Alexander Girardi by Chmielevsky

Alexander Girardi (1850-1918); Austrian tenor.
He was raised by his stepfather who put him into a locksmith apprenticeship. Against his stepfather's wishes, he joined the amateur theatre in 1868 where his acting talent was discovered. One of his first public performances was in 1869 in Rohitsch-Sauerbrunn and was followed by engagements in Krems, Karlsbad, Ischl and Salzburg. This led to an engagement in Vienna at the Strampfer-Theater in 1871. In 1874 Girardi moved to the Theater an der Wien, where he continued to work for 22 years. In 1896/97 he worked at the Carltheater and then in 1898 at the Volkstheater in Vienna. In 1902 he returned to the Theater an der Wien. He also had guest appearances at other important theatres in Vienna and toured Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden). He sang at many premières of operettas. The best known are the roles of Blasoni in Johann Strauss's "Cagliostro in Wien" (1875), Andredl in Karl Millöcker's "Das verwunschene Schloss"(1878), Jan Janicki in Millöcker's "Der Bettelstudent" (1882), Benozzo in Millöcker's "Gasparone" (1884), Kálmán Zsupán in Strauss's "Der Zigeunerbaron" (1885), the title role in Johann Strauss' "Simplicius" (1887), Adam in Carl Zeller's "Der Vogelhändler" (1891), the title role in Edmund Eysler's "Bruder Straubinger" (1903) and Pali Rácz in Emmerich Kálmán’s "Der Zigeunerprimas" (1912). Girardi contributed greatly to the Golden Age of Vienna operetta.