ELISA PETRI (FABRIANO, 13 MARCH, 1869 – MILAN, 11 JULY, 1929)
She studied with Virginia Boccabadati at the Liceo Rossini in Pesaro and later took singing lessons from Giuseppina Vitali-Augusti. She made her debut in November 1889 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, performing as Raffaela in the Italian première of Émile Paladilhe’s opera Patrie.
She performed at major Italian opera houses and was particularly well-loved in Spain, especially at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona. She also enjoyed a significant presence in South America, where she performed during the 1894-95 season and again in 1899 at the Teatro de la Opera in Buenos Aires, as well as at the opera houses in Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, and in concert venues.
In Italy, she performed at leading theaters with great success, including the Teatro Argentina, Teatro Costanzi in Rome (where she participated in the premiere of Pietro Vallini’s Il Voto on November 27, 1895), Teatro Pagliano and Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Teatro San Carlo in Naples (notably as Sieglinde in Die Walküre in 1895, as Mimi in the 1896 premiere of Puccini’s La Bohème, as Amneris in Aida in 1911, and as Laura in La Gioconda), Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, and La Scala in Milan.
At La Scala, she performed in 1902 as Marguerite in Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust and as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde in 1907. In May 1897, she was part of the opening season at the newly built Teatro Massimo in Palermo, performing in Verdi’s Falstaff.
She also guested at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna in 1912, singing Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde and later, in the same year, performing Ortrud in Lohengrin. After her active performing career, she moved to Milan, where she worked as a singing teacher.
Chronology of some appearances
1890 Gubbio Teatro Comunale Ballo in Maschera (Amelia)
1892 La Valletta/Malta Teatro Reale Ballo in Maschera (Amelia)
1892 Alessandria Politeama Grа Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza)
1893 Mantova Teatro Sociale Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)
1893 Livorno Teatro Avvalorati Lohengrin (Elsa)
1894 Montevideo Teatro Solis Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza)
1894 Montevideo Teatro Solis Gioconda (Gioconda)
1894 Montevideo Teatro Solis Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1894 Buenos Ayres Teatro dell’Opera Gioconda (Gioconda)
1894 Buenos Ayres Teatro dell’Opera Lohengrin (Elsa)
1894 Buenos Ayres Teatro dell’Opera Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1895 Montevideo Nuovo Politeama Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza)
1895 Montevideo Nuovo Politeama Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza)
1895 Torino Teatro Regio Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1895 Ravenna Teatro Alighieri Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1896 Napoli Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Mimi)
1896 Napoli Teatro San Carlo Lohengrin (Elsa)
1896 Barcellona Teatro Liceo Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1897 Barcellona Teatro Liceo Gioconda (Gioconda)
1898 Fabriano Teatro Gentile Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1899 Bari Teatro Piccinni Boheme (Mimi)
1899 Buenos Ayres Teatro dell’Opera Boheme (Mimi)
1899 Buenos Ayres Teatro dell’Opera Gioconda (Gioconda)
1900 Ancona Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Boheme (Mimi)
1900 Rio de Janeiro Teatro Lirico Manon Lescaut (Manon)
1902 Milano Teatro alla Scala Dannazione di Faust (Margherita)
1904 Fabriano Teatro Gentile Adriana Lecouvreur (Adriana)
1904 Este Teatro Sociale Adriana Lecouvreur (Adriana)
1904 Modena Teatro Storchi Boheme (Mimi)
1905 Catania Teatro Bellini Adriana Lecouvreur (Adriana)
1905 Fano Teatro della Fortuna Lohengrin (Elsa)
1906 Catania Teatro Bellini Boheme (Mimi)
1906 Catania Teatro Bellini Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza)
1906 Parma Teatro Regio Dannazione di Faust (Margherita)
1906 Milano Teatro Dal Verme Dannazione di Faust (Margherita)
1908 Palermo Teatro Massimo Ballo in Maschera (Amelia)
1907 Fermo Teatro Dell’Aquila Favorita (Leonora)
1907 Milano Teatro alla Scala Gioconda (Laura)
1907 Roma Teatro Adriano Gioconda (Laura)
1908 Reggio Emilia Teatro Municipale Favorita (Leonora)
1908 Genova Teatro Carlo Felice Gioconda (Laura)
1908 Palermo Teatro Massimo Gioconda (Laura)
1908 Palermo Teatro Massimo Lohengrin (Ortruda)
1909 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Dannazione di Faust (Margherita)
1909 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Favorita (Leonora)
1909 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Gioconda (Laura)
1909 Reggio Emilia Teatro Municipale Gioconda (Laura)
1909 Madrid Teatro Reale Lohengrin (Ortruda)
1910 Madrid Teatro Reale Gioconda (Laura)
1913 Genova Teatro Carlo Felice Lohengrin (Ortruda)
1913 Bologna Teatro Comunale Lohengrin (Ortruda)
1914 Siena Teatro Della Lizza Favorita (Leonora)
1914 Trieste Politeama Rossetti Favorita (Leonora)
1914 Padova Teatro Verdi Lohengrin (Ortruda)
1915 Genova Teatro Carlo Felice Gioconda (Laura)
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