Alva, Luigi(real name, Luis Ernesto Alva Talledo)
Alva, Luigi(real name, Luis Ernesto Alva Talledo)
Alva, Luigi(real name, Luis Ernesto Alva Talledo), noted Peruvian tenor; b. Lima, April 10, 1927. He was a pupil of Rosa Morales in Lima, where he made his operatic debut as Beppe in 1950. He then completed his training at the La Scala opera school in Milan. In 1954 he made his European operatic debut as Alfredo at Milan’s Teatro Nuovo, and then sang Paolino in II matrimonio segreto at the opening of Milan’s La Piccola Scala in 1955; his La Scala debut followed as Count Almaviva in 1956. In 1957 he sang at the Salzburg Festival, in 1960 at London’s Covent Garden (debut as Count Almaviva), and in 1961 at the Chicago Lyric Opera. On March 6, 1964, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Fenton; remained on its roster until 1966, and again for the 1967–69, 1971–72, and 1973–75 seasons. In subsequent years, he continued to make appearances in Europe until his retirement in 1989. He served as artistic director of the Fundación Pro Arte Lírica in Lima from 1982. Alva was particularly esteemed for his roles in Mozart’s operas, but he also won success for his Italian roles from the early 19th century repertory
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire