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Giuseppe Antonicelli
Posted by Rob Maynard on July 12, 2021, 9:11 am
In his typically enlightening survey of recordings of La Traviata (https://musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Jul/Verdi-traviata-survey.htm), Ralph Moore rates a 1949 recording conducted by Giuseppe Antonicelli as his "historical mono" first choice.
While Ralph admits in his review to knowing nothing of the conductor, Antonelli does merit a reasonably substantial entry in John L. Holmes's invaluable study of Conductors on Record (London, 1982, p.22): "Born in Castrovillari, Cosenza, Antonicelli first graduated as a lawyer and practised law, and at the same time studied music in Turin. His father was a general in the Italian army, and his mother an opera singer. He started his career as a repetiteur at the Teatro Regio in Turin, made his debut as a conductor in Novara, conducted at La Scala, Milan (1934-7), was artistic director and conductor at Trieste (1937-43 and 1950-56), and joined the Metropolitan Opera, New York (1947-50), where he conducted Italian Opera. In 1947 he recorded La Boheme, with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the major soloists Bidu Siyao and Richard Tucker; it was issued in the Metropolitan Opera Association's series, and was reissued by CBS and later in Britain in 1974. He also conducted a recording of Un Ballo in Maschera with the Metropolitan company; it was released by Classic Editions, but was immediately withdrawn."
That's an intriguing last sentence, but I have every confidence that if anyone can throw some light on the matter, it might well be MusicWeb's Ralph Moore...
Re: Giuseppe Antonicelli
Posted by Ralph Moore on July 12, 2021, 9:53 am, in reply to "Giuseppe Antonicelli"
Many thanks for the additional information, Rob; we are indebted to a recent Amazon review by Stanley Kohl for the following:
"This review is of Gala's CD, GL 100.789, of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, supposedly with Maria Caniglia, Galliano Masini and Carlo Tagliabue, conducted by Gino Marinuzzi. As noted in other reviews, the performance is actually the 22 November 1947 Metropolitan Opera broadcast with Daniza Ilitsch, Jan Peerce and Leonard Warren, conducted by Giuseppe Antonicelli. I doubt that Gala was trying to disguise the performance; the mix-up is likely from the LP set that appeared in the early 1950s from Classic Editions, CE 5001, which I believe listed the same wrong cast. I encountered that set at a public library, a shredded copy by 1969, and so was happy to find this memento of it. Whether taken from the old LP set or not, the sound isn't too bad. The performance is good, and also available on Walhall Eternity Series WLCD 0054 (from Amazon, see ASIN : B0003021LS) possibly in slightly better sound and with the correct cast listing. Walhall's edition comes in a slimmer CD case, but without any information other than the cast and a track list having no timings. Gala's edition is in a double-wide case, providing space for a nice booklet with timings for the tracks and information on Caniglia, Masini, Tagliabue and Marinuzzi, who are actually present on the "bonus tracks" taken from the Cetra recording of La Forza del Destino, recorded in 1941. So the CD from Gala is fine, for those who know what is actually on it."
Presumably the first LP edition was withdrawn because Classic Editions were embarrassed by having appended the wrong cast list?
You have piqued ny interest so I have in fact just bought the very cheap Walhall issue, especially as I am unfamilar with the lead soprano but like the other leading cast members. Maybe I'll review it!
Re: Giuseppe Antonicelli
Posted by Rob Maynard on July 12, 2021, 11:48 am, in reply to "Giuseppe Antonicelli"
If any further evidence of Antonicelli's obscurity were required, it is the fact that I failed to notice that I mis-named him in para 2, line 1, of my original post. Mea culpa.