I PESCATORI: prima italiana: 1886, La Scala. -- primo Nadir italiano: Fernando Valero

Speranza


Speranza

Tenor Fernando Valero was born in Écija, Sevilla 1854 and died in St. Petersburg in 1914.

Valero first studied law, but then took to singing under Martin Salazar and the legendary tenor Enrico Tamberlick.

Valero made his debut as Lorenzo at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 1878, in Auber's opera "Fra Diavolo."

From 1880 he sang in Italia, making his first appearance at the Teatro Brunetti in Bolgona in Ponchielli's opera "I Promessi Sposi," followed by performances in several provincial theatres throughout Italy, in operas such as "La Favorita," "Faust," "Puritani" and "La Sonnambula."

In 1882 he sang in Buenos Aires.

In 1884, Valero sang in Vienna and in 1885 in St. Petersburg.

To Milan's La Scala Valero arrived in 1883, making his debut as Gounod's "Faust," which led to a successful collaboration for nearly a decade, the Milanese audiences eventually dubbing him "Il Piccolo Gayarre" after the great Spanish tenor.

At La Scala Valero sang in the first Italian version of Giorgio Bizet's "Leila; ossia i pescatori di perle" (1886, which had been presented in Italian at Parigi for the Int. Exp.), and in 1891 as Turiddu in the first performance of Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana," a role he also created for Firenze.

Valero made a further name for himself in 1895, when he sang the role of "Werther" at La Scala.

In 1897, and at the end of his career, he suffered a pulmonary desease and had to interrupt his singing for a longer period.

He eventually retired in 1902 and settled in St. Petersburg, where he opened a vocal academy.


Chronology of some appearances


1881 Milano Manzoni Rigoletto (Duca)
1881 Milano Dal Verme Rigoletto (Duca)
1881 Berlino Westend Rigoletto (Duca)
1886 Milano La Scala I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1886 Lisbona San Carlos I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1888 Havana Tacon I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1888 Roma Apollo I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1888 Roma Argentina I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1888 Buenos Ayres Colon I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1889 Lisbona San Carlos I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)
1890 Londra Covent Garden I Pescatori di Perle (Nadir)