EUGENIA BURZIOWhen I first contemplated this project it seemed clear that a great deal of new and absorbing information about Eugenia Burzio would surface. Certainly, her seasons at La Scala were among the most celebrated in the Twentieth Century and her reputation as a "veristic interpreter" remains second to none. There was every reason to believe that hers would be revealed as a story of truly impressive dimensions, but my expectations were quickly dashed. Eugenia Burzio was an enigma, a singer whose career was defined as much by its conflicts as by its successes. Her recordings are, without question, the most imposing aspect of her legend, and it is from that legacy that we gain the most lasting impressions. Celebrity and notoriety are often confused, and it may be those qualities about the life of Eugenia Burzio that most fascinate us.
Burzio was born on 20 June 1882, the first child of Maurizio Burzio and Luigia Durato, at Poirino, Italy. Her initial studies concentrated on piano, violin and painting but her great passion was for singing, and after years of pleading she secured her parents' permission to enroll at the Milan Conservatory where she was trained by Luigi Aversa, Guagni Benvenuti and later by Carolina Ferni. Eugenia had barely turned seventeen when her mentors decided that the time had come for a debut, and a small contract was negotiated at Turin.
On 9 December 1899 Burzio debuted at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele as Santuzza and her success was immediate.
Gazzetta del popolo, dated 10 December recalled "The Torinese signorina Burzio, whose beautiful and voluminous voice was always in tune, displayed good schooling and effective acting in assuming the role of Santuzza without rehearsal, and she conquered the public. She was enthusiastically applauded, both as an encouragement and to congratulate her for her great promise".
The theatre of San Remo presented her as Santuzza in January 1900 and in April she gave a solo recital at the Torino Liceo. Offers did not come easily, however, and it was not until December of the same year that she again appeared before the public. The Teatro Lirico of Milan mounted a production of La Navarrese and it was Burzio as Anita who stole the evening. Her success as an actress was at least as well regarded as was her vocalism, and she was retained for a revival of L'Arlesiana in which she sang the role of Rosa Mamai. There was only praise for the debutante whose name had been completely unknown to the Milan public, and her reviews were noticed by impressarios throughout Italy.
Offers flowed in, but Burzio had other things on her mind. She had fallen in love with a fellow Torinese, Ugo Ravizza, and they were married on 29 August 1901. It was an exciting time for Eugenia who had not reached her twentieth birthday, and her return to the stage was delayed for several months while the young couple reveled in the discovery of life together.
On 21 November Burzio debuted at Palermo's Politeama as Anita to great applause and excellent commentary in the press. Success notwithstanding, she made a critical decision; marriage and career were not a good mix and she retired from the stage, fully believing that it would be for life. Boredom quickly set in and the tension that it created became unbearable. Within the year Burzio told both her husband and opera managers that she was interested in resuming her career, to his outrage and their delight.
The opera community in Sicily had taken notice of her "extraordinary" talent during the engagement at Palermo and Burzio was offered a contract for a number of performances at Catania's Teatro Massimo Bellini. There were questions, though, about roles that would show her to best advantage. It was true that until this time Burzio had sung only those which fall within the abilities of the mezzo soprano. After much thought Eugenia Burzio-Ravizza, as she was billed, agreed to sing in Otello, Tosca, and finally, Fedora, which returned her to a more familiar vocal range. It was as Puccini's heroine that she made the greatest impression and her performance dominated the headlines in every review.
At the same time that Burzio was enjoying her first national celebrity, the Teatro Petruzzelli of Bari was embroiled in one of those recurring crises that test the imaginations of all theatre managers. The famous Celestina Boninsegna had just debuted in Il Trovatore and she was so loudly protested during the second performance that the theatre's only option was to dismiss her. Aida Alloro, who was performing in "Andrea Chenier", agreed to complete Boninsegna's engagement, which solved one problem and created another. The call went out! Is Burzio available? Has Burzio sung in Andrea Chenier? Under tremendous pressure, Eugenia Burzio learned the role of Madeleine di Coigny and without a dress rehearsal she debuted at Bari on 24 March 1903. It was more than a personal triumph; newspapers throughout Italy happily reported the story of a gallant young woman who had salvaged not only a production, but a season.
Her celebrity only intensified the personal pain that was afflicting her marriage and the union was dissolved before the couple reached their second anniversary. The experience left lasting wounds and Burzio remained single for the rest of her life.
