Antonio Arámburo - Aïda

Antonio Arámburo (1838-1912) presents one of the most fascinating stories of any tenor in history. Born to a wealthy family in Erla in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, Arámburo began studying to become an engineer in his mid-20s. After a year or two, however, he realized that he was on the wrong track (just as he had with every other career he had attempted) and turned to his first love, singing. Arámburo made his way to Madrid, where took up studies with celebrated vocal coach Antonio Cordero (1823-1882). The young tenor spent six years under Cordero’s tutelage, building a solid technique and gaining an impressive knowledge of opera and song literature. His operatic debut occurred in 1871 as Faone in Pacini’s Saffo at Milan’s Teatro Carcano. Word of the new tenor spread quickly and Arámburo found himself in demand throughout Italy. Appearances in Venice and Florence followed and within two years the tenor was singing throughout Europe. Arámburo’s first overseas performance took place when he sang Fernando in La Favorita at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1874. Other important debuts followed, including Barcelona’s Liceo, Moscow’s Bolshoi, Milan’s La Scala, as well as the major theaters of Berlin, Seville, Paris, Warsaw, Havana, Montevideo and Santiago. His diverse repertoire included leads in La Forza del Destino, Aïda, Rigoletto, Norma, Il Guarany, L’Africaine, Poliuto, Carmen and others. He was heralded as equal…even superior…to his legendary contemporaries Gayarre, Stagno, Tamberlick, Tamagno and Masini and soon became to be regarded as one of the top tenors of Western Europe. In spite of the triumphs and the accolades, Arámburo’s career path was a complicated one. The tenor’s behavior was becoming erratic, unpredictable and just downright bizarre. Some blamed Arámburo’s antics on stage fright. Others opined that it could have been alcohol related. However, the general consensus was (and is) that Arámburo suffered from some form of mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia. His tantrums were the stuff of legend and he was known to walk out of performances for any perceived slight. During an 1882 Trovatore at Madrid’s Teatro Real, he learned that King Alfonso and Queen Maria Cristina, who were to attend the performance, had not shown up. Enraged, the tenor left via the fire door, walked to the city’s plaza, and there, in full costume and makeup, sang “Di quella pira” for surprised onlookers. During a Lucia at La Scala, he was perturbed by the poor reception given a debutant soprano and left the theater in protest. The management went to his hotel, where they found him in his underwear, frying a pan of breadcrumbs on his stove. As they pleaded with him to return, he draped a rag over his head and began to serenade them with Spanish folksongs. He then invited the men to sit on the floor and partake of the pan of breadcrumbs with him! Arámburo announced that he no longer wished to sing at La Scal