Franco Bonisolli

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Franco Bonisolli (May 25, 1938 – October 30, 2003) was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, notably as Manrico and Calaf.

Life and career

Bonisolli was born in Rovereto, Italy. He studied with Alfredo Lattaro, and, after winning an international voice contest, he made his debut in Spoleto, as Ruggero, in 1962. He quickly established himself throughout Italy, appearing first in lyric roles such as, Nemorino, Duca di Mantua, Alfredo, Rodolfo, des Grieux, Hoffmann, etc.

He took part in revivals of neglected opera such as La donna del lago, opposite Montserrat Caballé, and Le siège de Corinthe, opposite Beverly Sills, and took part in the creation of new works, such as La lampada di Alidino by Rota, and Luisilla by Mannino.

He began an international career in the early 1970s, with debut at the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Paris Opéra, the Metropolitan Opera, etc., and began expanding his repertory to include more dramatic roles, notably Arnold, Don Jose, Manrico, Radames, Otello, Cavaradossi, Calaf, etc.

Bonisolli was a highly gifted and exciting singer with a ringing upper register, but as the years went by his singing became increasingly undisciplined. His eccentric behaviour and his onstage antics earned him the nickname "Il Pazzo" (The Madman), and made him a difficult colleague to work with. ^{[citation needed]}

He can be heard on several recordings, notably Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, which were all soundtrack of German TV productions, and a live recording from the abovementioned revival of La Donna del Lago with Caballé. He also appeared in 1968, in a film version of La traviata, opposite Anna Moffo and Gino Bechi. In 1976, he recorded Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, opposite Galina Vishnevskaya.

He died suddenly, in Vienna, at the age of 65.

Selective recordings

1970 - Rossini - La donna del lago (live) - Montserrat Caballé, Franco Bonisolli, Julia Hamari, Paolo Washington - Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI, Turin, Piero Bellugi - Opera D'Oro OPD-1206.

1973 - Verdi - La traviata - Mirella Freni, Franco Bonisolli, Sesto Bruscantini - Berlin State Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli - ARTS.

1975 - Verdi - Il trovatore - Franco Bonisolli, Raina Kabaivanska, Viorica Cortez, Giorgio Zancanaro, Gian Carlo Luccardi - Berlin State Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Bruno Bartoletti - ARTS.

1977 - Verdi - Rigoletto - Rolando Panerai, Margherita Rinaldi, Franco Bonisolli, Viorica Cortez, Bendt Rundgren - Dresden Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli - ARTS.

1977 - Verdi - Il trovatore - Leontyne Price, Elena Obraztsova, Franco Bonisolli, Piero Cappuccilli, Ruggero Raimondi - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan - EMI.

1982 - Verdi - I Masnadieri - Joan Sutherland, Franco Bonisolli, Matteo Manuguerra, Samuel Ramey - Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge - DECCA.

Sources

Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique, R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-5

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 56795451 LCCN: n82153072 ISNI: 0000 0001 0904 5166 GND: 133825043 BNF: cb13891668b MusicBrainz: 853ae246-c2ad-4093-9a82-aae8fc9e1438

Persondata
Name	Bonisolli, Franco
Alternative names
Short description	Italian opera singer
Date of birth	1937
Place of birth
Date of death	October 30, 2003
Place of death

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