked by work at the Metropolitan Opera (New York). The Americans appreciated the talent of the tenor. He shone on stage, and tickets for performances with his participation were sold out in a matter of days.
Visit Mario Del Monaco of the Soviet Union
At the end of the 50s, he first came to the USSR. He visited the Russian capital, where Carmen was staged in one of the theaters. Mario's partner was the popular Soviet artist Irina Arkhipova. The tenor sang parts in his native Italian, while Irina sang in Russian. It was truly a stunning sight. It was interesting to watch the interaction of the actors.
The performance of the opera performer was appreciated by the Soviet public. Rumor has it that the grateful audience not only rewarded the artist with a storm of applause, but also carried him in their arms to the dressing room. After the performance, Mario thanked the audience for such a warm welcome. In addition, he was satisfied with the work of the director.
Accident involving an opera singer
In the mid-60s of the last century, Mario got into a serious traffic accident. The accident almost cost the maestro of life. For several hours the doctors fought for his life. Treatment, long years of rehabilitation and frank poor health - interrupted the tenor's creative activity. Only in the early 70s did he return to the stage. He was involved in the play "Tosca". It is important to note that this was Mario's last role.
He tried his hand at the genre of popular songs. In the mid-70s, a presentation of a LP with Neapolitan compositions took place. A few years later, he appeared in the film "First Love".
Details of the artist's personal life
In the early 40s of the last century, he married a charming girl named Rina Fedora Filippini. It turned out that the lovers met in childhood. They were friends, but later their paths diverged. As adults, they crossed paths in Rome. Mario and Rina studied at the same educational institution.
By the way, the parents were against their daughter marrying an aspiring opera singer. They considered him an unworthy party. The daughter did not listen to the opinion of mom and dad. Rina and Mario lived a long and incredibly happy family life. In this marriage, the couple had a son, who also realized himself in the creative profession.
Mario Del Monaco: interesting facts
- To feel the biography of the opera singer, we recommend watching the film The Boring Life of Mario Del Monaco.
- Music experts have called Mario the last operatic tenor.
- In the mid-50s, he received the Golden Arena award.
- One publication in the 60s published an article in which it was stated that the voice of the performer could break a crystal glass at a distance of several meters.
Death of an artist
When he retired for a well-deserved rest and left the stage, he took up teaching. In the 80s, the health of the opera singer deteriorated sharply. In many ways, the position of the artist was aggravated due to the experienced car accident. He died on October 16, 1982.
The artist died in the nephrology department of the Umberto I clinic in Mestre. The reason for the death of the great tenor was a heart attack. His body was buried in the Pesaro cemetery. It is noteworthy that he was sent on his last journey dressed as Othello.
