Giovanni Apostolou

Ioannis (Yannis, Yangos) Apostolou was born in Menidis, Athens, probably in 1860, though some researches provide the year 1863 or 1866. He was one of the first Greek singers to attain international fame and career and one of the earliest whose voice is preserved on records.

About 1870 he became a member of the chorus of the Royal Palace Chapel of Athens (a chorus that had been formed by Queen Olga's command) and later studied at the conservatory in Athens. At the same time, so as to earn his living, he worked as assistant secretary at the Athens Magistrates' Court and later at the National Press. He was part of a group of serenaders who sang in the streets of Athens.

He started singing in choirs (around 1886) at charity concerts, carnival festivities and at the Athens Cathedral. His real stage debut took place on 14 March 1888 in the role of Yorghis in the opera O ypopsifios vouleftis/The parliamentary candidate by Xyndas. He sang seven performances in March and April and then sang it at Patras.

On 22 July 1888 he appeared in the "komidhyllion" (a sort of musical comedy) "E mylonáthes" (The Millers) by Napoleon Lambelet. On 19 December 1888 Apostolu sang the role of Daniel in the opera "Betly ossia La capanna svizzera" by Donizetti.

During 1889 Apostolou sang in the Elliniko Melodrama tours singing The parliamentary candidate, Betly but also adding to his repertory the role of Belmonte in "Die Entführung aus dem Serail", the role of Markos Botsaris in the opera of the same name by Pavlos Carrer (Cairo, 2 February 1889), Fernand in "La favorite", Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor", Elvino in "La sonnambula". The tours took him to Egypt: Alexandria (Zizinia Theatre) and Cairo (Khedivial Theatre) in January and February; and then to Turkey: Istanbul, March to May, and Smyrna, Eden Theatre, from May to July 1889, adding to his repertory the role of Almaviva in "Il barbiere di Siviglia".

In August the company returned to Athens, and Apostolou sang at the Theatró Falírou the operas "Markos Botsaris" and "Kyra Frosýni", also by Carrer. Both operas were conducted by the composer.

From September 1889 to March 1890 the company made a great tour, singing in Marseille, Trieste, Brăila and Galaţi (Romania, three months) and Odessa, where the company broke up.

At the time Apostolou voice was described as "sweet, powerful, caressing, clear, intoxicating, exqusite, enchanting". The Greek expatriates in Odessa as well as the Greek comunity in Bucharest provided him with the necessary funds for further studies in Italy. Apostolou was already married and traveled with his wife to Milan, where they arrived in late May or early June 1890. The mother of famous Greek composer Spyros Samaras introduced the singer to maestro Felice Pozzi (or Pozzo). In six months, approximately, Apostolou was fully trained in singing, opera repertoire, acting and Italian language. Pozzi agreed that he was ready for his Italian debut and obtained for him his first contract, as Alvaro in "La forza del destino" in Venice, 16 December 1890. A general overview of his artistic career can be obtained by the list of his performances (below).

He sang in Odessa for five seasons, where he was deeply admired. He must have been also a favourite at Naples, where he sang both at the Mercadante and the San Carlo theaters. When he sang "La bohème" at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, King Umberto I invited him to sing at his royal villa and presented him with a medal and a diamond brooch.

Many gaps in Apostolou's life and career remain. There are no reports on the kind of illness that caused his untimely death. There is some information that says that already in 1901 he was experiencing the first symptoms of the illness.

Giovanni Apostolou died in Naples on 28 August 1905, at 45 years old.

I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the record (Manon Lescaut).

LIST OF PERFORMANCES

1890

VENEZIA, Teatro Rossini  
La forza del destino: Rosina Aimo, Cesira Ravasio Prandi, Michele Wigley/Agostino 
   Gnaccarini, Gaetano Monti
16 December
Gli adoratori del fuoco (by A. De Lorenzi Fabris): Augusta Cruz, Gaetano Monti
December or January 1891

BOLOGNA, Teatro del Corso
Faust: Emma Zilli, Emma Gardini, Maria Amadei, Rogerio Astillero, Agostino Gnaccarini
December/January 1891

1891

NAPOLI, Teatro Bellini
Cavalleria rusticana
May
Faust: Raimondina Da Costa, Lisa Vitale, Giuseppe Pacini,  Paolo Poggi
May
Tazza di té (by D. Scarano): Fernandina Da Costa, Giuseppe Pacini
May

VERONA, Teatro Nuovo
Elsa (by G. A. Carraroli): Nina Mazzi
May

LENDINARA, Teatro Sociale
Faust: Anna Maria Negri, Cesira Manfredini, Giovanni Borghi, Giuseppe De Grazia
September

