Gustavo Gallo, the tenor who brought Nardò and Salento to the world, bringing them into his heart

Gustavo Gallo, considered by many to be the most interesting voice in Salento, after the very famous Tito Schipa, was born in Nardò, in the province of Lecce, in 1904, and from a very young age he was noted for his extraordinary vocal talent. He studied violin in his native town with Maestro Schirosi, who discovered in him a sparkling tenor voice. He was then admitted to the Cantorum school and in a short time became the tenor soloist. Maestro Oliva of Lecce promptly invited him to sing at the Teatini Church. It was the beginning of a successful tour of the main churches in the province.

At 18 he enlisted in the Carabinieri. In the Carabinieri Student Legion he met the wife of his colonel, a great opera lover, who was struck by his singing during the celebration of the Carabinieri, at the Officers' Club, and did her utmost to ensure that Gustavo had an audition at the Conservatory of S. Cecilia in Rome. He attended the prestigious Conservatory for three years and when, due to service requirements, he was forced to abandon it, Maestro Pio di Pietro decided to continue giving him lessons without any compensation. In 1932 the Ministry of Public Education announced a National Competition for young singers and Gustavo Gallo was chosen as the only tenor voice and admitted to a three-year course at the Teatro Reale dell'Opera in Rome.

His first engagement was in 1934, at the Fenice in Venice where he made his debut in “Orfeide” by G. Malipiero under the direction of Nino Sonzogno. In the same year he was engaged by maestro Edoardo Vitale for the season of “Carro di Tespi”.

Gallo’s fame grew rapidly in the world of Italian opera: the tenor from Nardò began to travel from one theatre to another in the company of the greats of Italian opera such as the soprano Toti dal Monte and the baritone Tito Gobbi with whom he created a close-knit cast. He was hired by the Teatro San Carlo in Naples for “La Boheme” and then for “La Traviata”. In 1938 he made his debut at La Scala in Milan with “Madame Butterfly” and “La Traviata” conducted by maestro Gino Marinuzzi. In 1940 he performed for a long time at the London theatre “Covent Garden” together with the very famous soprano Maria Caniglia and the baritone Tibet of the “Metropolitan” in New York, achieving unprecedented success.

Returning to Italy due to the outbreak of the Second World War, he took up residence in Florence, where he soon became the protagonist of many editions of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: among the most important performances were “Lombardi” by G. Verdi, under the direction of Tullio Serafin, and “Missa Sorennis” by Beethoven, under the direction of maestro Victor De Sabata. In the Tuscan capital he met the girl he would marry and with whom he would have his two children. After the war, Gallo returned to Covent Garden in London to inaugurate the opera season with “La Traviata”, together with Carosio and Tagliabue, for the director Franco Capuana. He performed for three seasons at the Teatro Liceum in Barcelona with the operas “La Traviata”, “Faust”, “Mefistofele”, under the direction of Angelo Questa. In Brazil he sang at the Temporade in Rio de Janeiro and in S. Paulo. Once back in Italy, he continued to receive applause in all the theatres of the country until 1953, the year in which, at the Teatro La Scala in Milan, with the opera “Mosè”, directed by maestro Capuana, he retired from the stage.

The great tenor never lost contact with his homeland throughout his life and despite the dizzying speed of his brilliant career, returning there regularly whenever his activity allowed and keeping intact his love for the places and traditions of the country that saw him, among other things, organize with his colleagues of many performances, Maria Caniglia and Tito Gobbi, on February 17, 1945, in the Teatro Comunale di Nardò, a charity evening to raise funds for the restoration of the Capuchin monastery that was in a state of disrepair. Gallo performed for the last time in his hometown in 1954 in “Resurrection of Christ” by Lorenzo Perosi performed in the Cathedral with the participation of the Choir and Orchestra of Santa Cecilia. He passed away in Florence on May 13, 1992, leaving for a moment a town, Nardò, and many great cities of Italy and the world without a voice.