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Great Polish tenor: Stanisław Gruszczyński - Andrea Chénier, 4 act, 1926

2,803 views · Published 2 April 2015 · 3:16 · Indexed 24 October 2026

Channel: 240252 · 2015 · Music

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Stanisław Gruszczyński, tenor Opery Warszawskiej (Tenor of the Warsaw Opera) – Andrea Chénier, Arja z aktu IV  (U.Giordano), Parlophone 1926 (Polish)

NOTE: Today, when all Catholics of the world are just in the middle of celebrations of the Passion Week, let me surrender to the holiness of these days and share with you several pieces of music quite different  to what is usually presented here. 

Tonight, I am presenting the aria from the IV-th act of the opera “Andrea Chénier” by Umberto Giordano, sung by Stanisław Gruszczyński - one of the greatest tenors in history of the Polish opera. Born to the peasant Polish family near Wilno, in 1912 he moved to the Southern Poland to Sosnowiec, where he started taking his first singing lessons. Lacking the educational discipline, he self-educated himself in a somewhat chaotic way, being in the same time compelled to work for his living as a waiter or an extra in the theatres. After three years of such living, he travelled to Warsaw where he got permanent job as waiter in the Angielski Hotel. He was heard there by the permanent customer of the hotel’s restaurant, who was a popular Warsaw cabaret actor and entrepreneur Władysław Walter. He arranged for Gruszczyński a theatre debut in Warsaw Operetta “Nowości”, where he sung as Paris in Offenbach’s “Beautiful Helene”. After the premiere, the most influential critics couldn’t find words to express their enthusiasm about the new-born star of Polish operatic singing. They foretold him a glorious stage career and there was no surprise, that after such wave of the public praises, the next engagement offered to Gruszczyński was in 1916 a party of Radames in Verdi’s “Aida”, in the Grand Theatre of Warsaw. He remained the member of the Grand Theatre’s crew of stars until 1931. In that time he made the immediate national and international career, heralded everywhere as the “new Caruso from Poland”. 

Gifted with excellent memory, he was able to learn his part overnight and his repertoire was enormous. He sung on all most important operatic stages in Europe, including Covent Garden in London and La Scala in Milan . He was also a star on German operatic stages, for his strong voice, able to trigger in tremor the crystal pendants in opera halls’ chandeliers – did very well in Wagner’s repertoire. Unfortunately, in early 1930s manifested were the first signs of his lack of professional vocal education. His uncontrolled operatic activity as well as style of living – typical for the nouveau rich, who  does not skimp on buying the most expensive goods, enjoying pleasures of the night life and overdosing alcohol – resulted in the steep degradation of his once magnificent voice. After 1931, he lost engagement in the Grand Theatre and started performing in the Warsaw cabarets. Until outbreak of the WW2 in 1939, his source of income were occasional performances on the smaller stages and sometimes, recording the popular hits for Syrena-Electro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCygscC6AM . During the war, he worked as a doorman and a physical worker. After 1945, group of his prewar friends arranged for him a permanent job as the attendant in the library of the Grand Theatre, and in later years he also worked in the community Cultural Centre in a little town of Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw. In 1959 he died in Milanówek near Warsaw in anonymity and as a poor man, who in last years of his life was lucky to have lived in neighbourhood of the local Catholic Congregation, where once a day he could have a free warm meal. 

The story of the opera takes place in the days of terror during the French revolution. Andrea Chénier is a poet, who was sentenced to death by the revolutionary tribunal. In the 4th act, he sings his great farewell aria in the prison.

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