1954
Her repertoire was constantly expanding and it now included music of Liviabella and Kodaly as well as “Ebben, ne andro lontano”.
On 2 December, Anita traveled to Sardinia for a debut in “Il Trovatore” at Sassari’s Teatro Verdi, and so ended another extremely disappointing year.
Persuaded that her time would come, Anita continued studies at the Comunale, and in February 1954 she sang in Catalani’s “Loreley” and in “Il Trovatore” at Reggio Emilia.
In March, the commercial center of Mestre on the ouskirts of Venice engaged her for “Trovatore” and in April she debuted at Pisa’s Teatro Verdi in “La Forza del Destino”.
Milan’s Radio Station engaged Anita for a concert in early May, where, for the first time she sang “La Mamma Morta” and in June she toured to Enghien Les Bains, Belgium for “La Forza del Destino” with her first stellar cast : Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Guelfi and Tancredi Pasero.
On 28 June at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore she sang in “Aida” with Mario Filippeschi and Anzelmo Colzani and on 24 July, Anita had an enormous success at Naples’ Arena Flegrea as Aida. Elena Nicolai, Gino Penno, Guelfi and Boris Christoff shared honors with the debutante and Cerquetti finally received coverage in newspapers throughout the country. There was enormous praise for the effulgence of her tone and for the repose of the most difficult passages in the opera.


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