Introduction, by John Tolansky

‘In these few words you have the description of the whole situation’, says Tito Gobbi.

No – not in an aria, but in the opening words of, on the face of it, casual banter between the Duke of Mantua and Borsa with which Verdi’s Rigoletto immediately gets underway onstage after the orchestral Prelude. In a masterclass Tito Gobbi was giving, he was at pains to point out to the student singing the Duke that a tiny passage that easily can be, and often is, just passed through like seemingly incidental trivia, in fact contains a vital essence of the entire opera’s story. Therefore it needs meticulous attention in vocal colour and style – and, as can be heard in the extract that Gramophone is now making available through the generosity of the Associazione Musicale Tito Gobbi, he illustrated exactly how, inflecting the words with a striking array of expressive characterisation.

The subtle range of word expressions in Tito Gobbi’s vocal colours were inseparably aligned with the fastidious and sophisticated detail in his stage acting, and overall this cast a major influence on his and later generations of singers and audiences, as well as students and not only those at his masterclasses. In an interview he gave on WFMT radio in 1973, which is included in an upcoming centenary documentary on the WFMT Radio Network, he said ‘I like all the roles in which I can be an actor as well as a singer – or maybe better than a singer – so I prefer to perform, to act, to be an interpreter, rather than be only a voice’. And in the documentary, two other great artists underline his influence. Soprano Renata Scotto comments: ‘For me he was an example of how an artist can be really complete – vocally, artistically, the interpretation, every word – not only the presentation as a singer, but also [sic] as an actor’. And bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi says: ‘You feel that every word had a different intonation. It means this man was truly feeling the passion of the character – it was like a great actor’.

The research and thought processes behind these essentials of Tito Gobbi’s art are compellingly revealed in many recorded hours of his masterclasses that his daughter Cecilia has scrupulously compiled for the Associazione Musicale Tito Gobbi, a not-for-profit educational body that she founded and runs as its President. For 10 years, international students, some who, like Gösta Winbergh, the student singing the Duke of Mantua, and Ruth Falcon later became distinguished and celebrated artists, were enlightened by copious treasures of Tito’s singing and acting during his masterclasses – or rather workshops as he called them. Cecilia Gobbi recently told me: ‘For six weeks each year my father held the Tito Gobbi Opera Workshops and he used to say at the start “I don’t like the words to teach or to learn – I like to talk of studying together”’. And that is important, because he approached his rehearsals with his professional colleagues in the same way. For him, each experience was a mutual, interactive voyage of discovery, which is another reason why his presence on the operatic stage was so influential.

Tito Gobbi himself said that his aim in his Opera Workshops was ‘to sharpen the wits of young singers and make interpreters out of them, the actors-singers that Verdi wanted’. He did not only choose Verdi operas for his sessions – discussion-rehearsals of works by Mozart (Don Giovanni) and Puccini (Tosca) as well as Rigoletto can be heard in the extracts, and they featured among many other composers’ creations. Quite aside from their fascination as records of Tito Gobbi’s inspirational interaction with the students, the events are an invaluable guide to the great man’s entire approach to his art. For instance, we hear him explain the detailed historical background to Tosca, that is the mix of true historical fact and creative fiction that was put together, first by Victorien Sardou in his play and then Puccini and his librettists Luigi Illica and Giacomo Giacosa in the opera. This opens the window on some vital aspects of all the main characters in the opera – not only Scarpia, one of Tito Gobbi’s particularly celebrated roles. Cecilia Gobbi comments on how her father painstakingly researched the backgrounds to all aspects of the works he performed.

‘He studied all the roles, not just his own, in great dramatic and musical detail, and he invested an enormous amount of his time and dedication studying who they had been and what had happened in their lives prior to the start of whichever opera they were a part of. And he was always continually studying and re-studying them.’

Maybe that is one reason why Tito Gobbi liked to say that he and the students in his workshops were studying together – a disarmingly humble statement when we hear the compelling impact of his vocal illustrations to them, combined with his wealth of textual and psychological insights into the various roles of the operas. Thanks to the Associazione Musicale Tito Gobbi, (www.associazionetitogobbi.com) readers of Gramophone can listen to his workshop explorations of Leporello and Don Giovanni, the Duke of Mantua and Rigoletto, and Tosca, Cavaradossi and Scarpia, as well as the true historical stories behind the lives of the last three characters. The recorded quality of these gems, taken down privately, is somewhat restricted in frequency, but the inspiration of Tito Gobbi’s speaking – and singing! – nevertheless shines through radiantly.

Tito Gobbi's masterclasses

1) Mozart Don Giovanni

A) Act 1 Scene 1 – 'Notte e giurno faticar'
with James Stith, baritone (Leporello)

The opening scene of the opera, as Leporello bemoans his life serving Don Giovanni.