Cesare Formichi
Cesare Formichi (15 April 1883 in Rome – 21 July 1949 in Rome) was a prominent Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory. Formichi studied in Rome with Pio Di Pietro and in Firenze with Vincenzo Lombardi, and made his debut in December 1907 at the Teatro Olimpia in Bologna as Lescaut in Manon. He went on to appear in Italy's leading opera houses, including La Scala in Milan. Soon, he was accepting a string of engagements to sing outside Italy, notably in Saint Petersburg (in 1912), Buenos Aires (in 1914), Paris (in 1922), Monte-Carlo, Vienna, and London (in 1924). He sang as first baritone at the Chicago Opera from 1922 until 1932. He sang in Berlin in October 1933 with the Italian opera conducted by Ettore Panizza. He went with a troupe of singers from La Scala on a tour of France in 1935, and later organized opera seasons in London. Notable roles of his included Ashton, Rigoletto, di Luna, Amonasro, Iago, and some Wagner parts sung in Italian (Klingsor, for example). Formichi possessed a big, rich-toned, important sounding voice which can be heard on the numerous acoustic and electrical recordings which he made during the peak of his career. Many of these recordings have been re-released on CD. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Rome (capital and largest city of Italy), Died July 21, 1949 (Rome (capital and largest city of Italy) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913 - 1927
Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal
Notes: Listed on some Columbia disc labels as Secare Formichi or S. Formichi.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-98 of 98 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 74790 | 12-in. | 1916 | M'odi ritorna a casa | Vincenzo Bettoni ; G. Caiani ; Ines Maria Ferraris ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Giuseppe Taccani ; Teatro alla Scala Coro ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal quintet, with orchestra and chorus | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74791 | 12-in. | 1916 | Partite? Crudele! | G. Caiani ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Giuseppe Taccani ; Teatro alla Scala Coro ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal trio, with orchestra and chorus | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74793 | 12-in. | 1916 | Gualtier maldè | Ines Maria Ferraris ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with chorus and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74794 | 12-in. | 1916 | Zitti zitti | Ines Maria Ferraris ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Teatro alla Scala Coro ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with chorus and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74795 | 12-in. | 1916 | Larà, Larà | Luigi Baldassare ; G. Caiani ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Teatro alla Scala Coro ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal trio (soprano and 2 baritones), with vocal chorus | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74796 | 12-in. | 1916 | Mio padre | Ines Maria Ferraris ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Teatro alla Scala Coro ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with chorus and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74797 | 12-in. | 1916 | Compiuto pur quanto | Ines Maria Ferraris ; Cesare Formichi ; Lorenzo Molajoli ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74842 | 12-in. | 11/23/1921 | Si pel ciel | Tino Borelli ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal duet (tenor and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 74843 | 12-in. | 11/24/1921 | O monumento | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A892 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Voilà donc la terrible cité | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A893 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Hélas, enfant encore | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A895 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Légende de la sauge | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A896 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Maudite à jamais | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A940 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Ella verra | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A941 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Gia! mi dicon venal | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A942 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and September 1925 | Di Provenza il mar | Cesare Formichi ; Hamilton Harty | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A947 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Prologue | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A948 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and October 1925 | Prologue | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | A960 | 10-in. | between May 1923 and September 1925 | Signor? Va, non ho niente | Fernando Autori ; Cesare Formichi ; Hamilton Harty | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WAX2744 | 12-in. | either April or May 1927 | Te deum | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with vocal chorus | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WAX2747 | 12-in. | either April or May 1927 | Oasis and finale, 3rd act | Cesare Formichi ; Grace Holst | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone) | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WA6121 | 10-in. | either August or September 1927 | D'une prison | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WA6122 | 10-in. | either August or September 1927 | Obstination | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Formichi, Cesare," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104309.
Formichi, Cesare. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104309.
"Formichi, Cesare." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Formichi, Cesare - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83153258
Wikidata: Cesare Formichi - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3665421
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/35831653
MusicBrainz: Cesare Formichi - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3f686d55-d27b-40a7-a9eb-0a6a40a4a73e
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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