Eduardo Adrián

Eduardo Adrián, whose real name was Carlos Alberto Eyherabide, was born on 4 February 1923 in Mar del Plata and raised in Avellaneda. His mother, the lyric singer Emma Gismondi, gave him his first vocal training. Before the Radio Belgrano contest he had already adopted the stage name Adrián Lavalle and sung as a soloist with the choir of the Teatro Casino.^[1][2]

In early 1941 friends arranged a voice test at the Julio Korn publishing house. Rodolfo Sciammarella listened and Oscar Sabino accompanied him at the piano. Mariano Mores happened to be in the building, heard him, and immediately took him to Radio Belgrano, where Jabón Palmolive was sponsoring a search for a new singer for Francisco Canaro’s orchestra. Ernesto Famá and Francisco Amor had left to form their own group, leaving only the Uruguayan Carlos Roldán. Adrián won the contest and joined Canaro at the beginning of 1941.^[1][2][3]

His first recording with Canaro was the waltz “Anoche soñé” on 22 October 1941. Over the next two years he cut more than forty titles, among them “Infamia,” “Corazón encadenado,” “Es mejor perdonar,” “Gricel,” “Cada vez que me recuerdes,” “Tristeza marina,” “Verdemar,” “En el viejo café,” “Necesito olvidar” and “Nido gaucho.” The partnership also included radio broadcasts, carnival balls and Canaro’s annual musical revues in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.^[1][4][5]

In 1942 Canaro premiered the musical comedy “Sentimiento gaucho” at the Teatro Nacional, with a book by Ivo Pelay. Adrián sang “Viviré con tu recuerdo” and “Corazón encadenado”; the production introduced black-light effects for certain scenes and featured Susy del Carril, Carlos Enríquez, Oscar Villa, Cayetano Biondo and the young dancer Santiago Ayala (El Chúcaro).^[1][2] The following year he appeared in the revue “Buenos Aires de ayer y de hoy” opposite Tita Merello and Tomás Simari, singing “Y no la puedo olvidar” and, in duet with Roldán, “Soñar y nada más” and the march “Argentina.”^[1][2]

Adrián left Canaro in late December 1943. He then worked as a soloist on Radio El Mundo, accompanied by the station orchestra under Andrés Fraga with arrangements by Héctor Artola. In Uruguay he recorded two numbers with Emilio Pellejero in 1946—“Sueño de juventud” and “Silbando”—and two more with Hugo Di Carlo in 1950 (“Adiós muchachos” and “Puente Alsina”). Further sessions followed with Heber Escayola in 1954 and a 1969 long-playing record accompanied by a quartet that included Máximo Mori on bandoneon and Lucio Demare on piano.^[1][2][6]

In 1948 he sang the tango “Uno” in the Argentine film “Los pulpos,” directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen and starring Roberto Escalada, Olga Zubarry, Carlos Thompson and Beba Bidart; the film is now considered lost.^[1][2] By the late 1950s he had begun prefacing his performances with short talks on tango and culture. In 1960 he competed on the television quiz “Odol pregunta,” choosing the subject of Aeschylus and Greek theatre; an erroneous elimination by the jury provoked protests from specialists and university professors.^[1][2]

Between 1962 and 1968 Adrián lived in Uruguay, where he continued to sing and worked as a journalist. On his return he gave a cycle of thirty-eight lectures for secondary-school students under UNESCO sponsorship. He later spent a long period in Mendoza, creating the Radio Nacional programme “Latitud Tango,” and organized and directed theatrical groups, among them Teatro del Tiempo, with tours to Chile and Brazil.^[1][2][7]

As a composer and lyricist he wrote both words and music for “Perdón madame,” “Donde nadie llegó” and “La luna al paredón” (recorded by Osvaldo Fresedo and by Aníbal Troilo with Raúl Berón) and the lyrics of “Me voy cantando bajito” (music by Francisco Trópoli). Contemporary listeners noted his tenor register, comfortable phrasing, romantic tone and ability to handle dramatic texts. Enrique Santos Discépolo is reported to have said of him that the country of tango finally had a singer who was also an artist.^[1][2]

Adrián died in Buenos Aires on 23 May 1990. His recordings with Canaro remain the core of his discography and continue to circulate on compilations; later generations have valued both the polished romantic style of those sides and the broader cultural activity that occupied the second half of his life.^[4][5][8]

Early life and discovery

Born Carlos Alberto Eyherabide on 4 February 1923 in Mar del Plata and raised in Avellaneda, Adrián received his first vocal instruction from his mother, the lyric singer Emma Gismondi. Under the name Adrián Lavalle he sang as a soloist with the Teatro Casino choir. In early 1941 a chance hearing by Mariano Mores at the Julio Korn publishing house led directly to the Radio Belgrano contest sponsored by Jabón Palmolive, which sought a replacement for the departed Famá and Amor in Canaro’s orchestra. Adrián won and joined at the start of 1941.^[1][2]

Years with Francisco Canaro

The first disc with Canaro, the waltz “Anoche soñé,” was recorded on 22 October 1941. More than forty further titles followed before the end of 1943, including well-known pieces such as “Gricel,” “Corazón encadenado,” “Infamia” and “Necesito olvidar.” The engagement also encompassed radio work, carnival balls on both sides of the River Plate, and Canaro’s regular musical revues. In 1942 Adrián appeared in “Sentimiento gaucho” at the Teatro Nacional, singing “Viviré con tu recuerdo” and “Corazón encadenado”; the following year he shared the stage with Tita Merello in “Buenos Aires de ayer y de hoy.” The association ended in late December 1943.^[1][2][4][5]

Solo career, film and Uruguay

After leaving Canaro, Adrián sang on Radio El Mundo with the station orchestra directed by Andrés Fraga and arranged by Héctor Artola. Sparse recordings followed: two sides with Emilio Pellejero in 1946, two with Hugo Di Carlo in 1950, two with Heber Escayola in 1954, and a twelve-track LP in 1969 accompanied by Máximo Mori and Lucio Demare. In 1948 he performed “Uno” in the film “Los pulpos.” From 1962 to 1968 he lived in Uruguay, combining singing with journalistic work. On his return he delivered thirty-eight UNESCO-backed lectures for secondary students and later created the Radio Nacional programme “Latitud Tango” while based in Mendoza.^[1][2][6][7]

Style, compositions and later activity

Adrián’s voice was a tenor of considerable volume; contemporaries described him as a comfortable, romantic phrasing singer able to handle deeply dramatic lyrics. Discépolo reportedly praised him as a singer who was also an artist. He composed both music and lyrics for “Perdón madame,” “Donde nadie llegó” and “La luna al paredón,” and wrote the words of “Me voy cantando bajito.” In the late 1950s and 1960s he added spoken introductions and formal lectures on tango and culture to his performances, and directed theatrical ensembles that toured Chile and Brazil.^[1][2]