Josip Rijavec
Tenor Josip Rijavec (also José Riavez) was born on 10 February 1890 in Gradisca (Gradisca) near Soča After graduating from high school in Gorizia, he attended the Music Matica School in Ljubljana, where he was taught solo singing Matej Hubad. He then studied with Filip Forstén at the Vienna Conservatory. He also graduated from Law. In 1916 he made his debut in Zagreb in Richard Strauss's opera Cavalier with a Rose. He sang in Vienna, in Berlin, Dresden, Ljubljana and Zagreb, Belgrade, Prague and Buenos Aires. In 1927, under the baton of the composer Mascagni, he recorded a work in Berlin of the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. He was also a professor at the Belgrade Academy of Music, his pupil was was the mezzo-soprano Biserka Cvejić. He died on 30th December 1959 in Belgrade.
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Some of the more important roles:
- Grieux (Puccini: Manon Lescaut)
- Rodolfo (Puccini: La Bohème)
- Turiddu (Mascagni: Cavaleria Rusticana)
- Alfredo (Verdi: Traviata)
- Edgardo (Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor)
- Pinkerton (Puccini: Madama Butterfly)
- Lenski (Čajkovski: Jevgenij Onjegin)
- Cavaradossi (Puccini: Tosca)