| Contents |
Foreword / E. Thomas Glasow -- Preface / Julio Maria Sanguinetti -- 1516-1829: The Solis tradition -- A Spanish colony in the New World -- The birth of theatrical life: the Casa de Comedias -- Tonadilla Escenica, Zarzuela, and Opera -- 1830-1856: The Italian opera in the Americas and the antecedents of the Teatro Solis -- 1839-1856: The construction of the Teatro Solis -- Project for a new theater -- The Zucchi project -- Eight years of delay -- Architect Francisco Xavier de Garmendia and his new project -- Further renovations -- August 25, 1856: The opening of the Teatro Solis -- 1857-1858: A triumphant Enrico Tamberlick opens the second Solis season -- Anna Bishop: a soprano to remember -- Artur Napoleao and Oscar Pfeiffer: two first piano virtuosi -- 1859-1866: Anna de la Grange and Raffaele Mirate: two stars and three companies in the same season -- 1867-1869: Louis Moreau Gottschalk, first American pianist and composer -- His monumental Solis concerts -- The world premiere of Symphonie No. 2 "A Montevideo" -- 1870-1876: Carlotta Patti -- Pablo de Sarasate -- Two Rossini premieres -- A great basso buffo: Alessandro Bottero -- Luisa Gallo -- Il Guarany -- 1878-1887: The first Uruguayan opera: Tomas Giribaldi's Parisina -- Francesco Tamagno's first season at the Teatro Solis -- More debuts: Gemma Bellincioni and Roberto Stagno, Medea Mei and Nikolay Figner, Eva Tetrazzini -- 1888-1889: Adelina Patti, nineteenth-century superstar -- Otello's Uruguayan premiere: Romilda Pantaleoni and Roberto Stagno -- Mattia Battistini, "The king of baritones" -- 1890-1894: Jose Oxilia: The Uruguayan Otello -- Young Antonio Scotti's Falstaff -- Edoardo Mascheroni: the first notable conductor -- Seven opera premieres and a famous Zarzuela -- |
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1895-1897: La Boheme premiere with Hariclea Darclee and Emilio De Marchi -- Francesco Tamagno singing Otello -- An ideal Werther: Fernando De Lucia -- Edoardo Mascheroni conducts seven new operas -- Florencio Constantino's debut -- 1898-1899: Montevideo and its new theaters -- Luisa Tetrazzini -- Two bohemes and a young conductor: Giorgio Polacco -- Regina Pacini -- Luis Sambucetti's Suite d' orchestre -- 1900: the turn of the century: from "La Belle Epoque" to challenging times -- Opera as a fashionable social event -- Impresarios and opera business -- Teatro Solis carnival masked balls -- Opera programs and a vanishing collection -- 1901-1902: Two new stars at the Solis: Maria Barrientos and Giuseppe Anselmi -- A Tosca to remember with Hariclea Darclee and Edoardo Garbin -- The death of Maestro Luigi Preti, the Solis' first conductor -- 1903: The rise of a golden age: the arrival of Arturo Toscanini and Enrico Caruso -- 1904-1906: Rosina Storchio and Madama Butterfly -- The opening of the Teatro Urquiza -- Puccini visits Montevideo -- Toscanini conducts the Teatro Solis golden jubilee -- Salomea Kruszelnicka -- 1861-1918: Glitter and gaiety at Solis operetta seasons -- The first American musical: The Black Crook -- An outstanding English operetta season -- Lehar works close half a century of frivolous and nonchalant operettas -- 1907-1914: Leopoldo Mugnone conducts Massenet and Wagner Uruguayan premieres -- An overnight star: Amelita Galli-Curci -- Mascagni's arrival -- Isabeau -- Celestina Boninsegna -- Guglielmo Ratcliff -- Parsifal -- The Ballets Russes: Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina -- |
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1914-1916: Titta Ruffo: "Not a voice but a miracle" -- Tito Schipa -- Elvira de Hidalgo -- Rosa Raisa -- Giovanni Martinelli -- A Pagliacci to remember -- Riccardo Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini -- Uruguayan opera world premiere: Cesar Cortinas' La ultima gavota -- Camille Saint-Saens' arrival and performance -- The French season: Andre Messager and Xavier Leroux conduct their operas -- Ninon Vallin -- 1917: A unique performance: Artur Rubinstein and Vaslav Nijinsky -- Ernest Ansermet and a new season of the Ballets Russes -- New voices: Fanny Anitua and Marcelo Urizar -- Uruguayan world premiere: Cesar Cortinas' La Sulamita -- Gino Marinuzzi conducts Puccini's La Rondine premiere -- 1918-1922: Beniamino Gigli and Claudio Muzio -- Lucien Muratore -- Four Uruguayan premieres: Madame Sans-Gene, Monna Vanna, Fedra, and Le Roi de Lahore -- Anna Pavlova -- Recitals: Yolanda Mero, Frances Nash, Edouard Risler, Artur Rubinstein, and Ricardo Vines -- Felix Weingartner and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra -- 1923-1928: Richard Strauss conducts Elektra and the Vienna Philharmonic -- Debut of nine celebrated singers -- "A gentleman of the stage": The baritone Victor Damiani -- Two premiers: Boris Godunov and La Cena della Beffe -- Beethoven centennial concerts -- 1929-1930: A Russian opera season -- Bidu Sayao and Jan Kiepura -- Rosette Anday's Carmen -- Ottorino Respighi conducts and plays his works -- Guiomar Novaes -- Wanda Landowska -- Elisabeth Schumann -- Jacques Thibaud -- Feodor Chaliapin -- The creation of the SODRE -- 1931-1955: Solis versus SODRE: the struggle for survival -- Lily Pons -- The "Soler miracle" -- The Centro Cultural de Musica -- An impressive Porgy and Bess -- 1956-1984: The Teatro Solis centennial -- Political turmoil and the fall of the cultural life -- The burning of the SODRE -- From a military dictatorship to democracy -- |
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Epilogue: Opera, concert, and ballet on the Teatro Solis stage -- The beginning of a new era -- Facing the future -- Appendix A. Chronology (1856-1956) -- Appendix B. Artists who performed at the Teatro Solis (1856-1956) (Singers, instrumentalists, dancers, conductors, chorus masters, opera directors) -- Appendix C. Musical works performed at the Teatro Solis (1856-1956) (Operas, operettas, ballets, zarzuelas) -- Appendix D. Instrumental ensembles that performed at the Teatro Solis (1856-1956) (Orchestras, chamber groups, bands, etcetera) -- Appendix E. Vocal ensembles the performed at the Teatro Solis (1856-1956) -- Appendix F. Ballet companies that performed at the Teatro Solis (1856-1956). |
| Abstract |
The Teatro Solís in Montevideo, Uruguay--established in 1856 and still operating--is the oldest theater in the Americas. Solís audiences thrilled to the lyricism of many of the great singers of the 19th century, among them Adelina Patti, Romilda Pantaleoni, Gemma Bellincioni, and Enrico Caruso, accompanied by a 285-member company. Programs also featured orchestra and dance: the theater played host to dancer Vaslav Nijinksy's last stage performance and presented Puccini, Mascagni, Saint-Saëns and Richard Strauss. This lively historical account--the very first of its kind--is enriched by anecdotes, reviews and illustrations. A complete narrative chronology of performances is indexed by performer and work, making this book a rare treat for opera buffs and an invaluable resource for scholars in the fields of music and dance history, American studies, and Latin American studies. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 487-492). |
| LCCN | 2003004624 |
| ISBN | 0819565938 (alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0819565946 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
