Jonel Perlea
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Jonel Perlea (December 13, 1900 - July 29, 1970) was a Romanian conductor particularly associated with the Italian and German opera repertories.
Born Ionel Perlea in Ograda, Romania, he studied in Munich with Beer-Waldbrunn and Kotana, then in Liepzig with Martinsen and Graener. He made his debut in concert in Bucharest in 1919, then worked as repetiteur in Leipzig (1922-23) and Rostock (1923-25), and made his debut as conductor in Cluj-Napoca in 1927, in Aida.
He made his debut at the Bucharest Opera in 1928, and was music director of that theatre from 1934 until 1944. He conducted several local premieres such as Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Der Rosenkavalier, etc. He made guest appearances in Vienna, Stuttgart, Breslau, Berlin, Paris. After the war, he conducted mostly in Italy, notably at La Scala in Milan (1947-52), debut in Samson et Dalila, and again conducted several local premieres such as Capriccio in Genoa, Mazeppa and The Maid of Orleans in Florence. He also conducted creations by Bianchi, Bucchi, Rota, etc. He was guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, for the 1949-50 season, his work there included Tristan und Isolde, Rigoletto, La traviata, Carmen.
Following a heart attack and a stroke in 1957, he learned to conduct with his left arm only, and worked mostly in concert and recordings. A fine and often underrated condutor, he taught at the Manhattan School of Music from 1952 until 1969.
Perlea died in New York City at the age of 69.
[edit] Selected recordings
- 1954 - Puccini - Manon Lescaut - Licia Albanese, Jussi Bjorling, Robert Merrill - Rome Opera Chorus and Orchestra - RCA Victor
- 1955 - Verdi - Aida - Zinka Milanov, Jussi Bjorling, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Warren, Boris Christoff - Rome Opera Chorus and Orchestra - RCA Victor
- 1956 - Verdi - Rigoletto - Robert Merrill, Roberta Peters, Jussi Bjorling, Giorgio Tozzi - Rome Opera Chorus and Orchestra - RCA Victor
- 1966 - Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia - Montserrat Caballé, Alfredo Kraus, Shirley Verrett, Ezio Flagello - RCA Italiana Opera Chorus and Orchestra - RCA Victor
[edit] Sources
- Le guide de l'opéra, Mancini & Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986) ISBN 2-213-01563-6
