Toti dal monte opera singer. Toti dal monte. "Dal Monte Toti" in books

Toti Dal Monte (real name Antonietta Meneghelli) was born on June 27, 1893 in the town of Mogliano Veneto. “My artistic name - Toti Dal Monte - was not, in Goldoni’s words, the fruit of a “cunning invention”, but belongs to me by right,” the singer later wrote. - Toti is a diminutive of Antonietta, which is what my family affectionately called me from early childhood. Dal Monte is the surname of my grandmother (on my mother’s side), who came from a “noble Venetian family.” I took the name Toti Dal Monte from the day of my debut on the opera stage by chance, under the influence of a sudden impulse.”

Her father was a school teacher and leader of a provincial orchestra. Under his guidance, Toti was already good at solfege and playing the piano from the age of five. Having become acquainted with the basics of music theory, at the age of nine she sang simple romances and songs by Schubert and Schumann.

Soon the family moved to Venice. Young Toti began to visit the Femiche Opera House, where she first heard Mascagni’s “La Honor Rusticana” and Puccini’s “Pagliacci.” At home after the performance, she could sing her favorite arias and excerpts from operas until the morning.

However, Toti entered the Venice Conservatory as a pianist, studying with maestro Tagliapietro, a student of Ferruccio Busoni. And who knows what her fate would have been like if, almost graduating from the conservatory, she had not injured her right hand - she had torn a tendon. This led her to the "queen of bel canto" Barbara Marchisio.

“Barbara Marchisio!” recalls Dal Monte. “With endless love, she taught me the correct emission of sound, clear phrasing, recitatives, artistic embodiment of the image, vocal technique, which knew no difficulties in any passages. But how many scales, arpeggios, legato and staccato had to be sung , achieving excellence in execution!

Halftone scales were Barbara Marchisio's favorite teaching tool. She forced me to take two octaves down and up in one breath. During lessons, she was always calm, patient, explained everything simply and convincingly, and very rarely resorted to angry reprimands.”

Daily classes with Marchisio, the great desire and perseverance with which the young singer works, give brilliant results. In the summer of 1915, Toti performed for the first time in an open concert, and in January 1916 he signed his first contract with the Milanese La Scala theater with a paltry remuneration of ten lire a day.

“And then the day of the premiere arrived,” the singer writes in her book “Voice over the World.” Feverish excitement reigned on the stage and in the artistic restrooms. The elegant audience, filling all the seats in the auditorium, was impatiently waiting for the curtain to rise; Maestro Marinuzzi encouraged the singers, who were nervous and very worried. And I, I... did not see or hear anything around; in a white dress, a blond wig... made up with the help of my partners, I seemed to myself the embodiment of beauty.

Finally we took the stage; I was the smallest of all. I look with wide eyes into the dark abyss of the hall, I enter at the right moment, but it seems to me that the voice is not mine. And besides, it was an unpleasant surprise. Running up the steps of the palace with the maids, I got tangled in my too-long dress and fell, hitting my knee hard. I felt a sharp pain, but immediately jumped up. “Maybe no one noticed anything?” I perked up, and then, thank God, the act ended.

When the applause died down and the actors stopped performing encores, my partners surrounded me and began to console me. Tears were ready to flow from my eyes, and it seemed that I was the most unhappy woman in the world. Wanda Ferrario comes up to me and says:

Don’t cry, Toti... Remember... If you fell at the premiere, it means good luck!”

The production of Francesca da Rimini on the stage of La Scala was an unforgettable event in musical life. The newspapers were full of rave reviews of the performance. Several publications also noted the young debutante. The newspaper “Stage Art” wrote: “Toti Dal Monte is one of the promising singers of our theater,” and “Musical and Dramatic Review” noted: “Toti Dal Monte in the role of Snow White is full of grace, she has a rich timbre of her voice and an extraordinary sense of style.” .

From the very beginning of her artistic career, Toti Dal Monte toured extensively throughout Italy, performing in various theaters. In 1917 she performed in Florence, performing the solo part in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. In May of the same year, Toti sang three times in Genoa at the Paganini Theater, in the opera Don Pasquale by Donizetti, where, as she herself believes, she had her first major success.

After Genoa, the Ricordi Society invited her to perform in Puccini's opera Swallows. New performances took place at Milan's Teatro Politeama, in Verdi's operas Un ballo in maschera and Rigoletto. Following this, in Palermo, Toti performed the role of Gilda in Rigoletto and participated in the premiere of Mascagni's Lodoletta.

