Sir Paolo Tosti at the British Royal Court

A great Italian at the British court In 2021 it was 175 years since one of Italy's most brilliant composers was born – Sir Paolo Tosti – an innovator and modernizer of the Italian style of chamber music. The festivities culminated in a festive concert, held under the patronage of the Istituto Nazionale Tostiano and titled Gran Galà Tosti. This concert took place in December 2021 at the Teatro Tosti in Ortona, the composer's birthplace. The principal artist of the evening was the prominent Polish bass-baritone Stanisław Daniel Kotliński, who for many years has served as a "cultural ambassador" for Tosti's work and performs it with passion throughout the world. He was accompanied on this occasion by Italian conductor and pianist Marco Balderi and two young prize winners of international string competitions: the German violinist of Chinese descent Simon Zhu and the Polish cellist Maciej Kułakowski. The same musicians are heard on this recording, made in Polish radio studios in Gdansk. Sir Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846-1916), counted among the most prominent composers of his generation, was highly valued by many of his influential contemporaries, including Verdi and Puccini. He also maintained friendships within the British royal family, particularly with Queen Victoria, who during sixteen years (1882-1898) devoted many pages of her private diary to reflections on the complexity of Tosti's work. In 1889 Tosti married Bertha Verrue, a Belgian-French singer eight years his junior, who proved to be a loving and understanding life companion. She died in 1943 in Paris, where she is buried. In 1908 Tosti became only the third musician in history to be appointed Knight Commander in the Order of Victoria, which gave him the prefix "Sir". The first to receive this distinction was the British composer Arthur Sullivan, the second the Polish tenor Jan Reszke (Jean de Reszke). A profile that appeared in the English press in the second half of the twentieth century compared Tosti's popularity in his own time to the phenomenon of modern Beatlemania: he was indeed a prolific artist, blessed with a lively and engaging melodic inventiveness. After graduating from the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella in Naples under Saverio Mercadante, Tosti's first recital – organized in Rome by Giovanni Sgambati, with Franz Liszt in the audience – was enthusiastically received. Soon the doors of aristocratic salons opened to the young artist. He quickly became singing teacher to Duchess Margherita of Savoy, the future Queen of Italy. When he made his debut in London in 1875 at the age of twenty-nine, the success was so remarkable that he decided to settle in the British capital. One of his first concerts in London was co-organized by Gaetano Braga, a fellow Abruzzese, alumnus of the Naples Conservatory and one of the most celebrated cellists of the time. In London Tosti first taught the children of Her Majesty, then Queen Victoria herself and later the entire royal family – a total of three generations of British monarchs. At court he was known as Signor Tosti and soon became a familiar figure to the Queen, who entrusted him with the organization of musical events at court. In 1905 King Edward VII, the Queen's son and heir, granted him British citizenship; his successor, King George V, also took lessons with Tosti and considered him a friend. Friendship and regard for Tosti were shared within the royal family and by the time he was forty, he had become a central artistic figure for the Queen and her court. Tosti's career in London rested on three pillars: composing, teaching and promoting musical events at court. He was appointed professor at both the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, where he served for many years on the board of the latter. He enjoyed positions of considerable authority and respect. During his time in London he composed many romances in English and French. His oeuvre – some four hundred works – was remarkably varied, ranging from light, dance-like songs to ballades steeped in romantic expression: the salon arias known in Italy as romanza italiana da salotto. His music was enthusiastically embraced by celebrated singers such as Caruso, Gigli, the Reszke brothers, Schipa and Battistini. From 1873 he collaborated with publisher Giulio Ricordi, with whom he became good friends; in Great Britain his works were published by the prestigious London publishers Chappell and Enoch. In 1892 King Umberto I appointed him Commendatore (Commander) in the Order of the Crown of Italy. Tosti moved in the highest artistic circles and formed friendships with prominent figures of his time. His popular Malìa was dedicated to Polish bass Edward de Reszke; he coached Nellie Melba for her debut as Aida at Covent Garden and met her at the home of Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston. He welcomed stars such as Christina Nilsson, Victor Maurel and Emma Albani to London. When Caruso arrived in 1902 for his first London tour, Tosti honored him with a festive dinner. Italian composers who brought their work to London – Puccini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo – found in him an exceptional host and supporter. Friends such as Gabriele d'Annunzio and Eleonora Duse were also frequent guests at his London home. Tosti's close ties with the royal family are documented in an extensive correspondence from Queen Victoria's children and other members of the royal family, who sought him out as teacher and friend. Prince Leopold, mentioned in the Queen's diary, was so devoted to his teacher and to Italian music that he even learned the language. Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria and Queen Alexandra (formerly Princess of Wales), as well as Alexandra's daughters – Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga, Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra and Princess Maud Charlotte Mary (later Queen consort of Norway) – were all friends of Tosti. Prince Henry of Battenberg, husband of Princess Beatrice, and their daughter Victoria Eugenie Ena (later Queen consort of Spain) also had a close bond with him. Princess Marie (later Queen consort of Romania) and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh (later Grand Duchess of Russia), daughters of Duke Alfred Ernst Albert, the Queen's fourth son, were also among his friends. Prince Arthur William Patrick, Duke of Connaught, and his wife were great admirers of Tosti. Particularly close was his friendship with Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, Viceroy of Hanover and uncle of Queen Victoria. As a passionate lover of Tosti's music, Augusta spent her last years enjoying nearly daily concerts by the composer. Her children – Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck ('Fat Mary') – inherited this affection. Mary Adelaide's daughter, Victoria Mary, would soon marry George V and become Queen consort of the United Kingdom; both she and King George V enjoyed singing lessons from Tosti. Tosti spent his last years in Italy and died on 2 December 1916 in his apartment at the Hotel Excelsior in Rome. Unlike many other famous Italian composers of the late nineteenth century, Tosti never wrote an opera note. When he first traveled to London, he sought work as a singing teacher and occasional performer in the salons of high society, without any ambition for a brilliant career as a composer. His artistic choice to set opera – simultaneously risky, bold and modest – aside proved to be the key to his success as an unrivaled composer of the romanza da camera. He not only expanded the expressive possibilities of the genre but also forged an entirely unique style of his own. His works often transcend the boundaries of the vocal tradition but compel singers to uphold artistic canons and avoid operatic mannerisms. The refined craftsmanship of his songs recalls that of a Florentine Renaissance master: the piano was his workbench, on which he combined radiant beauty with the experience of everyday life. The formal logic of his musical structures was continually enriched by his unique creative genius. Józef Kański (1928–2023)