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L'incantesimo
is a short opera in one act by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi. Its libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who had previously collaborated with the composer on his most famous opera, ''L'amore dei tre re''. Benelli finished the text in 1933, and Montemezzi started work on the score, but the composer's unpleasant relationship with Benito Mussolini, Mussolini's government made Italy inconducive to creative work. Montemezzi resumed work on ''L'incantesimo'' during the summer of 1943 in Beverly Hills, his home during a 10-year sojourn in the United States of America, United States. Upon completion of the score, he offered it to the NBC Symphony Orchestra, NBC Symphony, professing admiration for their orchestra. Performance history ''L'incantesimo'' received its broadcast premiere on October 9, 1943, in New York City. The composer conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The opera's stage premiere took place on 9 August 1952, in Verona, Italy, only a few months after Monte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virgilio Lazzari
Virgilio Lazzari (20 April 1887 – 4 October 1953) was an Italian operatic bass (voice type), bass who had an active international performance career from 1908 to 1953. He had lengthy associations with the Chicago Civic Opera (1918–1932) and the Metropolitan Opera (1933–1950), and frequently performed at the Salzburg Festival during the 1930s. He appeared as a guest artist with opera houses internationally, including the Royal Opera House, the Teatro Colón, and the Teatro Carlo Felice among others. Lazzari was particularly known for his performances of Archibaldo in ''L'amore dei tre re'' and Leporello in ''Don Giovanni''. In 1943 he created the role of Salomone in the world premiere of Italo Montemezzi's ''L'incantesimo''. Music critic Harold Rosenthal stated that Lazzari was "one of the best singing actors in his particular repertory". While working in Chicago he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. His voice is preserved on complete recordings of Giuseppe Ver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sándor Svéd
Sándor Svéd (28 May 1906, Budapest — 9 June 1979), also known as Alexander Sved in the United States, was a Hungarian baritone who had an active international career in operas and concerts from 1928 until his retirement from the stage in 1958. He performed lead roles at several important opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In 1943 he performed the role of Folco in the world premiere of Italo Montemezzi's ''L'incantesimo''. He made several recordings during his career, both on record and on radio; including multiple performances for the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Life and career Born Sándor Svéd in Budapest, Hungary, Svéd was trained as a violinist at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. After graduating he pursued vocal training in Milan with baritones Mario Sammarco and Riccardo Stracciari. He later studied singing with Estelle Liebling in New York City. Svéd made his professional debut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italo Montemezzi
Italo Montemezzi (August 4, 1875 – May 15, 1952) was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera ''L'amore dei tre re'' (''The Love of the Three Kings''), once part of the standard repertoire. It is now seldom performed. Biography Montemezzi was born in Vigasio, near Verona. He studied music at the Milan Conservatory and subsequently taught harmony there for one year. His opera ''L’amore dei tre re'', written in 1913, launched his career and enabled him to devote himself to composition. His opera ''La nave'' had its world premiere in Milan in 1918. In 1919 he visited the United States, conducting the American premiere of ''La nave'' at the Chicago Opera Association on November 18. He lived in California from 1939 and commemorated Italy's surrender with ''Italia mia'' (1944), but later made frequent trips to Italy. He returned permanently in 1949 and died in Vigasio three years later. Other non-operatic works include the symphonic poem ''Paolo e Virginia'' (after ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teatro Grattacielo
Teatro Grattacielo is a professional opera company based in New York City specializing in concert performances of rarely heard verismo operas. The company's past performances have included the North American premieres of Mascagni's ''Il piccolo Marat'' and Riccardo Zandonai's ''I cavalieri di Ekebù'' and '' La farsa amorosa''. Its name means "Skyscraper Theatre" in Italian, a reference not only to the New York skyline but also to the Teatro Grattacielo in Genoa, a cinema which was the city's temporary opera house while the Teatro Carlo Felice was rebuilt after extensive damage in World War II. Company history Teatro Grattacielo was founded in 1994 by the former soprano and voice teacher, Duane Printz. The company gave its first performance in 1997 – Italo Montemezzi's ''L'amore dei tre re''. Most of its performances have taken place in the Alice Tully Hall, although other venues were used while the hall underwent renovation between 2006 and 2009 and in recent years the company ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vivian Della Chiesa
Vivian Della Chiesa (October 9, 1915 – January 6, 2009) was an American lyric soprano who achieved a high level of popularity in the United States singing on the radio during the 1940s and the early 1950s. Della Chiesa performed a wide variety of classical and popular works from opera to musical theatre, jazz, and popular songs. She sang on a number of radio programs during her career, including ''The American Album of Familiar Music'', ''The American Melody Hour'', and ''The Standard Hour'' among others. A particularly important triumph for her radio career was a 1943 radio concert of Brahms’s '' Deutsches Requiem'' with conductor Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her radio career, Della Chiesa performed actively on the opera stage, mostly at the Chicago City Opera Company and the Chicago Opera Company, during the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1950s, she became a successful nightclub singer, headlining at major clubs in Las Vegas, Reno, and in major ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
