Alberto Aguilá
Who is Alberto Aguilá?
Alberto Aguilá Masip (Barcelona, April 14, 1924 – Caracas, Venezuela, July 7, 1966) was a Spanish zarzuela and opera tenor whose brief but intense career made him one of the genre’s most recognized voices in Latin America. He began singing as a child with Madrid’s Compañía Infantil Mariano, where he was already regarded as a great talent thanks to a beautiful, flexible voice, elegant phrasing and remarkable stage presence.
Career
After succeeding in Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, Alberto Aguilá soon felt the pull of Latin America, where zarzuela had a devoted following. Between 1950 and 1963 he made as many as seven tours of the continent, performing in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, where he spent three months at the Teatro Martí in Havana. He became one of these audiences’ favourite performers, alongside other leading figures of the genre, and specialized in roles such as those in “Marina” and “El gato montés.” During his stays in Spain he also toured Morocco, Algeria and other North African cities. In 1965 he provided the singing voice for actor Christopher Plummer in the Spanish-language version of “The Sound of Music,” dubbing his musical scenes as Captain Von Trapp.
Final days
In June 1966 he set out on his eighth tour of Latin America to perform at the Teatro Nacional in Caracas in “Luisa Fernanda,” one of his favourite works. During the performance on June 19 he began to feel severe pain, forcing him to make a final effort to finish the show to loud applause; shortly afterward he collapsed into the arms of his fellow performers. Rushed to hospital, he was diagnosed with acute peritonitis and underwent three surgeries within a week, with no improvement. He died on the night of July 7, 1966, at the age of 42. His remains were returned to Barcelona, where he rests in the Les Corts cemetery.