Juan Oncina facts for kids
Juan Oncina (born April 15, 1921, in Barcelona, Spain – died December 29, 2009, in Barcelona) was a famous Spanish tenor. He was especially known for singing in operas by Rossini and for lighter roles by Donizetti. During the 1950s, he was one of the top "tenore di grazia," which means a tenor with a light, graceful, and flexible voice.
Life and Career
Juan Oncina started learning to sing in Barcelona with Mercedes Capsir. Later, he continued his studies in Milan, Italy, with Augusta Oltrabella. He made his first stage appearance in Barcelona in 1946. He played the role of des Grieux in the opera Manon. In the same year, he made his Italian debut in Bologna, singing Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia.
In 1949, Oncina performed in Paris as Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto. He also sang in other operas like Cherubini's L'osteria portoghese and Lully's Armide in Florence.
A big moment in his career happened in 1952. He performed for the first time at the Glyndebourne Festival, a famous opera festival in England. He continued to sing there until 1961. He was particularly successful in Rossini's operas. Some of his best roles at Glyndebourne included Almaviva, Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri, and Ramiro in La Cenerentola. His role as Le comte Ory was perhaps his greatest success.
Besides Rossini, Juan Oncina was also excellent in operas by Cimarosa and Paisiello. Other important roles he sang were Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, and Fenton in Falstaff. In the 1960s, he started singing more challenging roles by Verdi and Puccini.
Juan Oncina was married to the soprano singer Tatiana Menotti.
Selected Recordings
Here are some of the operas Juan Oncina recorded:
- G.Rossini - Le Comte Ory - conducted by Vittorio Gui - EMI - 1956
- G.Rossini - La Cenerentola - conducted by Vittorio Gui - EMI - 1953
- G.Donizetti - Don Pasquale - conducted by István Kertész - DECCA - 1964
- G.Verdi - Falstaff - conducted by Leonard Bernstein - Sony - 1966
- G.Verdi - Un giorno di regno - conducted by Alfredo Simonetto - Cetra - 1951
See also
In Spanish: Juan Oncina para niños