Returning from Sicily to Milan, Dal Monte sings in the famous salon “Lustra del Ritratto”. She performed arias from operas by Rossini (The Barber of Seville and William Tell) and Bizet (The Pearl Fishers). These concerts are memorable for the artist’s acquaintance with conductor Arturo Toscanini.

"This meeting was of great importance for the future fate of the singer. At the beginning of 1919, the orchestra under Toscanini performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for the first time in Turin. Toti Dal Monte participated in this concert with tenor Di Giovanni, bass Lusicar and mezzo-soprano Bergamasco. In March 1921 year, the singer signed a contract to tour the cities of Latin America: Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, San Paolo, Rosario, Montevideo.

In the midst of these first large and successful tours, Toti Dal Monte received a telegram from Toscanini with an offer to participate in a new production of Rigoletto, included in the La Scala repertoire for the 1921/22 season. A week later, Toti Dal Monte was already in Milan and began painstaking and intense work on the image of Gilda under the guidance of the great conductor. The premiere of “Rigoletto” staged by Toscanini in the summer of 1921 forever entered the treasury of world musical art. Toti Dal Monte created in this performance the image of Gilda, captivating in its purity and grace, managing to convey the subtlest shades of feelings of a loving and suffering girl. The beauty of her voice, combined with the freedom of phrasing and the perfection of her vocal performance, indicated that she was already a mature master.

Satisfied with the success of Rigoletto, Toscanini then staged Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor with Dal Monte. And this production was a triumph..."

In December 1924, Dal Monte successfully sang in New York at the Metropolitan Opera. She also performed successfully in the USA in Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, Washington, Cleveland and San Francisco.

Dal Monte's fame quickly spread far beyond Italy. She visited all continents and performed with the best singers of the last century: E. Caruso, B. Gigli, T. Skipa, C. Galeffi, T. Ruffo, E. Pinza, F. Chaliapin, G. Besanzoni. Over the course of more than thirty years of performances on the stages of the best opera houses in the world, Dal Monte managed to create many memorable images, such as Lucia, Gilda, Rosina and others.

The artist considered the role of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata to be one of her best roles:

This so humane image of a suffering woman - a tragic love story that touched the whole world - could not leave me indifferent. Needless to say, there are strangers all around, an oppressive feeling of loneliness. But now hope awoke in me, and my soul immediately felt lighter...

The echo of my brilliant debut reached Italy, and soon Italian radio managed to broadcast a recording of the third performance of La Traviata from Oslo. The conductor was Dobrowein, a rare expert on the theater and an inspired musician. The test really turned out to be very difficult, and besides, outwardly I did not look very impressive on stage due to my short stature. But I worked tirelessly and achieved success...

Since 1935, the part of Violetta has occupied one of the main places in my repertoire, and I had to endure a far from easy duel with very serious “rivals.”

The most famous Violettas of those years were Claudia Muzio, Maria Caniglia, Gilda Dalla Rizza and Lucrezia Bori. It’s not for me, of course, to judge my performance and make comparisons. But I can safely say that “La Traviata” brought me no less success than “Lucia”, “Rigoletto”, “The Barber of Seville”, “Somnambula”, “Lodoletta” and others.

The Norwegian triumph was repeated at the Italian premiere of this Verdi opera. It took place on January 9, 1936 at the Neapolitan San Carlo Theater... The Piedmontese prince, Countess d'Aosta and the critic Pannein, a real thorn in the heart of many musicians and singers, were present in the theater. But everything went as well as possible. After thunderous applause on At the end of the first act, the audience's delight grew more and more. And when in the second and third acts I was able to convey, as it seems to me, all the pathos of Violetta's feelings, her boundless self-sacrifice in love, the deepest disappointment after an unfair insult and her inevitable death, the admiration and enthusiasm of the audience was boundless and touched me."

Dal Monte continued to perform during World War II. According to her, in 1940-1942 she found herself “between a rock and a hard place and could not refuse pre-agreed concerts in Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Vienna.”

At the first opportunity, the artist came to England and was truly happy when, at a London concert, she felt that the audience was increasingly captured by the magical power of music. In other English cities she was received just as warmly.

Soon she went on another tour of Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Returning to Italy, she sang in many operas, but most often in The Barber of Seville.

In 1948, after touring South America, the singer left the opera stage. Sometimes she acts as a dramatic actress. He devotes a lot of time to teaching work. Dal Monte wrote the book “Voice over the World”, translated into Russian.

