Pieta rispetto amore

Gian Giacomo Guelfi (b.1924)

Perhaps one day someone will be able to give me a logical explanation as to WHY in the wide world Guelfi's name pops up so infrequently in discussions of great baritones of the 1950's and '60's. Born in Rome, Guelfi studied in Florence with Bianca Elice (Enzo Mascherini's teacher) and Titta Ruffo; in time he became a worthy heir to the latter's mantle of Verdi baritone par excellence. Indeed, in terms of pure vocal refulgence, I can think of only two other baritones that could equal him in the post-Leonard Warren era: the great Romanian Nicolae Herlea, and Cornell Macneil. Yet, although Guelfi was well-respected and enjoyed a fine worldwide career, he never seemed to garner the lavish praise bestowed on such contemporaries as Bastianini, Taddei, Cappuccilli, and Gobbi. It can be said that he was a relatively straightforward singer and certainly not the last word in subtlety, but that is true of a great many singers (think Merrill, or Warren himself). And while Guelfi did not possess Gobbi's gift of nuance, he had a much, MUCH better voice and sang with substantially greater technical assurance.

I am at a total loss as to why Guelfi's voice- a huge, dark, potent, rugged instrument that never thinned out on top- was virtually ignored by the record companies, who must surely shoulder at least part of the blame for his "second-tier" status today. Aside from the famous Karajan-led "Cavalleria" with Bergonzi and Cossotto on Deutsche Grammophon (and film of the same opera with Cecchele substituting for Bergonzi), I am unaware of any major label opera recordings. Fortunately, there are quite a few "live" performances that have been preserved on labels ranging from Opera d'Oro to Myto, including many Verdi roles for which he was justly acclaimed (he had made his debut in Spoleto in 1950 as Rigoletto). One of my favorites is his Macbeth, recorded April 9, 1968 at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, with Gianandrea Gavazzeni at the helm. Those looking for deft, detail-oriented phrasing a la Bruson or Taddei won't find it here, but the outpouring of rich, golden tone is ample reward in itself. And despite the relative lack of nuance, Guelfi does not sing at an unvaried forte: witness the beautiful pianissimo on the word "inaridita", at the end of the recitative. The recording is clear but low level, so be sure to adjust speaker volume accordingly. For those interested in further investigating Guelfi, I highly reommend his Scarpia (alongside Renata Tebaldi's Tosca) and Jack Rance in "La Fanciulla del West" (with Eleanor Steber), in addition to Alfio in the Cavallerias mentioned above.