On New Year's Eve 1903, she returned to opera before the notoriously difficult audience of Parma's Regio in La Forza del Destino to a roar of approval whose equal local critics could not recall. As in previous engagements, it was her "miraculous manner upon the stage" that most captured the imagination, and audience response matched her own mesmerizing intensity.
The 1904 season presented two grand opportunities for Burzio, a debut at the Massimo of Palermo and a tour to South America. A sensationally received Gioconda served as her debut role at the Massimo and after Cavalleria Rusticana and the world premiere of Costantino's Nel Sempione she traveled with Giovanni Zenatello, Adamo Didur and several other well known singers to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo for a three month season. Paulo de O.C. Cerqueira in his book "Opera in Sao Paulo" described Burzio's appearances as "very successful". One may fairly assume that she was indeed well received since she sang in six operas, but it should be noted that she never returned to either city.
In May 1905 Burzio returned to South America for a long engagement at the Buenos Aires Politeama where she sang in eight operas, and at Montevideo's Solis, where, on 8 August she ended the tour with a wildly cheered performance of Aida. "Even her screams are born of music". Upon her return to Italy, Burzio retreated from the stage to prepare for the defining event of her career, a debut at La Scala. Alfano's Risurrezione had been successfully produced at several Italian theatres and the management of La Scala determined that their production needed the chemistry of one whose theatrical instincts were of paramount concern. Many names were submitted for consideration, but in the end, Leopoldo Mugnone, who claimed to have both seen and worked with Burzio, prevailed. She garnered the cherished prize. On 7 March 1906, Eugenia Burzio debuted as Katiusha in a performance that remains among the most celebrated in that theatre's history. Critics declared that they lacked words to express the incredible display of intensity that turned the audience into "a frenzied mob". Her season at Milan continued with Loreley and ended with Franchetti's La Figlia di Iorio, a work that held the boards for nine performances only because of her remarkable personality and stunning delivery.
There is notation that Burzio appeared in London sometime during 1906 though I have found absolutely no documentation that the journey was ever made. Burzio did travel to St. Petersburg in October for a number of performances. (See notes about the chronology at the end of this discussion)
The New Year brought with it her return to La Scala, and total capitulation.
Teatro Illustrato - January 1907 - Burzio in La Gioconda - "a heroine of torrential voice, of white hot temperament, of a Junoesque presence, the true singing actress, combining a riveting intensity with classical dramatic vocalism."
After a succession of triumphs in "Aida", "La Wally" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" at Scala, and appearances at Florence, Burzio returned to Buenos Aires. As in the previous year, she dominated the repertoire, the audience and the reviews, appearing in nine operas during a four month season. La Scala was sold beyond capacity when Burzio returned for Tosca on 29 December and the press trumpeted that "both she and her audience exceeded all expectations". The hysteria only increased when she returned to La Gioconda in February of 1908. To what new heights could Burzio possible ascend? A new production of La Forza del Destino was scheduled for March and it is safe to say that the combination of Verdi, Toscanini and Burzio could not have created a mood of greater anticipation. The rehearsal schedule was very intense, and as usual, rumours of intrigue escaped from the theatre, but they were dismissed as the babble of self important functionaries. In fact, there was an eruption of such enormity that it precipitated one of the greatest scandals in La Scala's history.
Ester Mazzoleni, in Rasponi's "The Last Prima Donnas" had this to say: "Toscanini was in the midst of rehearsing La Forza del Destino at La Scala, and the Leonora was the leading prima donna of the period, Eugenia Burzio. She was a tigress onstage as well as in private life. Somehow a terrible quarrel erupted between her and "God" as we called him, and I was called back to Milan in haste. With the greatest of ease, the maestro announced to me that I would replace Burzio, as he had fired her. Despite being young and strong, I thought I would faint..I barely knew the role, and I would be the victim of the legions of Burzio fans. One cannot imagine the following she had. People were hysterical about her. It all seemed sheer madness". Mazzoleni did sing in the premiere, and according to her account, there was madness in the theatre. The tenor, Icilio Calleja, the mezzo, Luisa Garibaldi, and the baritone, Pasquale Amato were protested without mercy, and after the final curtain, Toscanini announced that the remainder of the revival had been cancelled. Mazzoleni, as is the wont of the breed, declared that she escaped the wrath of the audience, but that is another story for another time. Burzio shunned the opera stage for nearly a year and did not return to La Scala until 1911.
