"Prince of Tenors" Franco Corelli was distinguished by an unusually beautiful voice, performance and spectacular appearance. His life was filled with music, phenomenal fame and adoration of fans, but completely devoid of scandals and intrigues that often accompany creative personalities.
Childhood and adolescence: the beginning of a biography
Dario Franco Corelli was born in 1921 in the Italian town of Ancon. The boy’s family was very musical: the grandfather of the future singer sang in the opera and had a good dramatic tenor. His older brother Aldo was also lucky with a voice: he turned out to be a beautiful baritone, because of which the young man left his studies and also entered the stage. Both uncles Franco sang beautifully. In such an atmosphere, it was impossible to remain indifferent to music.
Despite the abundance of singers in the family and a clear talent for music, Franco himself dreamed of a completely different career. He wanted to become a sailor, repeating the path of his father. After graduating from school, the young man entered the University of Bologna at the faculty of ship engineering. Studying was quite successful, but it was not possible to escape fate - unexpectedly for himself, Franco took part in a music competition. He did not get a prize, but the atmosphere of music and the charm of the scene acted magically. The failed engineer quit classes and entered the Pesaro Conservatory. The dream became different: Franco decided to become an opera singer.
He encountered the first difficulty shortly after the start of classes. The young man had a very unusual voice: deep, dramatic, with a wide range. The novice singer could not decide whether to act as a tenor or baritone. In toga, he chose the first - tenors were always at the top of the musical hierarchy, especially in Italy with its Belcanto traditions. However, the singing career did not start very well: the young man did not move to Pesaro, visited the conservatory sporadically and was expelled after a couple of years. He began to take private lessons, polishing his voice, inherited from nature.
Career development: phenomenal success
The impetus for a career was a music competition held in Florence. Franco's efforts were successful - he became the winner. The fateful meeting took place at the competition: the director of the Roman Opera noticed the young singer and invited him to perform on the famous stage. The debut for Corelli was the part of Jose in the opera Carmen. The success was crazy, it became clear - a new star was born, and the main victories and achievements are yet to come.
According to critics, Franco was simply doomed to wild popularity. He had a very beautiful and strong voice, combined with a phenomenal capacity for work and a subtle musical sense. Another win-win trump necessary for a successful opera singer: an incredibly attractive appearance. Corelli looked like a real movie star: tall, slender, with impeccably regular features and irresistible charm. He was incredibly popular with women, they say that during performances and concerts, enthusiastic fans threw not only bouquets of flowers at her feet, but also their own jewelry.
In 1954, another triumph took place: Corelli was invited to perform at La Scala. This is the dream of any opera singer, moreover, the great Maria Callas was his stage partner. It was supposed that she would become the heroine of the evening, but at this performance the audience saw only Corelli. After a single performance, he became the star of La Scala. He was equally loved by ordinary viewers and sophisticated connoisseurs of opera. Critics were also supportive of Corelli, although they allowed themselves small attacks, calling him an amateur and self-taught. However, such trifles did not upset the singer, because his dream came true. Franco overnight became one of the most coveted performers, who were eagerly awaited by the best scenes in the world.
In 1961, Corelli made his debut on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Here he will sing for 15 years, receiving the honorary title "Prince of Tenors" (the king, of course, was called the unrivaled Enrico Caruso). The singer shone in “Tosca”, “Carmen”, “Don Carlos”, “Bohemia”, “Hernani”. Franco toured a lot, performing on the best opera stages in Paris, Verona, Florence, Parma, Vienna and Lisbon.
In the late 70s, the famous singer decided to leave the stage at the zenith of fame. He took up teaching, but performed several times in concerts, collecting full halls. Franco was very strict about himself, speaking the most severe critic of his own work. After leaving the stage, he did not regret the fame and fans, the only thing that depressed was the inability to sing as beautifully as before.
