Background
Pietro Mascagni was born on December 7, 1863, in Livorno, Italy, the son of a baker.
When Mascagni was ten, his mother died, and three years later.
(Audio CD recorded at Walthamstow Town Hall, London, Augus...)
Audio CD recorded at Walthamstow Town Hall, London, August, 1978.
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(On EMI Classics Great Recordings of the Century 67376; 2 ...)
On EMI Classics Great Recordings of the Century 67376; 2 CD's; Here is the definitive recording of Mascagni's lovely romantic opera, with Pavarotti and Freni at their delightful freshest!! Not to be missed!
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(Karajan's classic Cavalleria features an all Italian cast...)
Karajan's classic Cavalleria features an all Italian cast, headed by Fiorenza Cossotto and Carlo Bergonzi now available for the first time all newly remaster in DG's acclaimed Orignal-Image Bit-Processing sound.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000031WYP/?tag=2022091-20
Pietro Mascagni was born on December 7, 1863, in Livorno, Italy, the son of a baker.
When Mascagni was ten, his mother died, and three years later.
Against his father’s wishes, Pietro Mascagni began studying music under the tutelage of Alfredo Soffredini, a composer, teacher, and musical reviewer.
Pietro Mascagni completed more than 15 operas in his 82 years. he most memorable of these was Cavalleria Rusticana, a tempestuous love story set in a small Sicilian town.
In 1881 he composed his first cantata, In Filanda.
In 1883 Mascagni derived Pinotta from the previously composed In Filanda, and attempted to enter it into the Conservatory’s musical contest, but his registration was too late. In April 1885, after losing interest in the routine of his daily studies, Mascagni left the Conservatory.
He found a position immediately with the company of Dario Acconci, and soon after toured the country as a conductor in the operette companies of Vittorio Forli, Alfonso and Ciro Scognamiglio, and Luigi Arnaldo Vassallo.
In 1882, Mascagni discontinued work on his opera Guglielmo Ratcliff so that he could focus his attention on the composition of Cavelleria Rusticana for the Sonzogno music competition.
The opera triumphed over the other 72 entries by composers like Bossi and Giordano to win first place.
On May 17, 1890, the Cavelleria premiered at the Costanzi Theater in Rome.
Its success was unparalleled, and soon it was playing at theaters in Florence, Palermo, Venice, Hamburg, Petersburg, Dresden, Buenos Aires, and Vienna.
But the rest of Mascagni’s career, though long, diverse, and fruitful, would never again reach the level of success that Cavelleria achieved. Mascagni followed his massive success with the 1891 opera L’amico Fritz, a lyricalcomposition yielding such popular numbers as Cherry Duet.
The comedy premiered on October 31, 1891, at the Costanzie Theater in Rome, successful because its melodic strength, though here combined with more refined harmony, was not unlike that in Cavelleria.
In an attempt to increase his audience, Mascagni began conducting outside Italy, where he earned a strong reputation in Vienna, Paris, and London.
On November 10, 1892, Mascagni premiered I Rantzau at the La Pergola Theater in Florence.
Three years later Mascagni premiered the finally-finished Guglielmo Ratcliffon February 16 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Silvano, a rushed opera written to fulfill a contract with Sonzogno, premiered at the same theater on March 15.
Enrolled in Milan Conservatory and studied with Ponchielli and Saladino, left without completing studies, 1885.
Began regular music studies with Alfredo Soffredini, 1876; composed first cantata, In Filanda, and won first place in musical contest in Milan; moved to Milan and enrolled in Milan Conservatory, where he met Puccini, 1882; left Milan without completing studies, toured as conductor in the operette companies of Forli, Scognamiglio, and Vassallo, 1885; met Luigi Maresca, 1886; left company of Maresca to become master of music and singing in philharmonic of Cerignola, 1887; finished composition of Cavalleria Rusticana, 1889; won Sonzog-no contest for Cavalleria Rusticana, premiered the opera in Costanzi Theater in Rome, opera played throughout Italy, 1890.
The composition was another moderate success, initiating the popularity of fin-de-siecle exotic opera.
On January 17, 1901, Le maschere premiered at six Italian theaters and was unsuccessful at all of them.
By 1902 Mascagni chose to resign his position at Liceo Musicale so he could tour the United States, where he performed in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco. Arnica premiered with a libretto by Choudens in MonteCarlo on March 16, 1905.
It was better received than Le maschere, but still not widely popular, a point of tension between Mascagni and Puccini that led to their dispute the same year.
In 1910 the two temporarily rekindled their friendship, and the following year Mascagni’s career was on an upswing with the premiere of the romantic opera Isabeau, received warmly by Italians in Buenos Aires and similarly embraced in Milan and Venice.
However, critics noted that the romantic style of the opera lacked originality and suggested Mascagni might have lost his creativity.
This idea was only reaffirmed by the resounding failure of Parisina, a collaboration with D’Annunzio.
In 1910 Mascagni began an affair with Anna Lolli, and by 1913 his wife remarried the musician Guido Farinelli.
Two years later, on December 13, Mascagni premiered his operette Si in Rome.
Three years later Mascagni premiered Nerone in Milan, his last work, written with Mussolini in mind, as a final attempt to battle the inevitable modernism surrounding him. Mascagni made his final appearance in April of 1943 at the La Scala Theater for a performance of L’Amico Fritz.
(Karajan's classic Cavalleria features an all Italian cast...)
(On EMI Classics Great Recordings of the Century 67376; 2 ...)
(Audio CD recorded at Walthamstow Town Hall, London, Augus...)
Pietro Mascagni married Lina Carbognani on February 3, 1889.