With a feeling of deep respect and admiration for the art and dedicated work of the great Italian singer, our contemporary, I write these introductory lines to the book of memoirs of Toti Dal Monte. Her name is familiar to us not only from recordings. A friend of our country, a wonderful singer visited the USSR four times. The first time was while passing through in the early 30s. Then, in 1956, she was a dear guest of Muscovites and introduced us to her vocal skills at a concert in the House of Scientists, and when she arrived in 1963 with Eduardo De Filippo’s troupe, she showed her skill as a dramatic actress.

The last time we met with Toti Dal Monte in Moscow was in 1965, when she, arriving as a guest of the USSR Ministry of Culture, generously shared her experiences and thoughts about the vocal art to which she dedicated her life with vocal teachers and young singers.

The memoirs of Toti Dal Monte perfectly reflect the emotional, spontaneous nature of the artist, endlessly devoted to her profession. Here we will not find a deep analysis of the foundations of Italian vocal art or the methodology of singing. Yes, the author did not set himself such tasks. This is a fascinating story about the life and creative path that led the singer to the heights of world fame. Perhaps some things are idealized here, some things are told only briefly. And yet, after reading these truthful lines, you understand what sacrifices, labor and effort Toti Dal Monte cost her art, her fame, which she largely owes to herself, her ability to work, as well as a sense of responsibility realized from a young age. The art of Toti Dal Monte cannot be called a “blind gift of nature.” From her memories it is clear that her voice was very small at first. But her innate musicality and the habit of work brought up from childhood, as well as boundless love for her work, helped Togi Dal Monte become one of the largest lyrical singers of the first half of our century.

The daughter of a school teacher and part-time director of a provincial orchestra, Toti was already a good solfegier and played the piano at the age of five. At the age of nine she sang Schubert's songs, simple classical arias. But she entered the conservatory as a pianist, studying with maestro Tagliapietro, a student of Ferruccio Busoni. And who knows what her fate would have been like if, almost graduating from the conservatory, she had not injured her hand. This led her to the "queen of bel canto" Barbara Marchisio, one of the famous Marchisio sisters, favorites of Rossini and other great composers. And now little Toti, as Barbara Marchisio called her, is already signing her first contract in her life with a paltry remuneration of ten lire a day...

The high professionalism of the Italian opera stage, at that time still rich in wonderful singers and conductors led by the great Arturo Toscanini, completes the polishing of Toti Dal Monte's talent. She moves into the first rank of masters of Italian bel canto.

Very valuable are those lines in Toti Dal Monte's book where she writes about Toscanini. We see what a huge role the conductor plays in the upbringing of a young singer, in the development of his musical culture and technique, as well as in his artistic interpretation of the image.

I emphasize the important stages of the singer’s creative biography in order to once again remind young vocalists and everyone who loves singing about the complexity of our profession. How often young singers are ready to mistake just their vocal talent for art, thinking that this is enough for success. No, true, lasting success comes to the artist who owns a large musical culture, who knows how to work intelligently, selflessly and self-critically evaluate his successes and mistakes, even when he meets with wide recognition from listeners. The life of every great singer is continuous selfless work.

Countless tours around the world, in large and provincial cities in Italy, required a lot of intense and continuous work, and often deprived the singer of many simple human joys. The artless book of Toti Dal Monte is also instructive for us in this regard, although the singer does not at all seek to focus the attention of readers on the difficulties and deprivations of her life. On the contrary, her memories attract her with deep optimism, a sincere and friendly attitude towards all “great and small” who met on her life and creative path. No shade of rivalry, envy, complaint... This also tells us about the pure soul of a true artist, open to all that is good and good. The title of Toti Dal Monte's book “Voice over the World” corresponds to its content. The singer's voice really sounded in countries all over the world.

I read with great pleasure the book by Toti Dal Monte, which was sent to me with a warm dedicatory note from the author, once again feeling all the spontaneity of my dear friend, which is so enchanting both in her art and in her communication with people.

I hope that this book will be read with interest by everyone who loves singing and the opera theater. And, of course, first of all, those who have entered or are only dreaming of embarking on the wonderful but difficult path of serving the vocal art.

Elena Katulskaya,

People's Artist of the USSR

Soviet readers

Could I have thought back in 1931, when I found myself passing through Moscow, that I would return here again? And not only will I return, but I will establish the most friendly ties with my colleagues from Moscow and Leningrad, get to know them better, and become imbued with sympathy for the hospitable Soviet people.

A big and pleasant surprise for me was the news that the book of my memoirs would be published in the Soviet Union.

