1914 The lucky star begins

The popularity of the brand new Gardel-Razzano duo increases night after night at the Armenonville and leads to a frenetic activity that will lead them to perform in various theaters and shows in the capital of Buenos Aires and in the provinces, accompanied by artists of the first magnitude.

The growing popularity of the brand new Gardel-Razzano duo, night after night, at the Armenonville, led the theater director Elías Alippi to propose to the producer Pablo Podestá the incorporation of these singers in his performances of “El Paraíso” (“Le paradis”), comedy in three acts by Maurice Hennequin, during a season devoted to picaresque works from the French theatre. They closed an agreement for 20 pesos per show and thus made their debut on January 8 at the National Theater at 960 Corrientes Street.

The newspaper “La Razón” published the following criticism: “A large audience filled the room; the interpretation of the company was very correct, Mr. Muiño distinguished himself greatly, in addition to the directors Ducasse and Alippi. We recommend artists a lot of correction in manners and language, to avoid some scenic situations that might seem in bad taste. In an intermission they got a lot of applause, singing some Creole styles, accompanying themselves on guitars, Mr. Gardel and Mr. Razzano. This number, so popular with the public, will remain on the program for a few days”.

On January 12, “Las pillas de Hércules” is put on the bill, a vaudeville in three acts, by Hennequin and Bilhaud, with the Spanish adaptation and arrangement by Ricardo Blasco and music by maestros Valverde and Foglietti. It had premiered with extraordinary success at the Teatro Eslava on the night of December 20, 1913. Gardel and Razzano's gig remained as the closing act.

Simultaneously they continue with their presentations at the Armenonville cabaret. This is reflected in an advertisement in the newspaper “Crítica” on January 12: “Armenonville restaurant. Diner et souper concert every night. With the help of the Adamis duo, La Trianita, in their Spanish dances, and the acclaimed national singers Carlos Gardel and José Razzano. Typical orchestra conducted by Roberto Firpo”.

As of January 19, the National Theater is staging the comedy “Casa furnished”, according to an adaptation by Alberto de Zavalía. On January 20, Gardel and Razzano's collaborations with the Alippi-Ducasse Company end.

Already with money saved, Gardel moved to an apartment at 1714 Corrientes street. Razzano, meanwhile, proposes to his girlfriend Cristina Chirinola and they settle in a small house in the Flores neighborhood.

On February 10, they joined the Casa Suiza poster, at Rodríguez Peña 254, during a function to benefit the Cordovan payador Nicodemo Galíndez, Colonel Francisco Armesto, chief of the Buenos Aires Fire Department, and Dr. Francisco Beazley, chief of police of the City of Buenos Aires.
The program was developed in this way:

Part One:
Opening with Argentine instrumental music.
Improvisations by the payadores José Betinotti, Federico Curlando and Ramón Vieytes.
Monologue by the girl Elena Greco.
Styles by Francisco Martino.
Second part:
Guitar performances by Juan Bergamino.
Performance by the Gardel-Razzano Duo (at 20:45 p.m.).
National Aires by Alberto Mendez.
“El Pañuelo”, a monologue by its author, Adolfo Fuentes.
Styles by Juan Sarcione.
Half letter improvisation by the payadores Ramón Vieytes and Nicodemo Galíndez.

It is possible that this performance had the collaboration of Martino, that is to say that they revived the trio temporarily. On February 28, the "Illustrated Magazine of the Río de la Plata" announces that on March 3 there will be a "Creole evening at Casa Suiza for the benefit of the trio made up of Gardel-Razzano-Martino." Several of his friends performed at said benefit evening: Roberto Firpo (pianist); Virginia Trujillo (comic actress); Enrique Muiño, Francisco Ducasse and José Franco (actors); Américo Facondini (concert player). Also Roberto Casaux, Razzano's best childhood friend.

As of March 4, Carlos Gardel and José Razzano will perform on the stage of the Teatro Apolo to animate the intermissions of the "Compañía Hispano-Argentina" headed by Arsenio Perdiguero and Roberto Casaux, staging the play "El alma del tango” by Roberto Lino Cayol. The duplo still had only folk songs in their repertoire. Shortly after, Cayol would write tango lyrics for his works (the best known were “El Caburé” and “Gil a cuadros”). Years later, some of them would be taken to Carlos Gardel's album: “Anoche a las dos”, “Noches de Colón” and “Viejo rincón”, set to music by Raúl de los Hoyos.

From the night of March 15 to April 4, the “Terceto Nacional Gardel-Razzano-Martino” is once again formed in the presentations of the Armenonville cabaret. As usual, the billboard was completed with Roberto Firpo and his orchestra, the Adamis Duo and Encarnación Sánchez alias “La Trianita” (Spanish dancer).

