"Prince of Tenors" Franco Corelli was distinguished by an unusually beautiful voice, efficiency and effective appearance. His life was filled with music, phenomenal fame and adoration of fans, but absolutely 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. Older brother Aldo was also lucky with his voice: he turned out to have a beautiful baritone, because of which the young man left his studies and also entered the stage. Both Franco's uncles sang beautifully. In such an atmosphere, it was impossible to remain indifferent to music.
Despite the abundance of singers in his family and an obvious talent for music, Franco himself dreamed of a completely different career. He wanted to become a sailor, following the path of his father. After graduating from school, the young man entered the University of Bologna at the Faculty of Marine Engineering. The study was quite successful, but it was not possible to get away from fate - unexpectedly for himself, Franco took part in a music competition. He did not get the prize, but the atmosphere of the music and the charm of the stage worked in a magical way. The failed engineer dropped out and entered the Pesaro Conservatory. The dream changed: Franco decided to become an opera singer.
He faced the first difficulty shortly after the start of the class. The young man had a very unusual voice: deep, dramatic, with a wide range. The aspiring singer could not decide in any way whether to act as a tenor or a baritone. In toga, he chose the first - tenors have always been at the top of the musical hierarchy, especially in Italy with its bel canto traditions. However, his singing career did not start very well: the young man did not move to Pesaro, he visited the conservatory sporadically and after a couple of years was expelled. He began taking private lessons, polishing his natural voice.
Career development: phenomenal success
The impetus for a career was a music competition held in Florence. Franco's efforts were crowned with success - he became the winner. The fateful meeting also took place at the competition: the director of the Rome Opera noticed the young singer and invited him to perform on the famous stage. The debut for Corelli was the role of Jose in the opera Carmen. The success was frenzied, it became clear - a new star was born, and the main victories and achievements are still ahead.
According to critics, Franco was simply doomed to wild popularity. He had a very beautiful and strong voice, combined with phenomenal efficiency and the finest musical intuition. Another sure-fire trump card that a successful opera singer needs: incredibly good looks. Corelli looked like a real movie star: tall, slender, with flawlessly regular features and an irresistible charm. He was incredibly popular with women, they say that during performances and concerts, enthusiastic fans threw not only bouquets of flowers at the singer's 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, besides his stage partner was the great Maria Callas. It was assumed that it was she who 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 spectators and sophisticated connoisseurs of operatic art. Critics were also supportive of Corelli, although they allowed themselves minor 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, eagerly awaited by the world's best scenes.
In 1961, Corelli made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Here he will sing for 15 years, having received the honorary title of "Prince of Tenors" (of course, the consummate Enrico Caruso was called the king). The singer shone in "Tosca", "Carmen", "Don Carlos", "Bohemia", "Ernani". Franco toured extensively, performing at the best opera houses 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, gathering full houses. Franco was very strict with himself, acting as the harshest critic of his own work. After leaving the stage, he did not regret fame and fans, the only thing that depressing was the inability to sing as beautifully as before.
Personal life
Little is known about the personal life of the most handsome tenor. There is only one official biography, but basically it tells about the creative path, music, singing - about what has always been the most important thing for Corelli. Despite the success, wealth and unusually beautiful appearance, Franco did not become a heartbreaker. Fans fell in love with the singer in dozens, but he did not indulge them with his attention.
Corelli married a girl from the familiar and familiar opera world. She herself did not perform, but came from a musical family: Loretta's father was the famous opera bass Umberto Di Lelio. The marriage turned out to be very harmonious, the couple lived together until Franco's death in 2003. The cause of the death of the singer was the severe consequences of a stroke, at the time of his death he was 82 years old. Nothing is known about the children of Corelli, he did not leave official heirs.