While waiting to meet my new readers, I have one and only desire in my chest - to appear before you as I am. In my book, I did not want to resort to the style of a prima donna, who easily, playfully talks about her enormous successes over thirty years of artistic activity. This style is no longer in fashion, and it is unlikely that it would strengthen your sympathy for me.

I wanted to talk about incredible efforts, about incessant hard work, without which it is unthinkable to develop and improve your vocal skills, no matter how high it may be at the beginning. I studied a lot and intensely, practicing every cadence, every passage with tenacity worthy of instrumentalists.

With sacred trepidation and even timidity, I began to study the works of our great composers - Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi.

I ardently sought to comprehend the full depth of humanism that permeates the best operas of these wonderful masters.

I had the good fortune to sing for many years in a row under the direction of the incomparable Toscanini. He opened wide musical horizons for me and showed me how even well-known works can be performed in a new way.

I learned a lot for myself while performing under the guidance of such excellent conductors as de Sabata, Guarnieri, Serafin.

From the book of my memoirs you will learn that my only teacher was the great Barbara Marchisio.

A student of Gioachino Rossini himself, she was an amazing singer and a wonderful teacher. When I started studying with her, Barbara Marchisio was almost eighty years old, but this did not stop her from studying with me a lot and intensely.

It was only thanks to Barbara Marchisio that I learned the “secrets” of bel canto, acquired, according to critics, impeccable style, good diction and, most importantly, learned to perform with great expressiveness the recitatives that play such an important role in our operas.

I will not bore you, my readers, with pedagogical intricacies, but I want to briefly talk about the basic vocal rules, without which it is impossible to achieve mastery of performance.

Translation from Italian

L. A. VERSHININA

Edited by

N. K. GEORGIEVSKAYA

Preface

Elena Katulskaya,

People's Artist of the USSR

Soviet readers

A big and pleasant surprise for me was the news that the book of my memoirs would be published in the Soviet Union.

—At what age did you start learning to sing? Did you have a big voice with a full range back then?

—My debut took place when I turned 18 years old. Before that, I studied for a short time - five years, that is, I started when I was thirteen or fourteen. She sang on the opera stage for 30 years. I studied with our greatest singer, Barbara Marchisio, a student of Gioachino Rossini. She was already very old then. All her precious relics are now in the La Scala Museum. I am happy that, thanks to the school of Barbara Marchisio, I am one of the few guardians of authentic Italian bel canto. But first I learned to play the piano, and then I began to study singing. At the beginning of classes, my voice was small, but very beautiful. The range was also small. This outstanding singer and teacher developed my voice and passed on her wonderful vocal technique to me.

—Please tell me what a singer should feel when singing correctly. What is your personal feeling when you sing?

—I believe that there is only one correct school of singing. There is one true method of singing. It includes many points. Unfortunately, this method is already disappearing. I will answer your question this way. While singing, there should be maximum breathing discipline, a free face and mouth, and a soft chin. The voice should resonate in your head. (Toti Dal Monte points to the forehead, the area of the bridge of the nose and the crown of the head.) The sounds seem to be “pouring out” from the throat, always connected with it.The throat (larynx) should remain motionless while singing.

—Does a singer always need a smile when singing, or can the mouth be rounded?

—The mouth when singing should be natural, rounded.Any specially held “mouth position” is the greatest mistake.When singing, you need to lower your chin, relax your cheeks and lower jaw, similar to the state when we yawn. The lips should be soft, free, and the soft palate raised. Very often, singers who do not have vocal school sound forward or in the nose - this is a mistake. Resonance should be in the head, not in the nose. I always tell my students, wanting them to raise their soft palate: “Higher is the wisdom tooth!”It is imperative to ensure that the lower jaw and chin are free. Releasing the muscles of the upper part of the face and cheekbones is one of the foundations of correct singing. The face feels like it is divided into two different parts - upper and lower. The upper one should feel raised and motionless, the lower one should feel free, relaxed, lowered. Unfortunately, very often singers have equally hard, hard cheeks and chin.

—Is it necessary to position your tongue in any special way during singing, say, with a “spoon”?

-No. The language should only be natural, free, soft.Hard language is a disaster.

—Should the tip of the tongue be held against the teeth in the so-called classic position?

-Sometimes it can be near the teeth,but there is no need to keep it there.I have it freely, naturally lying on the bottom of my mouth.

—You called breathing one of the foundations of proper singing. How do you breathe while singing?

