Gioacchino Conti (28 February 1714 â€" 25 October 1761), best known as
Gizziello or Egizziello, was an Italian soprano castrato opera
singer.Conti was born in Arpino in 1714, possibly the son of the
composer Nicola Conti. After studying in Naples with Domenico Gizzi,
after whom he would later be nicknamed, he made his debut in Rome at
an early age, around 1730. According to some modern encyclopedic
sources, it took place in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse, which premiered
on 4 February at the Teatro delle Dame. However, his name does not
appear in the cast of the original libretto, and his theatrical debut
ought probably to be dated instead in 1731, in revivals of Didone
abbandonata and of the same Artaserse, both by Vinci. A colourful
anecdote relates how another overweening castrato star, Caffarelli,
rode post-haste to Rome from Naples just to attend incognito his
debut; and full of enthusiasm eventually yelled at him: "Bravo,
bravissimo Gizziello, it’s Caffariello who's telling you!" Whatever
the case, at the beginning of 1732 he was urgently called upon to
replace the castrato Nicolò Grimaldi (Nicolini), who suddenly died on
1 January during the rehearsals of Pergolesi's first opera La Salustia
at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples. Having become a member of the
theatre's company, later that year he performed in new operas by
Johann Adolf Hasse, Leonardo Leo and Francesco Mancini, and in
revivals of Vinci's Catone in Utica and Artaserse.His subsequent
career led him throughout Italy, as well as abroad. In 1736â€"37 he
was in London, where he had been engaged by George Frideric Handel,
with whom he would build a profitable collaboration. Conti performed
in many of his works, such as Atalanta, Giustino, Berenice and
Arminio, as well as in a revival of Ariodante.He sang at many
premieres for the best and most famous musicians of his time,
including Niccolò Jommelli (Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi
(Artaserse, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).
Gizziello or Egizziello, was an Italian soprano castrato opera
singer.Conti was born in Arpino in 1714, possibly the son of the
composer Nicola Conti. After studying in Naples with Domenico Gizzi,
after whom he would later be nicknamed, he made his debut in Rome at
an early age, around 1730. According to some modern encyclopedic
sources, it took place in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse, which premiered
on 4 February at the Teatro delle Dame. However, his name does not
appear in the cast of the original libretto, and his theatrical debut
ought probably to be dated instead in 1731, in revivals of Didone
abbandonata and of the same Artaserse, both by Vinci. A colourful
anecdote relates how another overweening castrato star, Caffarelli,
rode post-haste to Rome from Naples just to attend incognito his
debut; and full of enthusiasm eventually yelled at him: "Bravo,
bravissimo Gizziello, it’s Caffariello who's telling you!" Whatever
the case, at the beginning of 1732 he was urgently called upon to
replace the castrato Nicolò Grimaldi (Nicolini), who suddenly died on
1 January during the rehearsals of Pergolesi's first opera La Salustia
at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples. Having become a member of the
theatre's company, later that year he performed in new operas by
Johann Adolf Hasse, Leonardo Leo and Francesco Mancini, and in
revivals of Vinci's Catone in Utica and Artaserse.His subsequent
career led him throughout Italy, as well as abroad. In 1736â€"37 he
was in London, where he had been engaged by George Frideric Handel,
with whom he would build a profitable collaboration. Conti performed
in many of his works, such as Atalanta, Giustino, Berenice and
Arminio, as well as in a revival of Ariodante.He sang at many
premieres for the best and most famous musicians of his time,
including Niccolò Jommelli (Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi
(Artaserse, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).
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