Bruno Landi

25 April 1900 Volterra – 8 May 1968 Buenos Aires

Picture of Bruno Landi as Duca

Bruno Landi singsIl barbiere di Siviglia: Ecco ridente in cielo
In RA format

After vocal studies in Florence, Landi made his debut in 1925 in Campi Bisenzio as Duca di Mantova. He had a first-rate career in Italy until the late 1930s: Rome, La Scala (1936–39), Florence, Parma, Genova, Bologna, Naples, Brescia. In 1938, 1941–46, and 1951, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera New York (56 performances total, as Duca, Alfredo, Ernesto and Almaviva). The New York press greeted him with reservation: too little passion, too little power, too many falsetto notes, too much forcing in loud passages, lame acting; but he was certainly handsome, wrote the New York Times on his January 1938 debut. 1939–41, Landi was principal lyrical tenor in Philadelphia.

From 1935, he was frequently in South America: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, Ciudad de Mexico, Caracas, Rosario, and above all at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, where he appeared in nine seasons:
1936
La bohème, with Marengo, Morelli, Damiani, Autori, Panizza
La traviata (sharing with Thill), with Bovy, Damiani, Panizza
Rigoletto, with Armando Borgioli, Bovy, Autori, Panizza

1937
Il barbiere di Siviglia, with Reggiani/Carosio, Galeffi/Damiani, Romito, Serafin
Mignon, with Pederzini, Reggiani/Carosio, Serafin
Rigoletto, with Landi/Lauri-Volpi, Bovy/Carosio, Galeffi, Serafin
Manon, with Bovy, Singher, Calusio

1938
Il barbiere di Siviglia, with Pons/Reggiani
Lucia di Lammermoor, with Pons, Galeffi, Vaghi, Serafin
Manon, with Petit-Renaux, Got, Gaudin, Wolff
Mefistofele, with Pinza, Somigli, Menkes, Serafin

1939
Mignon, with Pederzini, Reggiani, Vaghi, Paniza
Rigoletto, with Svéd, Reggiani, Calusio
Lucia di Lammermoor, with Reggiani, Urizar, Calusio
La traviata, with Sayão, Urizar, Panizza
La Cenerentola, with Pederzini, Damiani, Serafin

1940
La traviata, with Sayão, Borgioli, Urizar, Ghione
L'elisir d'amore, with Marengo/Tadia, Baccaloni, Damiani, Calusio
La bohème (sharing with Masini/Kiepura), with Marengo/Sayão/Wells, Damiani, Calusio
Mefistofele, with Vaghi, Marengo, Menkes, Ghione

1941
Il barbiere di Siviglia, with Reggiani/Taddia/Arce
Rigoletto, with Svéd, Reggiani, Calusio
Don Pasquale, with Baccaloni, Damiani, Marango, Calusio

1943
Rigoletto, with Warren, Reggiani, Panizza
La traviata, with Novotna/Rigal, Warren, Panizza
La bohème, with Novotna, Damiani, Cesari, Calusio
Falstaff, with Warren, Damiani, Marengo, Panizza
La favorite, with Castagna, Damiani, Vaghi, Calusio

1945
Rigoletto, with Guichandut, Reggiani, Panizza
Lucia di Lammermoor, with Reggiani, Damiani, Calussio
La bohème (sharing with Vela), with Marengo, Cesari/Damiani, Panizza

1947
Il barbiere di Siviglia, with Reggiani
Rigoletto, with Bechi/Guichandut, Reggiani/Baigorria/Taddia, Vaghi/Neri, Calusio

After retiring in the early 1960s, he moved to Buenos Aires for good, and taught voice.

Reference 1, reference 2, reference 3: Kutsch & Riemens

Eduardo Marcelino Herrera has provided the Colón information: thank you!

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