—I try to breathe in through my nose. I breathe in so that my lower ribs expand well. At the same time, the chest rises somewhat and the stomach tightens. Breathing should be full, but not excessive. The diaphragm must be supported at all times and under no circumstances should it be relaxed.However, the most important thing in breathing is to find the correct sound production, the emission of the voice along with the breath. The correctly taken breath is not maintained if the emission of the sound of the voice is not correct.

—In this regard, how do you feel about isolated breathing exercises without sound?

— I consider them inappropriate and completely pointless. Only in connecting the breath with the voice lies the secret of proper singing. The development of great singing breathing is the result of gradual training of the respiratory apparatus in singing. It doesn't come right away. I repeat: it is very important to find a way to emit voice togetherWithbreathing.

— Don't you think that the breathing of men, bass voices in particular, should be different than that of women with high voices?

“Their breathing seems to be more shallow.” But the main thing is that they should have more resonance in their faces. I have already said: you need to resonate in your head, not in your nose! Male singers, particularly basses, should hit lower notes with a strong chest resonance.

—Which vowels are most convenient for the correct formation of a singing sound?

-Half-A, half-O.

Toti dal Monte sings "Regnava nel silenzio" from the opera "Lucia Lamermoor" by Donizetti

— What sounds do you recommend using if the voice is distant and has a “dull” timbre?

—What sound attack, in your opinion, will be correct and contribute to good sound production?

—The attack must be clean, without aspiration. Sounds should “come” not from below, but as if from above.

—How do you feel about a “firm”, “hard” attack?

- This shouldn’t happen in singing! There is moderate, but not hard. True attack is, of course, a necessary rule. But it is also very important, having attacked the note correctly, not to change anything.You should never move your throat. It should be motionless.This is the basis of an even, flowing sound. The basis is legato, the basis is bel canto. True, this is just my personal opinion.

—Please tell us about the problem of resonance and voice registers in a soprano.

—Usually all sopranos do not have clearly demarcated registers. And yet, if necessary, the soprano can sing a few notes in the chest register. But you can’t get too carried away with it. It is necessary to use the mixed register below correctly. When moving to high notes, it is necessary to reduce the support on the chest. At the top you cannot load the voice with chest resonance. As I already said, everything should sound high in the head.

—How do you recommend doing daily exercises, where do you suggest starting?

—You first need to warm up your voice in the center of the range, using the legato principle and mezzo-forte dynamics. Then you can gradually move on to high notes, performing them on the piano. Then you should do thinning and more complex tasks. Exercises must be well selected. My teacher taught me exercises to overcome various vocal difficulties. We sang exercises for all intervals, big jumps up and down, thinning, trilling, staccato and the like. Exercises must be sung kindly, conscientiously,no more than 30-40 minutes twice a day.Then you can move on to studying opera music. You should definitely practice every day, but without overloading your voice or tiring it. Unfortunately, there are students and singers who sing too much, thinking that they will develop their voice faster. This is mistake.School comes with time.

—At what stage can you move from exercises to singing works with text?

-I think the minimum is neededone year of singing only exercises.Then you can take up ancient works of classicalstyle. Italian and French opera classics of the 18th century develop taste well and are good for the voice. Then, depending on your voice capabilities, you can move on to small parts in operasXIXcentury. I always force my students to sing those pieces that are somewhat easier than the singer’s capabilities allow. Development cannot be forced. With a tenor who could sing the characters from Tosca or André Chénier, I still first go through the parts from La Traviata and Rigoletto. It's always better to give something lighter. They will still have time to perform difficult parts. The main thing in the art of a singer is musical and artistic expression in the voice. The singer who strives for perfection must remember: the ideal is to learn to speak while singing. Don’t “put up” a voice,but how wouldspeakon singing.

Toti dal Monte sings "Deh! Vieni non tardar..." from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"

—How does the signora hear Russian?

—Vocally, the Russian language is somewhat difficult. The vowel sounds “I” and “E” are narrow. I don't know the language, but I hear it."AND"should be closer to “Y”, “A” - to “O”; "E" to "E". They must be round, wide, and not compressed. Not all, but many of your singers, however, sing well in both Italian and Russian. Chaliapin, Sobinov, among modern ones - Kozlovsky, Katulskaya and many others. This proves that you can sing very well vocally in Russian. But still,in the language itselfthere are difficultieswhichmust be overcome.

—How does the signora feel about the influence of new music on the voice? device?

-Doesn't matter...

—Is there a connection between the appearance of new music and the disappearanceBel Canto?

