Alfredo Antonini

Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the early 1970s. In 1972 he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming on television for his conducting of the premiere of Ezra Laderman's opera And David Wept for CBS television during 1971. In addition, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1980

Antonini was born in Alessandria and pursued his musical studies at the Royal Conservatory in Milan.[10] He was a student of the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, whom he first met at the age of thirteen while performing on the celesta in the Italian premier of Igor Stravinsky's Petrouchka.[11] He distinguished himself as both an organist and pianist with La Scala Orchestra in Milan prior to emigrating to the United States in 1929.[12][13] His musical talents were shared by his father who served as a member of the Buenos Aires Opera company at the Teatro Colón after leaving Italy for Argentina.[14] In addition, his wife Sandra was a both a piano accompanist and voice teacher.[15]

During the 1940s, he distinguished himself as a conductor of several leading orchestras while performing on CBS Radio. These included: the CBS Pan American Orchestra (1940–1949), as part of the cultural diplomacy initiative of the Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs during World War II, the Columbia Concert Orchestra (1940–1949) and the CBS Symphony Orchestra.[16][17] During the 1940s Antonini also led the CBS Symphony Orchestra in several recordings for the Voice of America broadcasting service.[18]

His performances with the CBS Pan American Orchestra were noteworthy for helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States.[19]

During the 1940s Antonini conducted live radio broadcasts of the program Viva America[20] on the CBS Radio and La Cadena de las Americas (Network of the Americas) in collaboration with several international artists including: Nestor Mesta Chayres (aka "El Gitano De Mexico"),[21] Terig Tucci, Juan Arvizu (aka "El Troubador de las Americas"), Elsa Miranda ,[22] Eva Garza,[23][24] Kate Smith,[25] Pat O'Brien,[26] and John Serry.[27][28][29] He also appeared with Chayres and the New York Philharmonic in the Night of the Americas Concert series at Carnegie Hall.,[30][31] which, according to The New York Times, was eagerly anticipated by the general public.[32][33] Additional performances in collaboration with Arvizu and the CBS Tipica Orchestra for the Inter-America Music Fiesta at Carnegie Hall also attracted widespread acclaim.[34][35]

In 1946, Antonini recorded several popular Latin American songs on the album Latin American Music - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra for Alpha Records (catalogue #'s 12205A, 12205B, 12206A, 12206B) including: Tres Palabras (Osvaldo Farres), Caminito de Tu Casa (Julio Alberto Hernández), Chapinita (Miguel Sandoval) and Noche De Ronda (Augustin Lara).[36][37] Critical review of the albums in The New Records praised his conducting talents and hailed the collection as among the best new albums of Latin American music.[38][39]

Later in the 1940s, Antonini collaborated with vocalist Victoria Cordova in a series of recordings for Muzak, featuring compositions familiar to audiences in both North and South America. Included among these were: What a Difference a Day Made - Maria Grever, You Belong to My Heart - Agustin Lara, Siboney - Ernesto Lecuona, Amor - Gabriel Ruiz, Say It Isn't So - Irving Berlin, How Deep is the Ocean - Irving Berlin and A Perfect Day - Carrie Jacobs-Bond.[40][41][42][43] He also collaborated with the Latin group Los Panchos Trio in a recording of the Chilean cueca dance La Palma for Pilotone records (#P45-5067).[44] In addition, he recorded several songs for Columbia records with operatic baritone Carlo Morelli which included "La spagnola" (#17192-D), Alma Mia (#17192-D) Canta Il Mare (#17263-D), Si Alguna Vez (#17263-D).[45] Additional collaborators included: Nino Martini for a recording of the song Amapola (Columbia, #17202-D)[46] and Nestor Chayres for a recording of Granada (Decca, #23770 A).[47]

At the close of the decade in 1948, Antonini also appeared as the conductor in the premier program of the CBS Symphony Summer Series which was broadcast live over the CBS Radio network.[48] During this time he also collaborated with leading orchestral musicians including Julius Baker,[49][50] and Mitch Miller.[51] Several of his performances with the CBS Symphony Orchestra were also broadcast over the Voice of America network in 1948 and 1949.[52] In addition, his recordings with the operatic vocalists Juan Arvizu and Nestor Mesta Chayres were transcribed during this time for broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio Network.[53]

During the 1950s, Antonini was a professor of music at St. John's University, located in Brooklyn, New York. He taught the Music Appreciation course. As a musical director for CBS Television during the 1950s, he was instrumental in presenting a program of classical and operatic music to the general public. His collaboration with Julie Andrews, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein II in a production of Cinderella for CBS television was telecast live in color on 31 March 1957 to an audience of 107 million.[54][55][56] During this decade, he also appeared with several noted operatic sopranos including: Eileen Farrell and Beverly Sills.[57] Later in 1957, he became the musical director/conductor of the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra.[13]