In the winter of 1909 she traveled to Cairo for a short season and on 23 May she debuted at the Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires as Gioconda. "Revelatory" and "revolutionary" were only two of the adjectives that brought critics to their knees in praise of her performance. She appeared with Florencio Constantino in all four of her assignments, and it was not a good relationship. Burzio's disposition did not preclude her from making nasty public comments about his "inflated salary", as well as directing sarcastic barbs at several other colleagues, including Hariclea Darclee, who, understandably, had been assigned the role of Tosca. In fact, Burzio complained about everything except the audience and the critics, whose appreciation sustained her until the end of the season. She never returned to the Colon or to South America.
It was in 1910 that Burzio began to manifest the physical difficulties that were to afflict her for the rest of her inconsiderable career. She had become dependent upon various sedatives and her inability to modify their use forced her to use an arsenal of excuses to cloud the true nature of her indispositions. During the year she appeared only at Florence in Loreley.
Tullio Serafin was appointed artistic director of La Scala for the 1910-11 season and his primary concern was that Burzio return to her artistic home. Her still smoldering resentments were no match for the allure of a new conductor, a new opera, and an adoring public. Pacini's Saffo would be the opera and the first performance would be on 20 January 1911. It has been said that the welcome Eugenia Burzio received as she revealed herself upon the stage, had no equal in the history of the theatre. The next day's reports included the following: "One may call it madness; if so, it was madness of the most rational order", "it recalled nothing less than the return of the 'prodigal son'", "..an eruption of such intensity as to threaten the weak of heart." There were thirteen performances. Burzio's inspired portrait and the enormous publicity it received encouraged Darclee to undertake the role at both Florence (which had been planned for Burzio) and at Rome later in the year, to little effect. The Rome revival was withdrawn after two performances.
Toscanini, who was preparing the Italian premiere of La Fanciulla del West for Rome's Teatro Costanzi, determined that his own pride would not deny him the opportunity to offer Burzio an olive branch, a gracious (even if pragmatic) gesture that she happily embraced. The two giants expressed their delight, and though the maestro dismissed whispers that Burzio might not fulfill her commitment, he confided his own concerns to a few close friends. Rehearsals went very well and Burzio was in excellent spirits as the premiere approached. It was to be her debut at the Costanzi and she understood the importance of the event, both for the success of the new opera and for her own. To the surprise of no one, Burzio was eventually seized by panic, and she attempted to remove herself from the production. Appeals were sent to several artists, including Carmen Melis, a singer well established in the role, and she agreed to make herself available, should the need arise. Toscanini worked with Burzio night and day, safe from the gaze of onlookers, and finally persuaded her that she could and that she would win the day. She did!
The opening night, 12 June 1911, found Elena Bianchini-Capelli, Emma Carelli and Darclee prominently seated in the orchestra while the Mascagni and Puccini families filled several boxes in the second tier. Melis waited. The stakes were very high! At the end there were tears on both sides of the footlights as Burzio took her first solo call and she is said to have convulsed in emotion from the generosity of her reception. Il Giornale d'Italia declared that "the theme of man redeemed by woman's faith has never been more convincingly expressed". Most of the Roman press made similar observations, and commentary about the opera included a number of references to a Wagnerian influence, both in Puccini's realization of the Belasco story and in the music. Others refuted the notion, citing its "clearly symphonic roots". Burzio completed all nine performances in triumph, and, emboldened by her success, signed a contract to repeat the role at Turin's Regio later in the year.
Noted: Carmen Melis by Adonide Gadotti "Puccini wrote to Melis at Boston 'For the prima of Fanciulla at Rome, whose final casting awaits the return from America of Tito Ricordi .I would wish to feel your interpretation'. It has been stated many times that Melis sang one performance at Rome after Burzio finished her engagement in June of 1911. But, in reality, the chronology of the Costanzi by Vittorio Frajese indicates that there were no changes of cast except for the substitution of Amedeo Bassi by Giovanni Martinelli on the evening of 24 June".
When Burzio returned to the role at Turin she received nothing but praise and the following is quoted from La Stampa, dated 15 November 1911.
"La Burzio is among the most intelligent of artists,Today particularly, she gives expressive accent to every moment and every gesture is invested with her persuasive style. The voice is not of great volume in the "acuti" (though possessing a vibrant sonority) but it presents the most caressing of inflections, inflections of grand expression.
The house roared its appreciation."
When Burzio recorded Minnie's great solo, "Laggiu nel Soledad" the final ascent to top C was lowered by a half tone. The author knows of no other example of this transposition, and it is of more than passing interest to note reference to her "acuti" in the Turin performance.
