Last Saturday in Pieve di Soligo, with representatives from, among others, La Scala and La Fenice, the figure of the soprano was analyzed
La Scala is preparing a tribute to Toti dal Monte, on the occasion of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” the opera for which the great soprano holds the record: in fact, she is the singer to have sung it the most times ever at La Scala, as many as 40!
The event was announced by Andrea Vitalini, director of the Historical Archives of the Teatro alla Scala, during the Study Conference “Toti Dal Monte: Ritratto di Signora,” which was held in Pieve di Soligo on Saturday afternoon, in front of a full audience at the Battistella Moccia Auditorium.
But that was not the only surprise of the event, which was curated by journalist and writer Elena Filini: with interest and emotion the audience was able to see a series of unpublished documents, such as the report cards that little Antonietta had obtained at the Venice Conservatory, with a consistently brilliant grade point average, and her harmony exercises could also be heard. Telling the story of the talented little girl, who was always accompanied by her father, was Silvia Urbani, who also recalled how Toti had participated in the Conservatory’s 100th anniversary as a pianist before her incredible voice was discovered.
In addition to La Scala, where the young Antonietta Meneghel became Toti dal Monte, thanks to Conductor Gino Marinutti, and where she later had the opportunity to grow in technique and personality under Toscanini’s guidance, La Fenice Theater also saw her often as a protagonist, first as a singer and then as an actress. Fortunato Ortombina, Superintendent of the Theater, recalled Toti’s relationship with Venice and her singing “La Traviata” in Campo Sant’Angelo on April 25, ’45, in front of an endless throng of people celebrating the end of the war.
And then there was the more intimate and familiar Toti, also remembered by Councillor Luisa Cigagna, who together with Mayor Stefano Soldan strongly wanted these celebrations in the municipality of Pieve di Soligo: her favorite nursery rhymes were also read. And then the honorary president of the Academy of Italian Cuisine, Roberto Robazza, who recounted the “Toti Gourmet,” a lover and promoter of Venetian gastronomy and the first woman to be admitted to the board of the Academy of Italian Cuisine, then considered off-limits to the female gender.
Toti dal Monte’s 130th birthday celebrations will continue in Pieve di Soligo, with dinner-concerts in her honor and many other events throughout 2023.
