1832-1843 - Haymarket (Westminster)
Operatic baritone Antonio Tamburini was born in Faenza on 28 March 1800. He studied with Aldobrando Rossi, before making his debut as a singer at the age of eighteen. He had a smooth voice and was renowned for his impressive stage presence. From 1832 to 1841 he divided his time between performing in London and Paris. Tamburini is famous for his association with Bellini’s operas. His appearance in 1835 as one of the ‘Puritani quartet’ (with Grisi, Rubini, and Luigi Lablache) in I puritani created a sensation. The quartet was reunited on stage in 1843 at the premiere of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, albeit with Giovanni Mario replacing Rubini. A notable feature of the 1841 season at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, was a rowdy disturbance occasioned by his followers who resented his non-engagement for that season (he was replaced by the unknown Filippo Coletti). The chaotic proceedings which lasted for two or three evenings forced manager Pierre-François Laporte to yield to their wishes. Tamburini died in Nice in November 1876.
