Rinaldo Grassi
4 October 1885 Milano – 14 October 1946 Torino
Rodolfo Rinaldo Babila Grassi (stage name Rinaldo Grassi) was born in Milano on October 4th, 1885, son of Agostino Grassi and Giuseppina Varesi. Soon his
father,
a modest craftsman, started him off on the craft as a fitter apprentice. Grassi soon left the modest workshop on Via del Bollo and at seventeen
he applied himself to singing.
We know for sure that Grassi entered maestro Leoni's school of music in Milan in 1902. Unfortunately his studies were very short. Two years later in 1904, he was
asked to sing Bohème and Traviata at the Coccia in Novara.
His debut was on December 28th, 1904 as Rodolfo. His success was so great that he was immediately in demand everywhere. He then sang in Bergamo (Cavalleria
rusticana), Treviso, Napoli, Palermo (Dannazione di Faust), Milano (at the Dal Verme in Amica, and at La Scala on December 29th, 1907 in Tosca with Eugenia Burzio,
Pasquale Amato and Toscanini).
During the 1907/08 season at La Scala, Grassi sang in Gioconda (with Burzio), and Mefistofele (with Shaljapin).
He had made his debut in South America the preceding summer at the Teatro de la Opera in Buenos Aires in Madama Butterfly with Maria Farneti and De Luca.
On February 6th, 1909, Grassi sang at the Met in Madama Butterfly with Emmy Destinn, and Amato.
On October 24th, 1909, he took part in a concert with Armida Parsi Pettinella, Maria Farneti, Titta Ruffo and Mascagni, organized at the Racconigi castle given for the Czar of Russia.
Step by step, his repertory grew: La Wally (Napoli 1907), Manon Lescaut (Buenos Aires, de la Opera 1907), Loreley (Buenos Aires, Colón 1907),
Gli ugonotti (Napoli, San Carlo 1914), and Aida (Buenos Aires, Colón 1914).
Together with Farneti and Stracciari, he was one of the interpreters of the first Italian performance of Madame Sans-Gêne
(Torino, Regio 1915), and of a revival of Il tabarro with Segura-Tallien
and Maria Carena (Rome, Costanzi 1920).
During the last years of his career, he sang Alvaro (Torino, Politeama Chiarella 1919) and Don Carlo (Torino, Regio 1923). Grassi retired in 1924,
after the first signs of vocal decline when he sang in Torino (La fanciulla del West and Falstaff).
Grassi retired to Torino without temptation of playing the teacher. He died in Torino unexpectedly on October 14th, 1946.
Fernando Battaglia
Rinaldo Grassi sings | La Gioconda: Enzo Grimaldo, with Pasquale Amato
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In RA format
In RA format
In RA format
In RA format
In RA format
I wish to thank Richard J Venezia for the recording (Africaine).
I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the recording (Mefistofele).
Discography
Pathé, Milano, 1906?
86170 Aida (Verdi): Morir, sì pura e bella 86170
86171 Rigoletto (Verdi): È il sol dell'anima 86171
Fonotipia, Milano, 13 March 1908
xPh3077 Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba 92156
Fonotipia, Milano, 16 March 1908
xPh3087 Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile 92157
Fonotipia, Milano, 28 March 1908
xPh3108 Africaine (Meyerbeer): O paradiso unpublished
Fonotipia, Milano, 30 March 1908
xPh3109 Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia unpublished
Fonotipia, Milano, 21 October 1908
xPh3550 Africaine (Meyerbeer): O paradiso 92262
xPh3551 Manon Lescaut (Puccini): Donna non vidi mai 92260
Fonotipia, Milano, 23 October 1908
xPh3557 Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia unpublished
xPh3558 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Mamma, quel vino unpublished
xPh3558-2 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Mamma, quel vino unpublished
xPh3559 Mefistofele (Boito): Dai campi, dai prati 92261
Fonotipia, Milano, 22 June 1909
xxPh3968 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Tu qui, Santuzza? unpublished
(w. Pasini-Vitale)
xxPh3968-2 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Tu qui, Santuzza? 74149, 5013E
(w. Pasini-Vitale)
xxPh3969 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Ah! lo vedi (w. Pasini-Vitale) unpublished
xxPh3969-2 Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni): Ah! lo vedi (w. Pasini-Vitale) 74150, 5013E
Fonotipia, Milano, 1 July 1909
xPh4031 Faust (Gounod): All'erta, all'erta (w. Pasini-Vitale & Luppi) unpublished
xPh4031-2 Faust (Gounod): All'erta, all'erta (w. Pasini-Vitale & Luppi) 92633
xPh4032 Mefistofele (Boito): Dimmi se credi, Enrico (w. Pasini-Vitale) 92567
xPh4033 Mefistofele (Boito): Strano figlio del Caos (w. Luppi) 92568
Fonotipia, Milano, 2 July 1909
xPh4035 Bohème (Puccini): O soave fanciulla (w. Pasini-Vitale) unpublished
Fonotipia, Milano, 3 July 1909
xPh4044 Gioconda (Ponchielli): Enzo Grimaldo (w. Amato) 92565
xPh4045 Gioconda (Ponchielli): O grido di quest'anima (w. Amato) unpublished
xPh4045-2 Gioconda (Ponchielli): O grido di quest'anima (w. Amato) 92566
Fonotipia, Milano, 19 December 1911
xPh4786 Pufferl (Eysler): Terzetto delle tre grazie 92874
(w. Perretti & Vecla)
xPh4787 Pufferl (Eysler): Terzetto dell' abbigliamento 92872
(w. Perretti & Vecla)
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