Tenore ANTONIO PAOLI - Iris 'Apri la tua finestra' (1912)

Pietro Mascagni - IRIS "Apri la tua finestra" - 1912.
Tenore ANTONIO PAOLI – (Ponce (Puerto Rico, Antille) 14 aprile 1871 – San Juan 24 agosto 1946)

[WMP]

The composer P. Mascagni Chose Paoli for the extremely difficult role of Ratcliff ( 1902 ). R. Leoncavallo ( 1907 ) selected Paoli to sing Canio in the first recorded opera ever. Giacomo Lauri Volpi wrote in Voci Paralelli about Paoli's phenomenal voice and interpretative genious. The Paris Opera contracted the young tenor (1899 ) for 5 William Tell, a tour the force only for prodigious dramatic tenors, specially at the turn of the 20th. century. Highly regarded Italian critics, Rodolfo Celletti and Gualerzi praised his artistic qualities. Famous colleagues considered Paoli to be the completed dramatic tenor.

[grigorenandris]

Surprisingly Paoli starts off obeying the score, piano, "dolce" then of course he sets off on his usual, pompous, wobbly, out of tune rants; a dreadful singer who nevertheless has a rather scary set of thugs who worship him to this day.