On April 21, José Luis Betinotti, "the last payador" and great teacher for Gardel and Razzano, died. In the press it was published: “Betinotti falls at the height of his glory, whose commentators today will soon parade, not to highlight his person because he was enough alone, but to show him to his homeland as a living personification of the legendary Santos Vega”.

Gardel and Razzano moved to Rosario, the capital of Santa Fe, and between June 4 and 8 they performed at the Teatro Colón, which was on the northeast corner of Urquiza and Corrientes. They accompanied the cast of the National Comic-Dramatic Company, headed by leading actor Enrique Arellano, leading actress Ángela Tesada, leading character actress Herminia Mancini and leading comic actor Francisco “Panchito” Aranaz. On Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th of June they give the last performances of the winter season.

On Monday, July 20, they will perform at the Teatro Novedades (the oldest in the province of Córdoba), with the Vittone-Pomar company, which premieres: “El Cabaret” by Carlos Mauricio Pacheco, a very important farce in the evolution of tango as musical and artistic genre. There was also a performance of “Derecho de amor” by Tito Livio Foppa, a dramatic sketch in one act, which had been premiered in 1911. An advertisement highlighted: “Important: Debut of the duo of national airs Gardel-Razzano”.

On the 22nd, in the play "Pial de volcao" by the Uruguayan writer and politician Javier de Viana, the newspaper "La Voz del Interior" commented: "The Gardel-Razzano couple was highly applauded for their songs and provincial styles, with a number of real interest in the program.

On the 23rd, Vittone-Pomar stages “Así se empieza una historia”, “El comité” and “Fumadas”, by Enrique Buttaro, which had been premiered in 1901 by the Hermanos Podestá Company. With these same works, the duo performs on the 24th and 26th.

On July 29 and 30, while the drums of war are heard in Europe, Gardel and Razzano continue to perform together with the Vittone-Pomar Company at the “Novedades” Theater. The last presentation was made on August 3.

The Gardel-Razzano duo returns to Santa Fe to perform at the Charmant Theatre. At that time, Corsini stated that he had met Gardel and Razzano in Santa Fe when he was performing there with José Podestá's company. They all dined together and Gardel sang the “Amargura” style for him, reminding Corsini that he “had an insurmountable metal voice” [“Radiolandia” 484, June 26, 1937].

On September 4, 1914, Gardel and Razzano appeared at the “Gran Café La Bolsa”, between San Martín and Santa Fe streets. It was promoted as “The most ventilated place in Rosario. Projection of artistic photo-dramas with a large orchestra [directed by maestro Pedro Palau], comfort for families, numbers of Varietés, demanded programs”.

They returned to Buenos Aires and on Tuesday, September 22, 1914, they performed in Avellaneda, at the Cine-Teatro Roma, Calle Sarmiento 109, owned by their old friend Amaro Giura (the Galician founder of “Los Leales” and “Los pampeanos”). , along with an Italian partner, Andreoli. As usual, these "biographers" screened silent films. In the intermissions there were musicians, singers, clowns or illusionists, who performed a "live number". The price of the localities was around between 30 and 50 cents. The functions were held especially on Sundays and holidays, in the afternoon and at night. The newspaper "La Verdad" from Avellaneda announced: "Next Sunday, in addition to an interesting program, Mr. Gardell [it was quite common for his surname to appear in the press written with double L's] and Mr. Rezzano [also it was a habitual mistake to use the "e", or to have one of the z's removed from his last name], "National Duo" that has toured the stages of national theaters with great success".

Two days later, the same local newspaper announced the second presentation: “Next Sunday the showing of a varied film program will take place at the Roma cinema, nuanced during the intermissions by the well-known national duo made up of Carlos Gardell [sic] and José Rezano [sic]. Undoubtedly, Roma will be at a great full house on Sunday”.

On Sunday the 27th, said performance by the couple took place. “La Verdad” newspaper reported: “The film show held in Rome was interesting and in the intervals, as announced, Mr. Gardel and Mr. Rezano [sic] made themselves heard, singing to the accompaniment of guitars, various national songs that were very well received by the audience that filled the room, to the point of forcing the encore several times before the insistent applause of the attendees. Among the numerous surnames of the well-known families that were represented, we remember the following: Barceló, Ruiz Díaz, Kelsey, Núñez, Sena, Salas Chávez, Debenedetti, De la Mata, De la Cámara, Martín Barceló, Durruty, Justo, Agreneta, Mazzo, etc. (…)”.

It was usual to make a review of the most important attendees. As we can see, a good part of the Avellaneda staff attended this show, including the mayor Alberto Barceló, Gardel's protector. It is even said that he got him some documents with a false identity that gave him as born in that town in order to avoid problems with the authorities.