In late December Burzio returned to La Scala for a spectacular and spectacularly received production of Gluck's Armida, followed by her greatest challenge, Norma, which she sang for the first time on 3 March 1912. The production, whose every detail was calculated to force one's attention in her direction, was as controversial as her performance. Some found her stage manner quite overbearing while many others offered unequivocal praise. Opinion about her singing was equally polarized. Serious concerns about her technical abilities drew a great deal of attention, while others concentrated on her vocal intensity, which they considered to be the defining statement of the generation. Audiences were inclined to agree with the latter opinion. There were twelve performances. In May she repeated her success at Florence but again negative reaction from several quarters tempered what otherwise might have led to a succession of triumphs throughout Italy. Burzio never again attempted the role.
In January 1913 she debuted at Naples' Teatro San Carlo in La Fanciulla del West, and continued her season with performances of La Wally and Leoncavallo's new opera, Zingari", for which she received fine notices. However, it was observed that the voice was pressed at the top, and criticism, no matter how insignificant, was never an easy thing for Burzio to accept. These were her only appearances at the San Carlo.
After an engagement at Florence in the spring of 1913, Burzio went into virtual seclusion, refusing all offers to return to the stage, while contenting herself with writing, (and later editing) which was said to be brilliant by those few with whom she had contact. Her health continued to be of great concern, and the effects of her dependencies continued to weave their debilitating spell. Gino Marinuzzi was among those allowed to enter Burzio's very private world and in early 1915 he persuaded her to return to La Scala in one of her most fondly remembered roles; Loreley. Salomea Krusceniski had cancelled her contract and there was little time. On 5 February Burzio once again enchanted her audience, one whose uncontrolled enthusiasm interrupted the performance at every possible opportunity. The next morning, a few critics were brave enough to note "vocal decline", but their words were hardly noticed. There were sixteen performances!
In 1916 Burzio agreed to sing in the World Premiere of Leoncavallo's Mameli and on 27 April she appeared at Genoa's Carlo Felice to a glorious demonstration before a public who had never before experienced her magic. The opera was transported to another eight cities, always under the composer's direction, and at each stop Burzio's reviews were staggering. One audience was described as "in a state of collapse".
Livorno's Gazzetta Livornese, 18 May 1916 - "Last night, Eugenia Burzio proved herself a divine singer and actressexpressing incomparable passion and feeling".
Again, Burzio left the stage and resumed her publishing career, which occupied as much time as her strength would allow until nearly the day of her death. Medication sustained her during periods of intense pain from a renal disorder, and the sleep deprivation, which had plagued her most of her life, found little relief in tranquilizers. In early 1919 Burzio was again and for the last time lured to the stage. On 12 April at Milan's Teatro Lirico she appeared as Ponchielli's Marion Delorme. Audiences flocked to the theatre in unprecedented numbers so that they "might know", and what some discovered was the shadow of a legend while others behaved as though they had seen God.
Corriere della Sera - 13 April 1919 - "She has given to the personality of Marion an interpretation that received the greatest praise, for its vocalism as well as for its interpretation. Burzio's beautiful voice, from time to time, because of its smoldering feeling and intensity broke down in a terrible passion. . No one was surprised that the audience, so moved and enraptured, offered her a triumphant tribute, and the reaction that she engendered, took on at certain points, as at the finale of the opera, the aspect of delirium". There were four performances.
Death came on 18 May 1922. Burzio's body was returned to Poirino for a funeral attended by Toscanini, and she was interred in the family mausoleum at Chieri on the 21st.
We will likely never know exactly why Burzio's career evolved as it did. She was adored at La Scala where she enjoyed almost total dominion. But, Florence aside, no other major theater in Italy engaged her for more than one season, and several ignored her completely. There were successes in South America but they were memories before the first decade of the century ended. Outside of Italy, a single visit to St. Petersburg completed her known European career, and she never appeared in North America.
(After the article was written information about a recital at Ostend in 1911 surfaced. It is interesting to note that a review of that recital, while expressing admiration, states "the artist's temperament is too impassioned for the concert hall")
I suspect that the answer may not be so important as we would sometimes want to imagine. She performed on her terms, without compromise, and though the lenses through which she was viewed included few theatres in few roles, her influence was felt around the world. Even those who recoiled at Burzio's singularly felt intensity understood that hers was a vision born of genius, and because of it, the lyric stage was forever changed. Some have said that she was a singer ahead of her time. Others variously believe that her combative personality, her inclination to ignore commitments and particularly her "demons" presented too great a risk to theatre managers, for demons there certainly were. We might also wish to believe that it was all her choice. Perhaps it was!
Bobolink
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