ITALIAN TENOR FINDS N.Z. WEEK-END DULL

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27642, 26 April 1955, Page 15

ITALIAN TENOR FINDS N.Z. WEEK-END DULL

A New Zealand week-end, especially with a Monday holiday added to it, does not suit such an exuberant personality as the Italian tenor, Luigi Infantino. “Three days’ holiday,” he said in questioning amazement. “I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. All I do is stay in bed all night and all day,” he added as he stretched an amply proportioned frame —l94lb—on the bed in his hotel room. But he made the qualifications that “rest is the best thing in the world,” and that New Zealanders were a “nice, calm people. You never get very excited here.” Infantino, largely unknown in New Zealand, apart from some recordings, before his appearances in Wellington, arrived in Christchurch yesterday. Dressed immaculately, the modest and pleasantly spoken 33-year-old tenor told of some aspects of a career which has made him a fine reputation in his own country, throughout Europe, Britain, South Africa and North and South America.

Sicilian-born, Infantino studied music privately from an early age. He explained that he was unable to study under any of the greater tutors because “I was poor. And those 1 studied with were all poor people too. A rich country—they seldom produce great artists.” He was in the Royal Italian Naval Band for five years from 1938. His versatility was such that he could play the piano, flute, guitar, violin, saxophone and woodwinds.

Infantino’s operatic career virtually began about 1943, when he began singing with big companies. He was in Bologna at the time the Allies, including many New Zealanders, arrived, and was engaged by the Entertainments National Service Association to sing with the reorganised San Carlo opera in Naples with six performances a week. Since then he has travelled the world, appearing at Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, the Rome Opera, Carnegie Hall, and the La Scala Opera in Milan. With all his travelling, Infantino sees little of his wife and daughter who live in Milan. “All I do when I am not singing is travel, travel, travel,” he said with an obvious feeling of homesickness. His wife who Is Sara Ferrati, one of Italy’s most celebrated actresses, opened in a new play during the last week but

with “your post offices closed for the last two days I have no news.” Asked why Italy had become the home of opera and why it had produced so many of the world’s greatest singers, Infantino was quick in his reply with an expressive gesture of his hands. “It is such a beautiful climate. It makes you want to sing and sing. It has good food, good wine, and good women which are things that go with singing. The wonderful wine and the olive oil; your system is so much purified that something pure must come out of it.”

Screwing up his nose, he said he did not like English food. “It is just the same, just the same. The name is changed but you still have the samq thing. And it is a very important thing to have good food.” He had met many New Zealanders and Australians in Italy, Infantino said. He had enjoyed singing to them when he was with Ensa in the San Carlo Theatre, in Naples, and burst into a few bars of opera as he was carried back to the stage of a “most wonderful theatre.” A waiter in the hotel, “a very nice fellow” who had been a prisoner of war in Italy and who spoke “excellent Italian” was able to recall with the tenor last evening some of the things that both had known in Italy. Infantino’s repertoire is an extensive one. He can sing 25 operas and something more than 1000 songs, some of them of his own composition but most, because of popular demand, well known. He has no particular preference except a liking for the older Italian operas. “I have done a little film work in Italy but I am not so keen on it,” he said. “I like the theatre and like to see live people in front of me.” He explained that he had made many recordings. “Once I sang in the Carnegie Hall and the manager took a recording of the recital. It was much better than studio recordings I had made of the same songs.’’ He professed a great admiration for the 65-year-old Gigli. “We are very good friends and have spent much time together touring in the same company through England and South Africa.” Infantino will give two concerts in Christchurch, one today and one on Thursday. He was so impressed with the reception he was given at his two Wellington performances that he is to give a third. “The first one was full but the second one was full, full, full,” he said. “It was fantastic.”