ASCOLI PICENO, Teatro Ventidio Basso
La forza del destino: Rosina Giusti, Ida Nobili, Giuseppe Borghi, Amilcare Molchero, 
   Raffaele Fangiotti
November

NOVARA, Teatro Coccia
Mefistofele
Cavalleria rusticana: Jan. La Villareal/Zone Nesleida-Mingarti, Pozzi-Camola; 
   Vincenzo Mingarti
December

1892

NOVARA, Teatro Coccia
Stabat mater (by Rossini)
28 February

PISA, Teatro Nuovo
Mefistofele: Anna Soffriti/Alfonsina  Bendazzi-Garulli, Mariana Budini, Remo Ercolani; 
   G. Zuelli
12 March 

FERRARA, Teatro Comunale
Cavalleria rusticana: Elvira Miotti, Carolina Zawner, Maurizio Bensaude; Angelo Disconzi
April

VICENZA, Teatro Eretenio
L'amico Fritz

PAUSOLA, Teatro Sociale
Faust: Giuseppina Savelli, Linda Barinetti, Giuseppe Maggi, Luigi Lucenti
June

VICENZA, Teatro Eretenio
La Gioconda: Teresa Angeloni, Camilla Sormani, Ernestina Bobbio, Emilio De Bernis, 
   Ettore Brancaleoni
August

TORINO, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
La forza del destino: Augusta Cruz, Maria Giuliani, Benigno Gavirati, Antonio Sabellico, 
   Salvatore Vinci
October

1893

PALERMO, Teatro Politeama Garibaldi
Loreley (prima locale): Maria D'Arneiro/Ernestina Bendazzi-Garulli, Eleonora Smith, 
   Benigno Gavirati, Ervino Margravio; Arturo Toscanini
12 January to 7 February (14 performances)
Der fliegende Holländer (prima locale): Rita Elandi, Angelica Nava, Francesco Daddi, 
   Tito Scipioni Terzi, Luigi Rossato; Arturo Toscanini
from 2 March (10 performances)
La Gioconda: Carmen Bau Bonaplata, Elvira Ceresoli, Alice Cucini, Enrico Stinco	
   Palermini/Raffaele Scipioni Terzi, Luigi Rossato
April (10 performances)
Rigoletto: Regina Pinkert, Alice Cucini, Tito Scipioni Terzi, Luigi Rossato
April (4 performances)

GENOVA, Politeama Genovese
Cavalleria rusticana: Paolina Rossini-Streiten, Olga Ball, Maurizio Bensaude
17 May

TORINO, Teatro Alfieri
Faust
Cavalleria rusticana

TORINO, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
Rigoletto
Marylka (by Giulio Tanara)
Lohengrin: Angelina Turconi Bruni, Cesare Bacchetta
December

1894

TRIESTE, Teatro Comunale
Manon Lescaut (prima locale): Emilia Corsi, Maurizio Bensaude; Vittorio Maria Vanzo
from 24 January (10 performances)

NAPOLI, Teatro San Carlo
I Medici (by Leoncavallo): Fanny Torresella, Ada Adini, Vittorio Brombara, Virgilio 
   Bellatti; Rodolfo Ferrari
from 7 April (5 performances)
La damnation de Faust: Concetta Bordalba, Mario Sammarco; Rodolfo Ferrari
from 24 April (4 performances)

MILANO, Teatro Internazionale Lirico
Le martire (by Spyros Samara)
from 22 September (8 performances)
I Medici: Rodolfo Ferrari
from 24 September (5 performances)
Fior d'Alpe  (by Franchetti): Amelia Karola, Giovanni Scarneo
from 27 September (5 performances) 

1895
MILANO, Teatro alla Scala
I Medici: Adelina Stehle, Ada Adini, Giuseppe Kaschmann
from 27 January (7 performances)
Patrie (by Paladilhe): Ada Adini, Giuseppe Kaschmann
from 6 February (5 performances)	

NAPOLI, Teatro San Carlo
Werther: Lison Frandin, Stefania Collamarini, Eugène Dufriche; Vincenzo Lombardi
from 20 March (7 performances)
Cavalleria rusticana: Lison  Frandin, Stefania Collamarini, Eugène Dufriche; 
   Vincenzo Lombardi
from 4 May (12 performances, alternating with Fernando De Lucia)

NAPOLI, Teatro Mercadante
Cavalleria rusticana
Carmen

TORINO, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
L'Africaine: Emma Zilli, Adelina De Paoli, Maurizio Bensaude; Arturo Vigna
26 September
Manon Lescaut: Emma Zilli,  Maurizio Bensaude; Arturo Vigna
September
Lohengrin: Emma Zilli, Elisa Bruno, Maurizio Bensaude, Luigi Nicoletti Kormann, 
   Carlo Rossini; Arturo Vigna
23 November