In a separate note, “La Verdad” wrote: “Several: Gradel-Resano [the newspaper insisted on misspelling their last names]. These prestigious cultivators of the traditional Argentine song will make their debut next Thursday at the National Theater on Corrientes Street where they will reach, without a doubt, new successes. They are two young people who, in duo and solos, sing with taste and feeling, different airs and national styles, possessing a vast repertoire”. It's interesting because the note makes it clear that they joined their voices, but they also did solo numbers. That is to say, the same formula that they will later repeat on their records.

As announced by the press, on Thursday, October 1, the Gardel-Razzano couple shares a program at the National Theater, Corrientes street 960, with the Blanca Podestá Company, in the play "Stud Golondrina" by Ricardo Cappemberg, a farce in three paintings. There they will make presentations until the 6th.

On October 10, a function was held at the Grand Splendid Theater (later “Capitol”), Santa Fe Avenue 1848, for the benefit of the Protection League Society for young women who fell into the underworld of prostitution, alcohol and drugs. Participants: Angélica Vázquez, dancer; Rafael Amancio Alcorta and orchestra; Gardel-Razzano duo. On October 24, the president of the organizing feminist institution sends a thank-you note to the participants: "Luisa V. de Nastinger greets Messrs. Gardel-Razzano, and thanks them for their kind and effective cooperation in the Splendid party."

As of October 15, 1914, they performed at the Teatro Moderno (now the Liceo), located in Rivadavia and Paraná, with the Orfilia Rico and Juan Mangiante Company at the premiere of the play “Sol de invierno” by Julio Sánchez from Catamarca. Gardel. The program was illustrated with a modern image, with the faces of Gardel and Razzano facing each other, with their heads resting on each other.

On the 28th, they performed in the same theater for the Rico-Mangiante Company that staged “Las d'enfrente”, a comedy of customs by Federico Mertens, after the presentation of the dialogue “La otra”.

Between October 29 and November 1, they participated in the finale of the cycle at the Teatro Moderno with the comedy “Doña Remedios” by Alberto Vacarezza, which had premiered on July 3.

On November 1, they traveled to the Buenos Aires town of Lomas de Zamora for an evening at the "Villa Elisa" restaurant. They were hired by a group of high school graduates who wanted to thank their teachers Miguel de La Feld, Segundo Calderón, Isaac Fernández and Héctor C. Hepper (entomologists and geographers) with an unforgettable lunch.

On November 3, in the afternoon, they returned to the Grand Splendid Theater in a festival to benefit the Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul of the Immaculate Conception, in Belgrano. The Gardel-Razzano duo opened the day; They were followed by the actor Roberto Casaux and then the actress Angelina Pagano doing the monologue “Felicita”.

On November 9, in the same theater, another benefit function was organized, this time for the Taller de San Gerardo. The participants are the same as on day 3, and Lola Membrives (actress and singer) is added.

On the 13th, at the 9 de Julio cinema-theater, 2523 Bauness street in Villa Urquiza, there was a special performance sponsored by a company with the following program: symphony by the theater orchestra; staging of the play “Amor salvaje”, a dramatic sketch, in three acts, original and in prose, by José Echegaray; arias from operas by the tenor Julio Roig; the comedy “The Third Kiss”, by Lea Conti, Antonio Podestá and Argentino Gómez. End of the party with the vocal pairing of Gardel-Razzano.

That day they met the pianist Pacífico Lambertucci for whom Gardel recorded the tangos “Carne de cabaret” and “Buena suerteña” in the 20s.

On November 16, at the Grand Splendid Theater, at 20:45 p.m., a festival was held to benefit the Asilo del Pino. In the first part several films were screened and in the second part the Gardel-Razzano Duo took part; the actor Roberto Casaux and professor Calvetty with their dog “Thim”

On the 21st and 22nd, at the Teatro Moderno (now the Liceo), two National Music Auditions were held, sponsored by the Argentine Society of Composers. Participated: Guiñazú; Carlos López Buchardo (piano); Osmán Pérez Freyre (piano); gate; Agustín Barrios (guitar); Armando Chimenti (guitar); bulterini; Amanda Campodónico (presenting orchestras and choirs of hers, her own students). Gardel and Razzano closed.

On November 23, a benefit function for actor Leopoldo Simari was held at the National Theater. The duo Gardel-Razzano and the Blanca Podestá Theater Company participate in the show, staging the magazine “Remedios caseros”, by Alfredo Sánchez Bermejo, with music by Antonio De Bassi and his brother Arturo De Bassi.

On December 7, again at the National Theater, a performance was held in honor of the secretary of the aforementioned room, Pascual Carcavallo, with the following program: Recitations by Luis Bayón Herrera; Duet of national songs by Gardel-Razzano; Angelina Pagano and Salvador Rosich representing “La comedia de hoy”, a farce in one act, original by Roberto L. Cayol; comic monologue by Roberto Casaux.