100 Singers - SALVATORE BACCALONI

Salvatore Baccaloni, Bass (1900-1969)
Gaetano Donizetti DON PASQUALE
Cheti, cheti, immantinenti
With Emilio Ghirardini, Baritone (1885-1965)
Milan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lorenzo Molajoli
Recorded 1932

My personal opinion: There is a tragicomical scene in Rossini's IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA: Dr. Bartolo, the old and slightly goofy guardian of the young, beautiful and mainly rich Rosina - which he intends to marry - becomes the victim of a plot. Full of suspicion he warns the cunning girl: "A doctor of my class does not let himself be fooled - A un dottore della mia sorte..." The hilarious aria is a fantastic showpiece for every experienced 'basso buffo'. But it is also a challenge to 'survive' the tremendous hurdles of the difficult allegro vivace 'parlando' passage, beginning with "Signorina, un altra volta, quando Bartolo andrà fuori." Indeed, the Roman Salvatore Baccaloni passed the proof, albeit without elegance and real eloquence. But he was very clever: The conductor slowed the speed, and Baccaloni gave some words more expression and excessive emphasis. An old trick to simulate a virtuosity that does not really exists. It speaks for itself, that Baccaloni in the 1930 Molajoli recording (with Stracciari as Figaro and Borgioli as Almaviva) left out "A un dottore" and replaced it with the alternative "Manca un foglio" by Pietro Romani.
Baccaloni, born in the first spring of the new 20th Century, was the second great representative in a long row of famous Italian bass comedians. He was the successor of Antonio Pini-Corsi (1858-1918), the leading 19th Century specialist in comic operas by Rossini and Donizetti. Baccaloni, born 42 years after Pini-Corsi, studied singing with the Croatian Baritone Josip Kasman aka Giuseppe Kaschmann, who - towards the end of his career - switched also to the comedian roles. In 1922, Salvatore Baccaloni made his debut as Bartolo in Rome. It was a role he mastered more with his talent for playing comic figures than with his vocal ability - and this throughout his whole career. Four years after his debut he sang the first time at La Scala. It was Arturo Toscanini who adviced him to specialise complete in comic roles. Soon later Baccaloni was an admired DON PASQUALE and a mercurial Leporello in DON GIOVANNI. The 1936 live recording of "Madamina, il catalogo" (with the Glyndebourne Orchestra conducted by Fritz Busch and John Brownlee as the Don) shows him in good mood: Exuberant, almost cocky. He clarified, why Mozart called his opera a 'dramma giocoso', a 'funny drama'. Baccaloni whizzes through the aria with hearable joy. Maybe it's the liveliest representation on records at all. Even arch-comedians like Giuseppe Taddei, Fernando Corena or Walter Berry can't keep up with this. For critic John J. Norwich, Baccaloni steals the show with a voice that "smells of garlic and olive oil".
Unsurpassed because unsurpassable his DON PASQUALE in two complete recordings: A 1940 Met broadcast under Gennaro Papi (with Bidu Sayao as Norina and the underrated efficient Baritone Francesco Valentino as Malatesta) and another Met broadcast, six years later, with almost the same cast (this time with Fritz Busch on the podium) - the long run is a sure indication for the great success of the production. Olin Downes wrote in 'The New York Times': "Mr. Baccaloni is not only an actor, comedian, and a clever diseur... He sings with admirable ease and variety of affect, and the voice is a very fine one. His recitative is a wonder of clarity and declamation". The first version under Papi is an indispensable jewel for every fan of the Italian 'opera buffa'.
Salvatore Baccaloni was a crowd puller at the Met for about 25 years; from his first performance as Mozart's Dr. Bartolo in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO in 1940 to a last Rossini-Bartolo in August 1965. His recording career began in 1927 as Sparafucile in RIGOLETTO. All in all, Baccaloni can be heard in 33 complete opera recordings; most of them live broadcasts. The last was a 1962 LA BOHÈME with Victoria de los Angeles, Sandor Konya and Ettore Bastianini from San Francisco. Shortly afterwards he retired from stage.
Portly in build and good-humoured, the Bass had a communicative gift for comedy. Another example may be his version of "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo", an infantile bijou from Disney's animated film CINDERELLA. Performed with wit and self-irony, meanwhile the little gem is a classic...
Salvatore Baccaloni died in New York on New Year's Eve in 1969. One of his successor's was Fernando Corena, who never reached the unaffected originality of his precursor. A copy is a copy and not the original...