Luigi Alva

Luigi Alva (10 April 1927) was the foremost tenore leggiero of the third quarter of the 20th century. He was admired for his purity of tone, the elegance of his phrasing and the clarity of his diction. A Mozart and Rossini specialist, Alva still sets the standard for such roles as Don Ottavio (in Don Giovanni), Count Almaviva (in Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Fenton (in Verdi's Falstaff).

Biography

Born in Peru (home of other noted lyric tenors such as Ernesto Palacio and Juan Diego Florez), where he studied with Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales, he made his debut in Federico Moreno Torroba's zarzuela Luisa Fernanda. He went to Milan in 1953 and studies with Emilio Ghirardini later he was called from Giulio Comfallonieri to became a "cadet" at the La Scuola di Canto (Voice Academy) at La Scala. In Italy he make his European debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata, following that with his in la Piccola Scala in Cimarosa's "Il Matrimonio Segreto". His debut in Teatro alla Scala was in 1956 as Count Almaviva in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He was soon invited to sing at the most important European festivals and opera houses. At Glyndebourne, he made his debut as Nemorino in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. His Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1964 as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff. Subsequently he sang with most of the leading companies in US and Europe.

In 1960s and 1970s there were few singers, let alone tenors, who could compare in sheer vocal elegance with Luigi Alva. Unlike so many, he never tried to venture out of his natural repertoire. Instead, he delivered Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti with great elegance and style for four decades. He cooperated with conductors like Otto Klemperer, Claudio Abbado, Nino Sanzogno, Herbert von Karajan and Carlo Maria Giulini. His duets with Teresa Berganza in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola are the hallmarks of the epoch.

In 1982, he returned to Lima to teach and left the stage in 1989. He sponsors the Luigi Alva Competition for young singers and gives master classes. Alva now teaches singing at the La Scuola di Canto (Voice Academy) at La Scala in Milan.

Interpretations

Rossini:
*Il Conte D'Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia (1956, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1968, 1971)
*Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola (1968, 1971, 1976, 1978)
*Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri (1963, 1975)

Mozart:
*Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (1959, 1960, 1973)
*Ferrando in Così fan tutte (1956, 1957, 1971)
*Alessandro in Il re pastore (1967)

Haydn:
*Lindoro in La fedeltà premiata (1975)
*Ecclittico in Il mondo della luna (1977)
*Gernando in L'isola disabitata (1977)

Cimarosa:
*Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto (1956)
*Filandro in Le astuzie femminili (1959)

Leoncavallo:
*Beppe in Pagliacci (1954)

Puccini:
*Venditore di canzonette in Il tabarro (1954)

Verdi:
*Fenton in Falstaff (1956, 1957, 1963)

Schubert:
*Alfonso in Alfonso und Estrella (1956)

Donizetti:
*Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore 1958

Handel:
*Oronte in Alcina (1962)

Gounod:
*Siebel in Faust (1967)

Scarlatti:
*Roberto in Griselda (1970)

Filmography

*Falstaff (1956) Fenton
*Così fan tutte (1970), Ferrando
*Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1972), Count Almaviva
*Don Pasquale (1972), Ernesto
*Lo speziale (1982), Sempronio

References

* Hamilton, David. (1987). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kq The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Opera] ". New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo: Simon and Schuster. p. 20. ISBN 0-671-61732-X.
* Hamilton, Mary. (1990). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kr A-Z of Opera] ". New York, Oxford, Sydney: Facts On File. p. 16. ISBN 0-8160-2340-9.
* Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed.). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#ko The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera] ". London, New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-19-311318-X.
* Sadie, Stanley and Christina Bashford. (1992). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kn The New Grove Dictionary of Opera] ". London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 1, p. 99. ISBN 0-935859-92-6.
* Sadie, Stanley and John Tyrrell. (2001)." [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog.shtml#km The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians] ". London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 1, p. 430. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
* Warrack, John and Ewan West. (1996 3rd ed.). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kp The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera] ". New York: Oxford University Press. p.11. ISBN 0-19-280028-0.

External links

* [http://www.deccaclassics.com/music/classicrecitals/4756410.html Biography] from Decca
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/CIELO+ecco/video/xm5jr_luigi-alva-rossini Ecco ridente il cielo] from Il barbiere di Siviglia
* [http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLSIALVA.HTM Discography] (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
* [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm MetOpera database]