Born: 28 May, 1916, in New York.
Died: 4 August, 2008, in Rome, aged 92. HE WAS never a flamboyant conductor but always a diligent musician. Nicola Rescigno helped singers and knew how to pitch an orchestra so the singer w
as heard to best effect. He was one of Maria Callas's favoured conductors and she gave some memorable opera performances with him in the pit. Rescigno was, however, also involved in furthering the career in the United States of many international stars (Placido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Teresa Berganza etc) and was heard less often in the UK than was his due. Rescigno was a founder of what became one of the most important opera houses in the US – the Lyric in Chicago – and during his first season in 1954 he was in charge of Callas's US debut in Norma, followed within weeks by Lucia di Lammermuir and La Traviata.
She created a sensation as Norma and was in excellent voice under Rescigno's careful direction.
Rescigno, then a young conductor, recalled the first rehearsal. "I sat down in front of her and played the whole of Norma. I was not one of the great conductors, but it was a test. Maria had such integrity. She was by far the easiest singer I have ever conducted, because of her musicality. Her sense of everything that makes a performance vital was instinctive."
They were to remain devoted colleagues and friends until she died.
Nicola Rescigno was born into a musical family and brought up in New York. He studied music and was first heard conducting La Traviata in 1942 in Brooklyn. He then spent many years learning the repertory in San Francisco before being invited in 1954 to join two adventurous opera fans in starting the Chicago Opera. In February they opened with a star-studded Don Giovanni and in the autumn brought the celebrated Callas performances.
The Chicago years came to an end in 1957 and Rescigno accepted an invitation from Dallas to create an opera company there. Rescigno, with much musical cunning, opened his first season in Dallas with a gala concert starring a slimmed-down Callas in a gorgeous golden gown that made a sensation worldwide. The next night Rescigno had booked a young 34-year-old Italian director called Franco Zeffirelli to make his US debut with Rossini's An Italian Girl in Algiers.
Rescigno was to remain at Dallas for 33 years, during which he made it into a major operatic centre and introduced a host of future stars. Although he resigned amid some acrimony in 1980 – his legacy at Chicago and Dallas was considerable.
In Britain, Rescigno was most often heard as Callas's conductor in the opera house and on the concert platform. He conducted her famous performances in Cherubini's Medea at Covent Garden in 1959 and earlier in La Traviata. Somewhat strangely, he never came to the Edinburgh Festival.
However, for his recordings he is widely known and admired. Some of the great Callas recordings were made under his direction. His conducting of arias which the diva never performed in the opera house was sympathetic and caring. Beethoven's Ah Perfido, Verdi's Willow Song and Mozart arias were delivered by Callas with a confident gusto. Their last recording in 1969 was again a highlights disc and Rescigno subtly helped his friend, when her voice was clearly under some strain, with immense dignity and charm.
Rescigno also made noted recordings of Tosca with Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni, and Lucia with Alfredo Kraus and was often heard on the concert platform conducting stars such as Montserrat Caballe, Jon Vickers and June Anderson.
Many will also remember Rescigno for the appearances he made in television documentaries about the great diva. He was always loving, articulate and generous in his comments. He never descended to idle gossip but throughout concentrated on Callas – the artist. In one interview for the BBC Rescigno said, eyes glowing: "It was the size of Maria's voice, and what she could do with it."
Nicola Rescigno is survived by his partner of many years, Aldo Marcoaldi.
The full article contains 687 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
