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 26-50 of 98 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 11306 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Pescator, affonda l'esca | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo and chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11307 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | O sommo Carlo | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra and chorus | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11308 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Vivrà contende il giubilo | Teresina Chelotti ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11446 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Faust | Angelo Bendinelli ; Cesare Formichi ; Dolores Frau ; Giovanni Martino | Vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11449 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Che fate qui, Signor? | Angelo Bendinelli ; Cesare Formichi ; Giovanni Martino | Vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11451 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | É grave il sacrificio | Ida Cattorini ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11452 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Prendi...quest'è l'immagine | Angelo Bendinelli ; Ida Cattorini ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and baritone) | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11453 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Concertato finale atto III, parte I | Angelo Bendinelli ; Ida Cattorini ; Cesare Formichi ; Giovanni Martino | Vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11454 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Concertato finale atto III, parte II | Angelo Bendinelli ; Ida Cattorini ; Cesare Formichi ; Giovanni Martino | Vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11457 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Sei splendida e lucente | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11460 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Ella verrà | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11473 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | Brindisi | Cesare Formichi | Baritone vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11490 | 10-in. | approximately 1908 to 1914 | La bohème : Cuarteto | Angelo Bendinelli ; Ida Cattorini ; Cesare Formichi ; Irma Mion | Vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11494 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Gran concertato finale | Egidio Cunego ; Cesare Formichi ; Dolores Frau ; Giovanni Martino ; Lia Moglia | Vocal quintet (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and bass), with vocal chorus and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11495 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Gran concertato finale | Egidio Cunego ; Cesare Formichi ; Dolores Frau ; Giovanni Martino ; Lia Moglia | Vocal quintet (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and bass), with vocal chorus and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 11498 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Di Napata le gole | Egidio Cunego ; Cesare Formichi ; Lia Moglia | Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41750 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Gia mi dicono venal | Cesare Formichi | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41754 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Da quel di | Magda Dorini ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41755 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Tu sei Ernani | Egidio Cunego ; Magda Dorini ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41756 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Di geloso amor sprezzato | Magda Dorini ; Cesare Formichi ; Giuseppe Oppezzo | Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41821 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Sora mia | Cesare Formichi | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41822 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Nutata 'e sentimento | Cesare Formichi | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41824 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Suspiranno | Cesare Formichi | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41841 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Marechiare | Cesare Formichi | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
| Columbia | 41849 | 10-in. | approximately 1913 | Se tu m'ami | Andreina Beinat ; Cesare Formichi | Vocal duet (mezzo-soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Formichi, Cesare," accessed January 8, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104309.
Formichi, Cesare. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104309.
"Formichi, Cesare." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 8 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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