Aldo Visconti - Pagina Bianca (1937)

Performed by: Aldo Visconti con orchestra dir. dal M.o Mariotti Vocalist: Aldo Visconti Full Song Title: Pagina Bianca Recorded in: 1937 A-Side: Emilio Renzi, also known by the stage names Aldo Visconti and Marcello Ferrero (born Faenza, November 2, 1908 - died Turin, October 3, 1990), was a popular Italian tenor of the 1930s. A light lyric tenor with a small but well-projected voice and remarkable musicality, he studied singing and score reading with tenor Andrea Toscani and maestro Emilio Piccoli. He made his debut on December 28, 1932, at the Teatro Martinetti in Garlasco, where he played the leading role in Gounod’s Faust under the direction of maestro Ghiglia. In 1937, at the Teatro Carignano in Turin, he performed as the Contino del Fiore in Crispino e la comare with Afro Poli, followed by the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with Mercedes Capsir and Carlo Galeffi, Zorzeto in Il campiello with Magda Olivero and Poli, and Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Capsir, Ernesto Badini, and Italo Tajo. He sang multiple times at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and in the main Italian theaters, receiving acclaim from the audience. Thanks to his particularly phonogenic voice, he performed in various opera and operetta productions at EIAR (now Rai), the Italian radio broadcasting company. In the 1930s and 1940s, Renzi gained great popularity, known not only to opera enthusiasts (he took part in the recording of the first complete opera on 78 rpm records for Cetra, Norma, conducted by Gino Marinuzzi) but also in the field of popular music. Under the pseudonym Aldo Visconti, he became famous for recording hundreds of songs, including a rich series of so-called “regime songs.“ In 1939, he married the young soprano Marcella Ferrero. At the conclusion of World War II, the tenor from Faenza encountered closed doors in Italian theaters as a result of his sympathies towards the fascist regime. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he made a comeback to singing, securing a chorus role at Rai in Turin, where he remained for sixteen years. Despite being able to continue performing in concerts even at the age of seventy, he was never able to recapture the same level of success he had once attained. He died in Turin late at night on October 3, 1990, from a heart attack. Mario Mariotti, (born 1899 in Paris, France - died 1975 Milan, Lombardy, Italy) was a multi-talented artist. In addition to being a composer, he excelled as a conductor and a songwriter. In 1931, he married Meme Bianchi, an exceptional soprano renowned for her vocal abilities (1907-2000), and they were blessed with a daughter named Marcella Mariotti, who later pursued a career as an actress. One of Mario’s notable roles was as the director of the Odeon record label, where his wife Meme recorded her songs. While he had an accomplished career, Mariotti’s involvement in scoring Euro-westerns was limited to just one film from the 1950s, “The Little Sheriff,“ which he co-scored alongside Federico Bergamini. Sadly, Mario Mariotti passed away in Milan, Italy, in 1975. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have. Best wishes, Stu ______________________ Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.