ALEXANDRIA, Alhambra Theatre
La forza del destino
Rigoletto
La Gioconda

1896
NAPOLI, Teatro San Carlo 
Mefistofele: Elisa Petri, Ettore Borucchia/Giuseppe De Grazia/Luigi Lucenti; 
   Francesco Giannini
from 6 January (15 performances)
Lohengrin: Florence Monteith, Giannina Lukacewska, Antonio Magini-Coletti, 
   Michele De Padova, Giuseppe De Grazia
from 18 January (16 performances, alternating with Francisco Viñas) 

TRIESTE, Teatro Politeama Rossetti
Manon: Emilia Corsi, Maurizio Bensaude
23 January

ROMA, Teatro Argentina
La bohème: Angelica Pandolfini, Rosina Storchio, Maurizio Bensaude, Arturo 
   Cerratelli, Gennaro Mascheroni; Edoardo Mascheroni
22 February

MILANO, Teatro alla Scala
Andrea Chénier: Avelina Carrera/Elena Bianchini Cappelli, Edoardo Camera/Guglielmo 
   Caruson, Gennaro Berenzone
28 March
		
FIRENZE, Teatro Politeama Fiorentino
Cavalleria rusticana

VENEZIA, Teatro La Fenice
Werther
from 18 April (7 performances)
La bohème: Maria Merolla, Maria Martelli, Ferruccio Corradetti, Vittorio Arimondi, 
   Giuseppe Dorini
from 6 May (17 performances)

BRESCIA, Teatro Grande
La bohème (prima locale): Cesira Ferrani, Camilla Pasini, Tieste Wilmant, Michele 
   Mazzar, Antonio Pini-Corsi
12 performances

WARSZAWA, Teatr Wielki
Rigoletto: Regina Pacini, Wiktor Grąbczewski
9 October
Lucia di Lammermoor: Regina Pacini
13 October
Les huguenots: Regina Pacini
1 November
Maria di Rohan: Emma Zilli, Mattia Battistini, Irma Monti-Baldini
10 November
Rigoletto: Regina Pacini, Irma Monti-Baldini, Mattia Battistini, Aristodemo Sillich
23 November

TORINO, Teatro Regio
Andrea Chénier (prima locale): Emilia Corsi, Eugène Dufriche, Vittorio Arimondi; 
   Arturo Toscanini
from 27 December (11 performances) 

1897
MONTE CARLO, Opéra
La traviata: Adelina Patti, Guglielmo Caruson; Arturo Vigna
30 January/2 February
Lucia di Lammermoor: Adelina Patti, Guglielmo Caruson, Greil; Arturo Vigna
6 February
Rigoletto: Maria van Zandt, Victor Maurel; Arturo Vigna
16/20 February

1898
VENEZIA, Teatro La Fenice
Ero e Leandro (by Luigi Mancinelli): Amedea Santarelli, Aurelia Kitzu, Vittorio Arimondi
from 18 January (6 performances)
Lohengrin: Maria Merolla, Aurelia Kitzu, Tieste Wilmant, Vittorio Arimondi, 
   Enrico Stinco Palermini	
from 5 February (7 performances)

PALERMO, Teatro Politeama
Manon Lescaut: Emilia Corsi, Guglielmo Caruson, Ettore Borelli
April

VERONA, Teatro Filarmonico
Andrea Chénier: Febea Strakosch, Mario Sammarco

1899
ODESA, Opernyj teatr
Lucia di Lammermoor: Regina Pacini
6 February
Rigoletto: Regina Pacini, Mario Sammarco
9 February

TORINO, Teatro Regio
Lucia di Lammermoor: Luisa Tetrazzini, Giuseppe Boisson, G. Scolari; Arturo Luzzatti
from 5 September (4 performances)
		
TREVISO, Teatro Sociale
Manon (Massenet)
from 14 October (11 performances)
Carmen
from 25 October (6 performances)

ROMA, Teatro Adriano
Carmen: Ida Borghi, Giuseppe De Luca
Cavalleria rusticana: Lina Peri De Stefani, Margherita Manfredi, Giuseppe De Luca

