Gottardo Aldighieri and Maria Spezia-Aldighieri by Deroche & Heyland

Gottardo Aldighieri (1824-1906); Italian baritone.
He studied with Foroni and Lombardi in Verona and Lamperti in Milan. In 1858 he made his debut at the Teatro Nuovo di Novara as Germont in Verdi's "La Traviata". He spent the next two years performing in minor Italian theatres. In 1861 he made his debut at La Scala in the title role of Verdi's "Nabucco" opposite his wife Maria Spezia as Abigaille. In 1862 he was engaged by the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. He appeared as a guest at all the major opera houses throughout Italy during the 1860s and 1870s. He returned to the Teatro di San Carlo in 1869 to perform the role of Raoul in the world premiere of Gaetano Donizetti's "Gabriella di Vergy". In 1876 he created the role of Barnaba at the première of Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" at La Scala Milan. Aldigghieri wrote the text for the song "Il baccio" composed by Luigi Arditi, who devoted this famous waltz song to him.. He was married to the soprano Maria Spezia-Aldighieri, who also had an important opera career in Italy.


Maria Spezia Aldighieri (1828-1907); Italian soprano.
She studied singing with Foroni in Verona. In 1849 she made her debut at the Teatro Filarmonico Verona in the title role of Bellini's "Beatrice di Tenda". In 1852/53 she was engaged at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. The next two decades she performed in the leading opera houses of Italy (Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples etc.) She made guest appearances at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's "La traviata" at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice in 1854, is credited for popularizing the opera after it had initially flopped at its premiere in 1853. In 1857 she debuted at La Scala Milan as Valentine in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots" and in that same year she created the role of Mathilde in Ronchetti's opera "Pergolese" with the tenor Antonio Giuglini in the title role. She was married to the baritone Gottardo Aldighieri. In 1861 at La Scala she portrayed Abigaille opposite her husband in the title role of Verdi's "Nabucco". In 1862 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples she sang Amalia to her husband's Renato in Verdi's "Un ballo in Maschera. One of her last performances was at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in 1872 in the title role of Bellini's "Norma".