Greatest Opera Singers

Greatest Opera Singers

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Rafael Punza (Tenor) (Romania ? - ?)


                                                                         Radames


In 1904 he was engaged by Gregorio Gabrielesco to appear at the Opera House in Craiova. Probably he made guest appearances in Italy as Raffaele Punza.

Chronology of appearance


1904 Craiova Opera House 

Giuseppe Trenta (Baritone)




He made his debut around 1920 and mostly appeared at the provincial opera stages. He never made records.


Chronology of some appearances

1922 Treviglio Teatro Sociale Trovatore (Conte)
1922 Treviso  Politeama Garibaldi Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1923 Piove di Sacco  Politeama Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1923 Lonigo  Teatro Comunale Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1923 Pisa  Teatro Rossi Boheme (Marcello)
1924 Grosseto  Teatro Degli Industri  Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1924 Firenze  Teatro Della Pergola Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1924   Venezia  Teatro Malibran Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1924 Porto Maurizio Teatro Cavour Boheme (Marcello)
1925 Asti Teatro Alfieri Boheme (Marcello)
1925 Arezzo  Teatro Petrarca Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)
1927 Reggio Emilia Politeama Ariosto Tosca (Scarpia)
1927 Reggio Emilia Politeama Ariosto Traviata (Germont)
1927 Sanremo Teatro Principe Amedeo Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1927 Ancona Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Trovatore (Conte)
1928 Ancona Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Trovatore (Conte)
1928  Alessandria  Teatro Municipale Trovatore (Conte)
1930 Genova  Politeama Genovese Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1931 Bari  Teatro Petruzzelli Tosca (Scarpia)
1931  Bologna  Teatro Duse Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1931 Anversa Teatro Reale Pagliacci (Tonio)
1931 Torino Eiar Carmen (Escamillo)

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Giovanni Goffi (Tenor) (Turin, Italy 1904 - ?)




At the age of six he appeared publicly as pianist. He studied singing in Turin and made his debut, which was very successful at  the Teatro Malibran in Venice as Rodolfo in G. Puccini’s ‘’La Bohème’’ (1924). He continued his career at the famous Italian opera stages in parts like Alfredo in ‘’La Traviata’’, Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Pinkerton in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’, Faust,  Almaviva in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Elvino in V. Bellini’s ‘’La Sonnambula’’. In 1931 Giovanni Goffi appeared at the Teatro Carignano in Turin in the premiere of the opera ‘’L'Amoroso furfante’’ of  Giulio Gedda. Despite his success in 1920’s, he had a short career and probably never made records.

Chronology of some appearances

1924 Venice Teatro Malibran
1931 Turin Teatro Carignano 

Eric Audouin (Tenor) (? 1882 – Paris, France 1970)


                                                                         Don Jose


He received his education at the Conservatoire National de Paris and made his debut in 1906 at the Paris Opéra-Comique as José in ‘’Carmen’’ (See photo). During the following two years he appeared at this opera house and then made guest appearances at the famous opera theaters of the French province. In the 1911-1914 seasons he joined to the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, where he also sang after his participation as a soldier in the First World War, in the 1918-1921 seasons. Then he returned to France and from 1923 to 1927 seasons appeared at the Grand Opéra in Paris. His repertoire included Werther, Jean in ‘’Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame’’ by J. Massenet, Demetrius in ‘’Aphrodite’’ of Erlanger, Faust in ‘’La damnation de Faust’’ by H. Berlioz, Samson in ‘’Samson et Dalila’’ of C. Saint-Saëns, Jean in J. Massenet’s ‘’Hérodiade’’, Julien in ‘’Louise’’ of G. Charpentier, Monostatos in ‘’Zauberflöte’’ (Théâtre Gaîté-Lyrique Paris, 1912), Lohengrin (Marseille, 1925), Siegmund in 'Walküre, Tannhäuser, Walther von Stolzing in ‘’Meistersingern’’, Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Radames in ‘’Aida’’, Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’ and Gennaro in ‘’I gioielli della Madonna’’ by E.Wolf-Ferrari. After his retirement he taught singing  in Paris. It's a little strange for me, that such a fine tenor never made recordings.

Chronology of some appearances

1906 Paris Opéra-Comique
1911-1914 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie
1918-1921  Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie
1923-1927 Paris Grand Opéra