Giovanni Battista Rubini

Giovanni Battista Rubini (* April 27, 1795 in Romano di Lombardia, † March 2, 1854 ) was an Italian tenor.

Life

Rubini comes from a simple but musical family. In the family circle he learned as a child playing the violin and singing. His artistic career began as a chorister and violinist at the Teatro Riccardo (today Teatro Donizetti ) in Bergamo and he then went on various stages of Italy in subordinate roles. In 1816 he was engaged in Naples by the famous opera impresario Domenico Barbaja, who was responsible for the enormous success of Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini. Rubini contributed to these successes in Naples, Milan and Vienna until 1831 quite significantly. Later he sang alternately in Paris (autumn and winter) and London (Spring). In 1821 he married the French singer Adelaide Chomel ( 1796-1874 ), the Comelli later called himself. Since 1843, after he had made with Franz Liszt a concert tour through Germany and Holland, he also sang with great success in St. Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas I appointed him Director -General vocals. Soon, however, he had to Russia because of the climate, which damaged his voice, leave. In his hometown, he acquired an extensive property, and the title of duke and had built a castle-like retreat. In this there is now a memorial for Rubini. At the time of his death he left the enormous capacity of 3, 5 million francs.

Artistic personality

Rubini was his time as famous as Enrico Caruso in later days. At the beginning of the 19th century castrati were finally on the opera stage and a new tenoraler vocal style, influenced by Rubini, dominated the world of opera. Thanks to its enormous gamut Rubini came into the realm of Kontraaltisten, with his singing a softness and sweetness had that had never been heard before. He celebrated in Rossini's La Cenerentola, Otello and La Donna del Lago triumphs. A special artistic relationship connected him with Vincenzo Bellini, who adapted the tenor roles of Bianca e Fernando, I Puritani, Il pirata and La sonnambula the possibilities Rubini. His high tenor ( tenorino ) and his ease in the highest registers led to roles that are even hard to fill today. He coined the early bel canto style, which had a mixture of chest resonance and a strong falsetto, a vocal style that is frowned upon today, was in those years but appreciated as a particularly cultured. Long before Gigli he took the sob into his range of expression. In Donizetti's Marino Faliero, he appeared together with Giulia Grisi, Antonio Tamburini and Luigi Lablache. As a singer Rubini was an early representative of the romantic style of Donizetti or Bellini. He was an exceptional bel canto artist and one of the most famous singers in Europe 1820-1840 A tribute to Rubini, the tenor Juan Diego Flórez CD. Arias for Rubini ( under Roberto Abbado, Decca: 2007 )