L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano F or more than two decades in the early 1900s, opera singer Luisa T e t r a z z i n i charmed Pacific Northwest opera lovers. Known as the Florentine nightingale, she was so famous that a San Francisco chef named a pasta casserole – Chicken Tetrazzini – in her honor. Renowned for her power- f u l s i n g i n g v o i c e , L u i s a Tetrazzini thrilled audiences around the world, traveling throughout Europe as well as North and South America. Her fans loved her exuberant stage presence, her profes- sional triumphs and woes, and her larger-than-life per- sonality. Born in 1871 in Florence, Tetrazzini claimed she start- ed singing at the age of three. As a young girl doing chores around the house, she would sing entire acts from some of Italy's most beloved operas, performing every part. At the age of 19, Tetrazzini m a d e h e r o p e r a d e b u t i n Milan, getting a lucky break when an aging diva was too sick to perform. In her debut, she played Inez in Meyer- beer's L'Africaine. She was an instant hit, and later that same year, she performed in Rome in front of the King a n d Q u e e n o f I t a l y . H e r favorite operatic role was Lucia in Lucia di Lammer- m o o r . I n a n 1 8 9 9 p e r f o r - mance of that opera in Rus- s i a , s h e w a s p a i r e d w i t h E n r i c o C a r u s o w h o s a n g Edgardo to her Lucia. Tetrazzini was a superstar, commanding huge fees and selling out opera houses and concerts around the world. Like many divas, she had her q u i r k s . I n L o n d o n , s h e always stayed at the Savoy Hotel where her suite, No. 412, was decorated in duck- egg blue before she arrived. T w o g r a n d p i a n o s w e r e m o v e d i n t o t h e s u i t e a n d tuned specially, depending if it were going to be a wet or a d r y d a y . S h e k e p t a menagerie with her when traveling, which included a small crocodile and several parrots. One of the parrots w a s s a i d t o h a v e a g o o d singing voice. T e t r a z z i n i c a m e t o t h e Pacific Northwest several times. In 1912 on her second visit to Seattle, she wowed audiences at the Moore The- ater. Eight years later, on a return visit in January 1920, she sang at the Hippodrome, a temporary gathering hall at F i f t h a n d U n i v e r s i t y i n downtown Seattle. Review- ing her performance, The Seattle Times noted that "the combination of power and brilliancy with which she a c c o m p l i s h e s h e r v o c a l flights is hers and hers only. And it is sensational." S e a t t l e ' s H i p p o d r o m e could accommodate 3,000 people, but apparently, it w a s n o t b i g e n o u g h f o r Madame Tetrazzini. After h e r a p p e a r a n c e , t h e d i v a took the time to write a letter to the editor at The Seattle Times, making the point that Seattle needed a bigger audi- torium if it wanted to attract world-class artists such as herself: "For a city the size of Seattle with its music-loving public, which I have met on my various visits here, the present so-called halls or a u d i t o r i u m s a r e f a r f r o m doing credit either to the city or to a great artist. … By the next time I return next sea- son, I hope to be able to sing to the kind and generous Seattle public in your new auditorium." In 1921, she was back again in Seattle, this time performing at the Arena. After her 1920 appearance in Seattle, Tetrazzini went on to Spokane, undeterred by the snow and cold tempera- tures of January. In fact, she claimed to be captivated by S p o k a n e ' s w i n t e r t i m e charms, which she character- ized as beautiful and healthy. But just like Seattle, she was not pleased with the size of t h e v e n u e . " W h y d o e s Spokane not have an audito- r i u m l i k e D e n v e r a n d S t . Paul," Tetrazzini complained to the local paper. "Then all of the great artists can come h e r e a n d s i n g . N o w t h e y shrug their shoulders when Spokane is mentioned and say, Oh, there is no auditori- um there, just a little the- ater." San Francisco was more to her liking and she often stayed in the ritzy Palace Hotel on Montgomery Street. It was there in 1910 that chef Ernest Arbogast created a dish in her honor. He called it Chicken Tetrazzini – a baked pasta casserole made w i t h d i c e d c h i c k e n ( o r turkey), mushrooms, and a buttery sauce of almonds, Parmesan cheese, and wine. Tetrazzini died in 1940 at the age of 65 from a brain hemorrhage. By this point, she had been married three times, including once to a m a n 2 0 y e a r s h e r j u n i o r . Although she had stopped touring, she was still involved in music, giving voice lessons in her homes in Milan and Rome. Her London record- ings are still available today. Tetrazzini's connection to the Northwest did not end w i t h h e r d e a t h . H e r g o d - son, George Halverson Fiore, had a lengthy musical career in Seattle. Born in New York City in 1926, Fiore was entranced by the piano at an early age, particularly t h e m u s i c o f C h o p i n . H e studied at Julliard where he met and became close friends with Van Cliburn. After mar- rying and moving to Seattle, F i o r e b e c a m e t h e organist/choirmaster at St. James Cathedral. He later joined the Seattle Opera, first as its resident opera program director and then as the cho- rus master, a post he held for 17 years. At the end of his career, he was with the Seat- t l e S y m p h o n y w h e r e h e served as associate conductor for choral activities. Fiore died in 2013 at the age of 87. His son, an internationally r e n o w n e d c o n d u c t o r a n d music director, carries on the f a m i l y t r a d i t i o n . H e h a s engagements in Santa Fe and Berlin scheduled for 2023. Opera diva Luisa Tetrazzini arrives in 1919 in New York City on board the RMS Mauretania (Photo: Library of Congress) The Florentine nightingale thrilled Northwest audiences a century ago RITA CIPALLA SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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