In 1951 he also served as both the orchestra leader and the Choral leader for the CBS Radio program Music Land U.S.A which featured talented vocalists. Included on the broadcast were Lois Hunt, Earl Wrightson and Thomas Hayward.[58] These performances by the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra were included among several transcriptions of Antonini's work which were selected for broadcast to America's armed forces throughout the world by the Armed Forces Radio Network Service during the 1940's and 1950's.[59]

Antonini served as a conductor of the open-air summer concerts held at the landmark Lewisohn Stadium in New York City during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.[60] He appeared at least once during each season while featuring leading talent from the Metropolitan Opera.[61][62][63][64] His appearances with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra during the series of Italian Night concerts frequently attracted audiences which exceeded 13,000 guests. These performances featured arias from the standard Italian operatic repertoire and showcased such operatic luminaries as: Jan Peerce, Eileen Farrell, Richard Tucker, Beverly Sills, Licia Albanese,[65] Eva Likova,[66] Robert Weede,[66] Cloe Elmo[66] and Robert Merrill.[57][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76]

Antonini’s work with CBS soon led to television work as that medium came to prominence in the 1950s. He composed half the scores and led the CBS Orchestra in performances for the popular documentary series, The Twentieth Century (1957-66).[77] He conducted the CBS Orchestra on the American Musical Theater documentary series (1959) which also featured Robert Weede and Laurel Hurley.[78][79][80] Other early network credits included the long-running ecumenical religious program, Lamp Unto My Feet, and specials such as Cinderella and The Fabulous Fifties.[13]

Antonini continued to collaborate as a guest conductor with instrumental soloists, including Benny Goodman in 1960 for a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at Lewisohn Stadium.[81] In addition, he conducted the Symphony of the Air in the live prime-time television special Spring Festival of Music for CBS Television. This collaboration with the pianist John Browning and the producer Robert Herridge showcased a performance of a movement from Sergie Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto.[82] The performance was noted for its musical excellence as well as its dramatic visual presentation on television.[82]

In 1962, Antonini collaborated with First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy, director Franklin J. Schaffner, and journalist Charles Collingwood of CBS News for the groundbreaking television documentary A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy. The documentary television program was watched by more than 80 million viewers throughout the world and received wide critical acclaim.[83][84]

In 1964, Antonini appeared as conductor of the CBS Symphony Orchestra in an acclaimed adaptation of Hector Berlioz's sacred oratorio L'enfance du Christ for CBS Television. His operatic soloists included: Sherrill Milnes, Giorgio Tozzi, Ara Berberian, and Charles Anthony as supported by the choral voices of the Camerata Singers.[85] At this time, he collaborated as conductor for a televised episode of The CBS Repertoire Workshop, "Feliz Borinquen", which showcased the talents of such leading Puerto Rican-American performers as: Martina Arroyo and Raul Davila.[86]

In addition to performing as a conductor on WOR radio in New York City during the 1940s, he appeared as a guest conductor for leading symphonic orchestras in Chicago, Milwaukee, Oslo, Norway and Chile during the 1950s. During this time he also founded the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra in Tampa, Florida, which eventually merged into the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony.[13] In the 1960s, Antonini also appeared as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic at Philharmonic Hall during a grand opera benefit concert which featured the artistry of Jan Peerce and Robert Merrill.[87] Throughout the 1960s he continued to collaborate with such operatic luminaries as Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill,Franco Corelli, Nicolai Gedda, Giorgio Tozzi, Gabriella Tucci, and Dorothy Kirsten in a variety of gala concerts.[87][88][89] He also performed with Roberta Peters at the Lewisohn Stadium at City College.[90]

In 1971, Antonini served as musical director on the CBS Television premier of Ezra Laderman's opera And David Wept, earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming (1972). He collaborated in this premier production with such operatic luminaries as Sherrill Milnes, Rosalind Elias, and Ara Berberian.[91][92] Several years later, in 1975, he joined forces once again with Berberian and mezzo-soprano Elaine Bonazzi for the CBS television movie, A Handful of Souls.[93][94]

Antonini's collaborations at CBS Television extended beyond the realm of opera to include prominent figures from several professions including:

Alfredo Antonini died at the age of 82 during heart surgery in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983. He was buried in Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park cemetery in Clearwater and was survived by his wife Sandra and a son.[13]