MUSICAL COURIER
January 18, 1923
Triumphant in Opera and Concert
TITTA RUFFO
Begins His First Tour on the Pacific Coast in Los Angeles March 9, 1923
OPERA-DECEMBER, 1922 and JANUARY, 1923
Mr. Ruffo’s Don Carlos is impressive and robust in appearance as it is in song. He was in good voice and seemed even to improve in this respect as the opera went on. He sang with much power yet with more restraint than is usual with him, and in certain respects with great skill.—New York Times.
The famous baritone warmed to his task—he and his richly sonorous voice—finishing his arduous ruties as Don Carlos in a manner that won unanimous praise from his admirers. He sang the cavatina “O dei Verdi Anni Miei” (this in the original key too) with more than ordinary artistic reserve and discretion.-—■New Vork American.
Titta Ruffo, restored in voice and volume, came back to the company. Richly melodic he sang splendidly. After his duet with Mr. Mardones in the second act there was a thunderous ovation for him.—New York World.
Mr. Ruffo was in command of his powerful voice and sang with more than his usual discretion. His voice is unique and there have been times when he seemed to take delight in exhibitions of its volume. But yesterday he appeared to be interested in delivering Verdi’s music fluently and smoothly. The results were very good indeed. Mr. Ruffo was acclaimed by his hearers.—Nezv York Herald.
Titta Ruffo brings to the part of Don Carlos a kind of personal force that suggests the Russian Chaliapin. He is a tremendous operatic personality and this fact impresses an audience. He sang gloriously with an imposing tone, the tradition, the feeling and the technical skill that the music extracts. The audience was steadily enthusiastic and its welcome to Mr. Ruffo left him no roubt of the place he holds in the affections of Mr. Gatti-Casazza’s loyal customers.—The Evening Globe.
His tone came with the old time ease, and it was a glorious tone. The prologue, for which his concert audiences call whenever he sings at the Hippodrome on Sunday nights, was sung with more artistic finish than this robust voiced. Italian baritone is accustomed to exhibit. He has sung it more sensationally in the past, but never more artistically. He was received with great enthusiasm.—The Evening Tekgram.
Titta Ruffo in excellent voice, sang Tonio—a quite incomparable achievement.—New York American.
In “Pagliacci” Titta Ruffo appeared as Tonio, singing magnificently and acting with a superb tragic power.—New York Globe.
Mr. Ruffo possesses an amazing voice, which is not only powerful, but also remarkably sweet in tender passages and under complete control —The Pittsburgh Chronicle.
He was in full, strong voice—which, in Mr. Ruffo’s case is a superlative statement.—New York Evening Sun.
Titta Ruffo, Italy’s most sensational baritone, was in excellent voice and his 6,000 hearers were aroused to such an extent that shouts as well as applause followed his every appearance on the stage.—New York Evening Telgram.
CONCERTS-NOVEMBER, 1922
He can range to the lower notes of a tenor and keep his voice belllike. He can also rumble as deep as the fearsome Adamastor of Meyerbeerian music. Between lies a voice that rings with a large masculine, full throated, keenly penetrating beauty.—Boston Evening Transcript.
The most successful concert yet given in Boston by Titta Ruffo occurred at Symphony Hall yesterday afternoon. Titta Ruffo is the idol of the Italians of New York since the death of Caruso. He is one of the last of the heroic opera singers of a decade or more ago, singers with tremendous voices. There was tremendous enthusiasm yesterday. At times he is a Niagara of tone, and his high tones are thrilling in effect and beautiful in quality.—Boston American.
His reception was sensational and not for many years has a singer been so honored in this city.■—Boston Traveler.
Titta Ruffo, super-baritone, put on display his whole box of amiable tricks along with his compelling operatic genius to the unstinted approval of a huge audience at the Metropolitan Opera House last evening. —Public Ledger, Phila.
Ruffo, as usual took his audience by storm, being hailed with delight preceding and following each number.—North American, Phila.
The terrific physical zest of Ruffo comes out superbly in arias and songs, where speed, acrobatic diction staccato phrasing are demanded of the voice.—Record, Phila.
Titta Ruffo last evening scored as emphatic a success before a Philadelphia audience as has been achieved by any singer for many years. In voice and in certain temperamental capacities he is easily the king of baritones. The audience was wildly enthusiastic.—Evening Ledger, Phila.
Titta Ruffo may be called “The King of Baritones”; we know of no other on the operatic stage today who sings with such suavity, ease, beautiful tone, perfect intonation and all the other attributes of bel-canto singing.—The Pittsburgh Dispatch.
Mr. Ruffo’s voice is unquestionably one of the most beautiful we have heard. Powerful, rich, fluent, correct and under excellent control. —The Pittsburgh Gazette.
New York City
VICTOR RECORDS
Exclusive Management: R. E. JOHNSTON, 1451 Broadway
Associates: L. G. BRE1D and PAUL LONGONE
KNABE PIANO