"I ask the management of Scala to confirm the program and the rehearsal day so that I can arrive in Milan on time."
- Letter signed by Bidu Sayão to Jenner Mataloni - Superintendent of La Scala Theatre from 1932 to 1943 - who left a handwritten comment at the bottom.
- One page.
- In Italian.
- 21.6 cm x 28.9 cm.
- October 17, 1932, in Rome.
- Perfect condition of conservation.
- Unique piece.
Portuguese translation, part typed
Rome, October 17, 1932
Honorary Director of Teatro La Scala Milan
To participate in the concert “Pro Opere Assistenziali” (Concert for Fascist Aid Works) at the Teatro La Scala at the invitation of the Federal Secretary Consul Brusa, whom I accepted, and having agreed on the program, namely: “l'aria della pazzia della Lucia” (mad scene in “Lucia di Lammermoor”), the Barber duo with Galeffi and the Rigoletto quartet with the other performers, I ask this management to confirm the program and the day of rehearsals in order to arrive in Milan on time. In accordance with the contract.
Bidu Sayao Mocchi
Regina Hotel
Pomegranate
Portuguese translation, part handwritten
Monday 17th With regard to the latest communication from the Federal Secretary, I confirm that full responsibility for the organization of the concert has been entrusted to the management of La Scala, which has drawn up a previously approved program and whose execution is entrusted exclusively to the artists, choir and orchestra of the current season at La Scala. Thank you
Jenner Malatoni (Superintendent of the La Scala Theater from 1932 to 1943)
It is no secret that Brazil has given the world formidable athletes and renowned painters. However, it is not only in the visual arts or sports that the natives of this land of Brazil have gained international recognition; Brazilian music has also conquered the United States and Europe with its voices and rhythm. One of the singers who built this legacy is Bidu Sayão (1902 - 1999), a famous lyrical interpreter who shone in the most famous theaters in the world during the 20th century.
Born in Itaguaí, a city in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, in 1902, Balduína de Oliveira Sayão, our beloved Bidu, began studying singing at a young age with a Romanian teacher who was living in Brazil at the time. Seeing the talent of the young woman from Rio de Janeiro, the teacher took her to Romania, where Bidu continued her studies. The change of continent opened up new opportunities for the singer, who in the late 1920s began performing in theaters in France and Italy.
In 1932, Bidu received the great honor of being invited to sing at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as we can see in the letter she wrote to the director of this legendary venue. Opened in 1778, the Teatro alla Scala is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. The fact that she was invited to perform there must have been a great joy for the singer, but how must the girl from the countryside of Rio de Janeiro have felt upon receiving such an invitation? Excited? Ecstatic?
Whatever her feelings, the words in her letter were restrained and professional, Bidu treated the honor naturally, asking simply about the program and rehearsal dates. She did not want to arrive late in Milan.
Another interesting aspect of the letter is that the performance in which Bidu would participate was a fascist benefit concert. Although this idea may seem almost absurd to us, inhabitants of the 21st century, it is important to remember that, in the early 1930s, both fascism and Nazism were not yet understood as totalitarian and warlike regimes, but rather as nationalist movements that defended the people, and this was precisely the mask that enabled their growth. What did Bidu think about the subject? Not all of these questions have such clear answers, but knowing the world written through the words of Bidu Sayão, as in her letters, certainly brings us closer to this renowned singer.
This letter is one of the most interesting and important autograph documents we have discovered about Bidu Sayão.
