Renato Cellini

Renato Cellini (1912–1967) was a celebrated Italian opera conductor. His father was Enzio Cellini, who was a stage director who worked with Arturo Toscanini.

Cellini went to the United States in 1947, when he joined the staff of the Metropolitan Opera, and where he debuted conducting "Don Carlos", on April 9, 1952, with Jussi Björling, Eleanor Steber and Regina Resnik in the cast. The following year, he led "Aïda" (with Herva Nelli and Jean Madeira) and "La forza del destino" (with Zinka Milanov and Mario del Monaco). In 1954, he conducted "La forza" again (now with Nelli and Leonard Warren), and a double-bill of "Cavalleria rusticana" and "Pagliacci".

In 1954, Cellini was appointed General Director and Conductor of the New Orleans Opera Association, where he debuted with "La bohème" (staged by Armando Agnini). While there, he founded The Experimental Opera Theatre of America (1954-60), in association with the New Orleans Opera. It was "designed to give young singers an opportunity to be heard in opera." These young singers included Harry Theyard, Mignon Dunn, Norman Treigle, John Reardon, Audrey Schuh, André Turp, Chester Ludgin, John Macurdy, Stanley Kolk, Ara Berberian, Enrico di Giuseppe, Ticho Parly, and Benjamin Rayson.

While in New Orleans, Cellini conducted performances of many operas, including "Otello" (with Ramón Vinay and Nelli), "Tosca" (with Inge Borkh and Robert Weede), "Lakmé", "Amelia al ballo" (with Schuh), "Elektra", "L'amore dei tre re", "Falstaff" (with Warren), "Werther", "La cenerentola", "Boris Godounov" (with Boris Christoff), "Il trovatore", "Turandot", "Norma", "Don Giovanni" (with Treigle), "Tannhäuser", "La Gioconda", "Manon" (with Phyllis Curtin and Nicolai Gedda), "Un ballo in maschera", "Orfeo ed Euridice", "Der Rosenkavalier", "Rigoletto" (with Cornell MacNeil), and "La forza del destino" (with Eileen Farrell and Richard Cassilly).

During the decade Cellini led the New Orleans Opera, many national and international stars made their local debuts with the company. These included Luigi Alva (as Almaviva in "Il barbiere di Siviglia"), Giuseppe Campora (as Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor"), Lisa della Casa (as the Marschallin in "Der Rosenkavalier"), Plácido Domingo (as Lord Arturo Bucklaw in "Lucia"), Gedda (as des Grieux), Louis Quilico (as Lescaut), Cesare Siepi (as Don Giovanni) and Beverly Sills (the Heroines of "Les contes d'Hoffmann").

In 1964, due to failing health, Cellini conducted for the last time, for a performance of "Aïda". He died on March 25, 1967 (Holy Saturday), in New Orleans, at the age of fifty-five, and is buried in Metairie Cemetery. In 2004, his widow, Pinuccia, moved from New Orleans to Tennessee.

Studio Discography (Complete Operas)

* Verdi: "Rigoletto" (Berger, Merriman, Peerce, Warren, Tajo; 1950) RCA
* Verdi: "Il trovatore" (Milanov, Barbieri, Björling, Warren, Moscona; 1952) RCA
* Mascagni: "Cavalleria rusticana" (Milanov, Björling, Merrill; 1953) RCA
* Leoncavallo: "Pagliacci" (de los Ángeles, Björling, Franke, Warren, Merrill; 1953) RCA

Approved "Live" Discography

* Verdi: "Falstaff" (della Chiesa, Schuh, Turp, Warren, Torigi; 1956) VAI
* Verdi: "La traviata": excerpts (Kirsten, Hayward, MacNeil; 1958) VAI
* Puccini: "La bohème" (Albanese, Schuh, di Stefano, Valdengo, Treigle; 1959) VAI
* Puccini: "Madama Butterfly" (Kirsten, Barioni, Torigi; 1960) VAI
* Saint-Saëns: "Samson et Dalila" (Stevens, Vinay, Berberian; 1960) VAI
* Ponchielli: "La Gioconda" (Milanov, Kramarich, Gismondo, Bardelli, Wilderman; 1960) VAI
* Verdi: "La forza del destino": excerpts (Farrell, Cassilly; 1963) VAI
* Mascagni: "Cavalleria rusticana" (Milanov, Gismondo, Rayson; 1963) VAI

References

* "Obituary," "Opera", May 1967.