-I suppose so. Bel Canto is being lost largely due to modern music. A singer who already has a bel canto school almost doesn't care what to sing. He can handle anything. But for young people without a fundamental school, this is harmful. But usually new music is given to young people to perform. This reflects poorly on their voice.

—What has changed at La Scala since you started your activity?

-Everything has changed. During my period there were many real singers who were completely masters of the bel canto school. Now there are few of them. Who sings truly well today? Simionato, Scotto, Freni. It must be said that Freni does not satisfy in everything. She is still very young (The interview dates back to 1965, when Freni had just started performing in the theaterLa Scala. —Note ed.)She was released on stage too early, but she has wonderful data! They gave her the opportunity to sing La Traviata, and in the first act she initially suffered a fiasco.In Italy there is a lot of dullness in vocal pedagogy, and it was not yet truly ready for the stage. I also forgot to name Callas. Callas is a phenomenon! Unfortunately, she is not feeling well. She came to Italy very full, with a wonderful dramatic soprano. In Venice, at the Fenice Theater, she sang Isolde in “Tristan” and “Puritan”. It was phenomenal both in terms of voice and artistic skill. Then I started treatment to lose weight, and got too carried away with it. As a result, she partially lost some of her vocal features. But as a musician, for me she is the best of all. What phrasing she has! She is the greatest artist. She has fantastic technique. She is a mature artist in every way.Very often her voice is compared to mine (mine was more perfect), but in “Medea” and “Norma” she was better than me. But you can’t listen to “Norma” from others. It’s a pity, after all, that she sang this part too soon after treatment. It was necessary not to sing for two years, to wait until the body returned to its natural state. The doctors told her: “Go to the mountains, renew your blood.” But she didn’t listen, she immediately sang “Norma” and... let the rooster fly, lost her temper... It’s a shame. This is my favorite singer.

Toti dal Monte sings "Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma

—What is the situation with tenors in Italy?

— Corelli is wonderful... Raimondi sings well. Yes, Del Monaco. He was in a car accident. Now he has already started singing. My voice has recovered, but my nerves haven’t yet. He is my favorite singer. Then, of course, Di Stefano, who also sings. Di Stefano ruined his career. He has a wonderful voice. Have you heard Tosca with Di Stefano, Callas conducted by Di Sabata? This is a wonderful performance! Di Stefano began singing parts too difficult for him early on. This overload led to voice degradation. But when he debuted, it was a miracle. At La Scala in Mignon he made me cry. What a pity that he did not acquire a fundamental school and could not resist singing difficult parts! He has a unique voice! In the 30s and 40s we had the greatest tenor - Aureliano Pertile. He did not have such a voice as Di Stefano, but he had an amazing school. Pertile was a favorite of Toscanini and sang with him in both “Force of Destiny” and “André Chénier”.

—How are your baritones? How, for example, is Gobbi quoted?
-Gobbi is good only in a characteristic role: Figaro, Taddeo... The light baritone is remarkable - Bruscantini. Him
great school.

-What about Cappuccili?

-Oh yes yes. Cappuccili! Young, but very, very good.

-And the bass?

- Everyone was “eaten” by Gyaurov. A sweet, simple man and a brilliant singer. There is also a great artist - Hristov! He doesn’t have a voice like Gyaurov’s, but he is a great artist!

—What is the reason for your opinion that there are fewer and fewer good voices in Italy?

—They don’t study enough, they don’t master school enough.After all, we had such wonderful basses. You still have excellent basses: Petrov, Ognivtsev. I'm not even talking about those who don't exist, for example, Chaliapin. Ognivtsev has Shalyapin traits. He also takes some sounds “into his head,” just as Chaliapin did.

—Please tell us a little about Chaliapin. You often sang together.

—Chaliapin was a great inventor, a little crazy. He was a brilliant interpreter, but he did a lot of things arbitrarily. However, everything he did was perceived convincingly and seemed justified. It was a genius! He brought a new spirit to the art of interpretation. He was the first to reveal to us and expose Mephistopheles in Boito's opera. Then he showed us Boris... No one has reached such heights as he did.

—Did his style influence opera productions in Italy?

-Yes, definitely. He was an innovator. He influenced acting, makeup, and everything related to the theater. This was a great master! He loved me. Called it "Totarello". I sang with him in “The Barber of Seville” at La Scala... It was the famous “The Barber of Seville” with Chaliapin and Skip. The ticket cost a lot of money. Then in the USA we sang in a theater with nine thousand seats. They sang without a microphone... Later I performed in Paris, but not with him. He came to the play “The Barber of Seville”. Then he took me to his place for tea. Everything in the house was in the Russian way. He treated me like a child and took care of me. I had to go on tour, so he gave all sorts of advice: “Leave the jewelry in the safe, order fakes and take it with you. They will also steal."

