Josip Kašman
| Josip Kašman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
14 July 1850 Mali Lošinj |
| Died | 11 February 1925 (aged 74) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Occupation | Opera singer (baritone) |
Joseph Kaschmann known also as Giuseppe Kaschmann and Josip Kašman, (born Mali Lošinj, July 14, 1850 - died Rome, February 11, 1925), was a famous operatic baritone. He sang in Europe and America during the latter decades of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.
Born on the island of Lošinj (Lussino) in what is nowadays Croatia, Kaschman was said to be the youngest of 14 children born to an Austrian father and a local mother, Eugenia Ivancich, from Lussinpiccolo (Mali Lošinj). Being possessed of a fine natural voice and a facility with languages, he abandoned a planned career in the law, studying singing instead with Ivan Zajc in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. He also took lessons from Alberto Giovannini in Udine (some reference books say Milan), Italy.
His first public performance occurred in Zagreb during 1869. He was then cast in the lead role in a production of the first full scale Croatian opera, Mislav, on October 2, 1870. Six years later he made his Italian operatic debut at Turin (in Gaetano Donizetti's La favorita). Engagements in Venice, Rome, Bologna and Trieste followed. Before long, he had established himself as one of the best baritones in Italy, making an impressive debut at La Scala, Milan, in 1878 in Don Carlo. It was during this phase of his career that he seems to have altered his name from Joseph Kaschmann to Giuseppe Kaschmann for theatrical purposes.
He reached the peak of his success as a singer in the 1880s and 1890s, building an international reputation (as Giuseppe Kaschmann) and performing at such important venues as the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany (in 1892 and 1894) and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City (in 1883 and 1896), as well as continuing to appear at La Scala. Audiences in Spain, Portugal, Russia, Monaco, Egypt, Brazil and Argentina also had an opportunity to hear him perform during his prime but he never sang in England. In 1907, he was granted permission to go back to Zagreb by the Austrian government, which in those days controlled Croatia. For many years he had been prevented from returning to Croatia because, as a young man, he had allegedly deserted from the Austrian army following the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This ban was lifted only after Papal intervention on his behalf.
...
Wikipedia