Luigi Alva

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Luis Ernesto Alva y Talledo (10 April 1927 – 15 May 2025), known professionally as Luigi Alva, was a Peruvian operatic tenor who worked internationally at the major opera houses and festivals. A Mozart and Rossini specialist, Alva achieved fame with roles such as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, and Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff, but he also appeared in world premieres. He retired from the stage in 1989.

Life and career

Alva was born in Paita, Peru,<ref>"Historia congelada: Luis Alva, abril de 1927", El Comercio, 10 April 2017 Template:In lang</ref> and served for a while in the Peruvian Navy before concentrating on a singing career.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="BR" /> He studied at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Lima with Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="Salazar" /> and sang in Federico Moreno Torroba's zarzuela Luisa Fernanda in Lima in 1949.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="Andina" /> He performed at the Teatro Municipal de Lima first as Beppe in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in 1951.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" />

Alva went to Milan in 1953 to study with Emilio Ghirardini and Ettore Campogalliani.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> He made his European debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata in 1954,<ref name="Salazar" /> following that as Paolino in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto. His debut at the La Scala was in 1955 as Paolino in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto in the opening of the Piccola Scala.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="Salazar" /><ref name="BR" /> He performed there in 1956 as Count Almaviva in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia alongside Maria Callas as Rosina,<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> the role for which he became best known and widely admired.<ref name="Salazar" /><ref name="GBOS" /> He performed it at La Scala 330 times.<ref name="Salazar" />

Subsequently he sang with most of the leading opera festivals and companies in the United States and Europe. He performed at the Salzburg Festival as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff in 1957, as Mozarts Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail as well as Ferrando in Così fan tutte in 1967, and as Rossini's Count in 1968. He performed, especially in Mozart roles, at the Edinburgh Festival from 1957, at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and the Royal Opera House from 1960, at the Vienna State Opera from 1961.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> Alva first performed at the Glyndebourne Festival as Nemorino in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore in 1961.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="GBOS" /> In 1962 he made his debut with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company as Count Almaviva and in 1964 he made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera as Fenton; he went on to sing there in a further 101 performances 1975.<ref name="Met">Metropolitan Opera Archives. "Alva, Luigi". Retrieved 6 February 2013.</ref>

Alva had a light lyric tenor voice and was known for the clarity of his diction and his elegant phrasing,<ref name="Andina">Andina (30 March 2010). "Conservatorio distingue a tenor Luis Alva como Profesor Honorario". Original Spanish: "La prensa especializada alababa en él la elegancia de su fraseo y la nítida dicción que lo caracterizaba." Retrieved 6 February 2013 Template:In lang.</ref> a quality which George Jellinek described as compensating for an "underpowered" voice in the 1956 live recording of Mozart's Così fan tutte from La Scala.<ref>Jellinek, George (January 2003). "Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice, Act II / Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte". Opera News. Retrieved 6 February 2013 Template:Subscription required.</ref> He rarely ventured beyond his favourite repertoire, which included Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti and to which (according to Harold Rosenthal) his "elegant, refined style" was particularly suited,<ref name="GBOS" /> but appeared in world premieres, such as in La donna è mobile by Riccardo Malipiero and in La domanda di matrimonio by Luciano Chailly, both at Piccola Scala in 1957. The following year he performed at La Scala in the house premiere of Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" />

In 1980, he founded the Asociación Prolírica del Perú in Lima and served as its artistic director for several years.<ref name="Salazar" /> He retired from the stage in 1989,<ref name="CODM">Bourne, Joyce and Kennedy, Michael (2004). "Alva, Luigi (Alva Talledo, Luis Ernesto)", The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 4th edition, p. 16. Oxford University Press.</ref> but sponsored the Premio Luigi Alva for young singers, taught master classes, and served as a juror in singing competitions. Alva also taught singing at La Scuola di Canto (Voice Academy) at La Scala in Milan.<ref name="Salazar" /><ref>Libero (11 January 2013). "Lirica: nominata giuria concorso Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto". Retrieved 6 February 2013 Template:In lang.</ref> Among his students there was the Belgian tenor Marc Laho.<ref>Marc Laho. RILM. 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.</ref>

In 2005, the Peruvian postal service issued a stamp in his honour and in 2012 he was awarded the Personalidad Meritoria de la Cultura medal by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.<ref name="Salazar" /><ref>La República (30 August 2012). "Tenor Luis Alva será condecorado por el Ministerio de Cultura el 4 de septiembre". Retrieved 6 February 2013 Template:In lang.</ref><ref>Serpost (Peruvian Postal Service). Memoria Anual 2005, p. 31. Retrieved 6 February 2013 Template:In lang.</ref>

Alva died in Mariano Comense, Italy on 15 May 2025, at the age of 98.<ref name="BR" /><ref name="Salazar" /><ref>Si è spento a 98 anni Luigi Alva, il tenore gentiluomo (in Italian) Connessi all'opera 15 March 2025</ref><ref name="s832">Template:Cite web</ref>

Roles

Alva's repertoire included the following roles, most of which he played on stage:

Rossini:

Mozart:

Haydn:

Cimarosa:

Leoncavallo:

Puccini:

Verdi:

Schubert:

Donizetti:

Handel:

  • Oronte in Alcina (recording, 1962)<ref name="OD" />
  • Serse in Serse<ref name="AA" />

Gounod:

  • Siébel in Faust<ref name="AA" />

Scarlatti:

  • Roberto in Griselda (recording, 1970)<ref name="OD" />

Filmography

Template:External media

Recordings

Opera

Recital

References

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