Ferruccio Tagliavini

Ferruccio Tagliavini (1913-1995) was born in Villa Cavazzoli, in the province of Reggio Emilia, and went on to become one of the most celebrated Italian opera tenors of the 20th century.
His international career took the Italian opera repertoire to the very highest levels, yet his connection to his homeland remained strong and enduring.

From childhood, he lived in Barco, a small village in the Reggio Emilia area, where he cultivated a passion for singing in the local church, soon earning the nickname ‘little Caruso’ for the natural quality of his voice.
In Reggio Emilia, he attended the Achille Peri Music Institute, receiving his first singing lessons and starting the career that would lead him to tread the boards of the world’s most prestigious stages.

At the age of twenty-four, he took part in a singing competition in Parma, winning a scholarship that enabled him to enrol at the Arrigo Boito Conservatory.
In 1938, he won the National Opera Singing Competition organized by the Opera Nazionale del Dopolavoro and attended an advanced course at the Teatro Comunale in Florence.
October 27, 1938, he made his debut in Florence in La Bohème, achieving immediate success.
In the same year, he made his radio debut in a Martini & Rossi concert and, February 8, 1939, at La Fenice in Venice in Il Campiello, with Margherita Carosio and Magda Olivero.

After the end of World War II, he began performing abroad as well, becoming the first Italian tenor to be engaged by American theatres: in Buenos Aires in Tosca, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (where he performed regularly until 1955) in La Bohème, at the Royal Opera House in London in the same opera, and at the Opéra de Paris in Un ballo in maschera.

He retired from the opera stage July 21, 1970 at the Roman Theatre in Benevento with L’elisir d’amore, while May 20, 1981 he ended his performances at Carnegie Hall in New York with L’amico Fritz, his favourite opera.

Beside his theatre career, Tagliavini also pursued a film career.
In 1941, he made her film debut in Voglio vivere così, directed by Mario Mattoli, singing the title song by Giovanni D’Anzi and Tito Manlio, which became one of her signature pieces.
Her film career continued until the late 1950s, with eight films ranging from light-hearted comedies to opera-themed films, including Anema e core, a semi-autobiographical work that highlighted her natural talent.

In Reggio Emilia, he received major honours, such as the Agis BNL ‘Una vita per il teatro’ award in 1988, during a gala at the ‘Romolo Valli’ Municipal Theatre, celebrating his extraordinary contribution to opera.
Despite his worldwide success, he spent his later years in poverty and loneliness, forced to live in the Villa Ilva care home in Cavriago, where for many years he received a monthly allowance from Luciano Pavarotti.