Toti dal Monte sings "Owl's Polonaise" from the opera "Mignon" by Tom.

—Do so-called easy songs affect the voices of opera singers, are they beneficial or harmful?

—Performing such songs requires the singer to have a completely different voice than for opera. Light music singers now sing in the American style. From my point of view, they have no voice at all. One who sings in a controlled voice in light music is not liked! Personally, I don't like soft music and always turn off the radio when I hear it.The singer must sing either a light genre or opera. Because they are antagonistic, according to the production.We have two notable singers in this style: Milva, who first studied as an opera singer, she has a dark, low voice, has all the capabilities for correct sound control, and Mina, who does not even know how or what she sings about, but she has a whole range of shades and limitless range. She does some pretty interesting things with her voice. These are the only singers in the light genre. Other vocalists performing in this style are simply a nightmare. Unfortunately, the radio is filled with this singing. Interribly illiterate people run advertisements and earn tons of money. And the so-called cantajiro - Pavone! Everyone there is shaking like an epileptic. They earn millions in an evening! World turned upside down! Poetry and music are lost.

“Is there really no hope that they are lost only for a while?”
-I have no such hope. I only hope until I die to never see or hear anything like this.

—What modern Italian operas, in your opinion, are worthy of attention?

—I think the operas of Ildebrando Pizzetti are worthy of attention. He has style, although a little lightweight. But he is a major composer and conductor. Another name: Menotti. He directs the festivals in Spoletto. He knows the theater well. His operas “Medium” and “Telephone” are interesting.

—What about Dallapiccola’s operas?

-I do not understand them. But there is also Nono! This is completely incomprehensible. He makes electronic music. His opera is absolutely incredible. They staged it in America. This is literally a thing for crazy people. After the performance, I couldn’t utter a word for the whole evening. They called out to me: “What are you thinking about?” I was depressed, stunned and silent. Ultimately, all our modern composers are modernity itself,” adds Toti Dal Monte with a sigh. — I try to listen to their music less now. I don’t consider myself a bad musician, I don’t want to lag behind art. I attend performances and concerts tounderstandthis music. But I can't understand anything. It’s the same with exhibitions of contemporary artists. I go out of a desire to comprehend, but their art remains incomprehensible to me.

—What do you think of the works of Prokofiev and Shostakovich?

-Well, that's a completely different matter. This is also modern. But their music has an essence inside, I feel the musical content. Shostakovich, it seems to me, especially.

—The last two questions are about our singers. How do you evaluate their art from a bel canto perspective?

—What do you see as the main shortcomings of our singers?

—I’ve been in your country for several days. I just started visiting the Bolshoi Theater. Well, here's the first impression. Soprano in "Ivan Susanin". Very cute and... colorless.I would like a more rounded sound.The voice, like that of many of our singers, does not quite resonate in the head.Often he is somewhereVthroat. That's whyThe tops are very loose.However, I sense a passion for teaching among your singers.

—What do you think, learning some elements of school fromItalians, Russian singers will not lose their national identity?

- No. A good, competent school frees up the vocal apparatus. Everything becomes easy for him. And when the voice is ready, you can sing in any language, with any expression. I came to help as much as I can, to do everything possible for this.

CD1:

01. BELLINI La sonnambula: Ah! non credea mirarti (1929)
02. DONIZETTI Lucia di Lammermoor: Regnava nel silenzio (1926)
03. DONIZETTI Lucia di Lammermoor: Splendon le sacre faci (1926)
04. DONIZETTI La figlia del Reggimento: Lo dice ognun (1928)
05. DONIZETTI La figlia del Reggimento: Convien partir (1926)
06. DONIZETTI La figlia del Reggimento: La ricchezza ed il grado (1928)
07. DONIZETTI Linda di Chamounix: O luce di quest "anima (1929)
08. THOMAS Mignon: Io son Titania (1929)
09. BIZET I pescatori di perle: Brahma, gran Dio (1929)
10. BIZET I pescatori di perle: Siccome un di caduto il sole (1929)
11. VERDI Falstaff: Sul fil d "un soffio etesio (1929)
12. VERDI Lo, here the gentle lark (Bishop) (1929)
13. VERDI Carnevale di Venezia (Benedict) (1926)

01. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 Deh! vieni, non tardar
02. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera Selva opaca
03. Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera Una voce poco fa
04. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera Splendon le sacre faci
05. Rigoletto, opera Caro nome
06. Norma, opera Casta diva
07. La sonnambula, opera Prendi, l "anel ti dono
08. Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera Dunque io son
09. Don Pasquale, opera Tornami a dir
10. La Traviata, opera Ah! fors" and lui
11. Rigoletto, opera Lassу in cielo
12. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 Crudel! perchе finora
13. Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527 La ci darem la mano
14. Don Pasquale, opera Quel guardo il cavaliere
15. Lodoletta, opera in 3 acts Flammen, perdonami!
16. Fa la Nana, Bambin, for voice & piano
17. Amuri, Amuri, for voice & piano
18. Barcarola de la Marangona for voice & piano

"Madama Butterfly" Puccini:

Performers:
Madama Butterfly - Toti Dal Monte (soprano)
B.F. Pinkerton - Beniamino Gigli (tenor)
Sharpless - Mario Basiola (baritono)
Suzuki - Vittoria Palombini (mezzosoprano)
K. Pinkerton - Maria Huder (mezzosoprano)
Goro - Adelio Zagonara (tenor)
Orchestra e Coro dell"Opera di Roma
Oliviero De Fabritiis

Toti Dal Monte, real name Antonietta Meneghelli, was born in 1893 in Mogliano Veneto, in the Italian province of Treviso. Her father was a school teacher and led a local orchestra, and it was he who began teaching music to little Toti, as she was affectionately called at home. By the way, the singer’s stage name was formed from “Toti,” her nickname, and “Dal Monte,” the surname of her grandmother.

So, having started to study music, by the age of 9 young Toti was already singing romances by Schumann (Robert Schumann) and Schubert (Franz Peter Schubert). In addition, since childhood she showed a great interest in opera, and the first opera performances that Toti had a chance to attend left a deep imprint on her soul.

Her debut on the opera stage took place at the age of 17, on the stage of the famous Milan theater La Scala (Milan), in the opera “Francesca da Rimini”. Several critics immediately noted the young debutante, and in general the production of Francesca da Rimini became a very major musical event in Milan.

After such a successful start, Toti’s opera career promised to be simply brilliant - she began to tour extensively in Italy, including singing in Florence, Genova, and Sicily.

Dal Monte's very extensive repertoire includes the operas "La sonnambula", "Lucia di Lammermoor", "Rigoletto", "Un ballo in maschera"), "The Barbiere of Seville" ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia"), "William Tell" ("Guillaume Tell"), "Madama Butterfly" ("Madama Butterfly") and many others.

In the mid-1920s, Dal Monte appeared on the famous stage of New York - at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition, in the USA she performed in Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, Washington, Cleveland and San Francisco.

By the way, at the La Scala theater Toti worked a lot with the legendary Arturo Toscanini and was even one of his most beloved performers. Thus, their real triumph was the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor”.

Toti also had the opportunity to perform with the most famous opera singers of his time - Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Carlo Galeffi, Titta Ruffo, Fyodor Chaliapin, Gabriella Besanzoni.

Best of the day

Among the most striking images created by Dal Monte are Lucia, Gilda and Rosina, and the singer herself most appreciated the role of Violetta in Verdi’s opera “La Traviata”. By the way, it was Violetta who was one of the most “competitive” roles at that time - she was performed by such opera divas as Claudia Muzio, Maria Caniglia, Gilda Dalla Rizza and Lucrezia Bori (Lucrecia Bori). Thus, it was the opera La Traviata, according to Toti herself, that brought her the loudest fame on the opera stage. However, one should also not underestimate the image of Cio-Cio-San she embodied - this game is also one of the clearest confirmations of Toti’s talent.

Toti's soprano has been called "sweet", "transparent" and "incredibly powerful".

During World War II, Dal Monte continued to perform, and it was a very difficult time for the singer - concerts in Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg and Vienna, previously planned for the early 1940s, had to be to work off, which put her in a very, very difficult position.

Toti later moved to England.

Dal Monte left the big stage in 1945, but after that she continued to participate in concerts and also appeared in several films, the most famous of which was “Anonimo veneziano”. In addition to her concert activities, Dal Monte began teaching, and from her students, Canadian soprano Dodi Protero and American soprano singers Dolores Wilson and Gianna D'Angelo later became famous.

Toti Dal Monte died on January 26, 1975, at the age of 81, in Pieve di Soligo. She left behind a large number of recordings that give an excellent idea of the wealth of the soprano of the great opera singer.