ODESA, Opernyj teatr  (well into 1900)
Manon Lescaut: Valentina Mendioroz, Cesare Cioni
Carmen: Irma Monti-Baldini, Amina Franco, Cesare Cioni, Teobaldo Montico; Bernardi
La bohème: Valentina Mendioroz, Cesare Cioni, Carlo Walter
Cavalleria rusticana: Linda Micucci, Elvira Ceresoli, Cesare Cioni
Lohengrin: Valentina Mendioroz, Elvira Ceresoli, Cesare Cioni, Carlo Walter; 
   Giuseppe Pribik
Tosca: Valentina Mendorioz, Eugenio Giraldoni
January 1900
Werther: Armanda Degli Abbatti, Francesco Maria Bonini
January 1900
Andrea Chénier
Sapho (by Massenet)
Mefistofele
Ruslan i Ljudmila
La reine de Saba
L'Africaine

1900
LUGO, Teatro Rossini
Lohengrin: Fausta Labia, Erina Borlinetto, Vittorio Brombara, Antonio Sabellico, 
   Luigi Mugnoz

TREVISO, Teatro Sociale
Carmen: Amedea Santarelli

1901
L'AQUILA, Teatro Comunale
Fedora: Emma Carelli, Giuseppe De Luca
August

FERMO, Teatro dell'Aquila
Fedora: Emma Carelli, Giuseppe De Luca
August

ODESA, Opernyj teatr
Tosca: Maria de Arneyro, Eugenio Giraldoni
14 December
Lohengrin: Maria de Arneyro, Armanda Degli Abbati, Eugenio Giraldoni, Francesco Navarini
18 December

Les huguenots: Maria de Arneyro, Gerssner, Armanda Degli Abbati, Francesco Maria Bonini, 
   Francesco Navarini, Gaudio Mansueto
December/January 1902
Werther: Armanda Degli Abbati, Jeanne Malatesta, Francesco Maria Bonini
December/January 1902

1902
TORINO, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
Mefistofele: Clara Joanna, Tina Farelli, Luigi Lucenti
December

1903
KIEV, Solodovnikov Company
Lucia di Lammermoor: Maria Galvany, Oreste Benedetti, Luigi Ferraioli
March
Tosca: Ester Adaberto, Oreste Benedetti
March

ROSTOV, Natsionalnyj teatr
Carmen: Linda Monti Brunner, Virginia Colombati, Bonetti
May
Evgenij Onegin: Ester Adaberto, Oreste Benedetti, Luigi Ferraioli
May
Tosca: Ester Adaberto, Oreste Benedetti
May
Werther: Linda Monti Brunner, Maria Vinent
May

MILANO, Teatro Lirico Internazionale
Storia d'amore (by Spyros Samaras, world premiere): Cesira Ferrani, Riccardo Stracciari, 
   Giuseppe Tisci Rubini
17 November

1904
NAPOLI, Teatro San Carlo
Lucia di Lammermoor: Maria Barrientos, Francesco Maria Bonini, Constantino Thos; 
   Edoardo Vitale
from 16 February (7 performances, alternating with Carlo Cartica)

ALEXANDRIA, Alhambra Theatre
La bohème: Ada Malaspina, Jole Massa, Silvio Arrighetti, Francesco Vecchioni
October
Cavalleria rusticana: Adele Marchesi Coniglio, Carolina Zawner, Silvio Arrighetti
October

NAPOLI, Teatro San Carlo
Maria di Rohan: Emilia Corsi, Ines Patalano, Mattia Battistini; Leopoldo Mugnone
from 29 December (5 performances)

Discography

G&T,  Milano  1902-12
5512a-R  Epistepsa (Lambelet)                                                   12121 (7")
5513a-W2 Margaro (composer?)                                                    12122 (7")
5514a-W2 Markos Botsaris (Carrer): O gero dimos                                 12123 (7")
5517a-R  Ghiati? (Perché?) (Filippi)                                            12133 (7")
5518a-R  Lucia (Luzzi)                                                          12124 (7")
5521a-R  Manon Lescaut (Puccini): Tra voi belle                                 52284 (7")
2917b-R  Apohorismos (Lambelet)		                                        12204
2918b-R  Ine to glyka filiasu (composer?)                                       12205
2921b-R  Don Carlo (Verdi): Io la vidi e il suo sorriso				unpublished
2931b-R  Faust (Gounod): Tardi si fa, addio (w. Ferrani)                        54035
2934a-R  Forza del destino (Verdi): Solenne in quest'ora (w. De Luca)           unpublished
2948b-W2 Saravta kleftes (composer?)                                            12206
2949b-R  Amares (composer?)							12207

Orfeon, Istanbul 
187      Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Cercherò lontana terra			521
209      Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti): Di pescatore ignobile			522

I wish to thank Roberto Marcocci for the picture.

Reference for the discography the excellent site 78opera.com (defunct).

I wish to thank Juan Dzazópulos for the biography, list of performances and updated discography.