Zandonai, Riccardo

Zandonai, Riccardo – Francesca da Rimini, Tragedia in quattro atti

(b. Sacco, Rovereto, on May 30, 1883 – d. Pesaro on June 5, 1944)

full opera score with Italian libretto / 2 volumes

Preface
Riccardo Zandonai was born to Luigi and Carolina Todeschi in the Borgo Sacco neighbourhood of Rovereto, in the Trentino region of Italy, on 30 May 1883. His father played euphonium in the village band and his maternal uncle played the guitar; the young Riccardo’s earliest musical experiences included learning the guitar and the clarinet. From a young age he studied with Vincenzo Gianferrari (1859–1939) at the Scuola Musicale di Rovereto, before embarking on studies with Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945) at the Liceo Musicale at Pesaro, between 1898 and 1901. As a student, Zandonai established his reputation by composing the Inno degli Studenti Trentini, a popular anthem advocating the liberation of his native province from Austria. In 1902, he made his debut with a large-scale symphonic poem for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, titled Il ritorno di Odisseo. In this early period, he also composed an opera, La coppa del re (before 1906), and a children’s opera, L’uccellino d’oro (1907), alongside a range of smaller-scale pieces. In 1907, the librettist, composer, poet, and critic Arrigo Boito (1842–1918) introduced the young composer to Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), who immediately commissioned him to compose an opera, Il grillo del focolare (1908), which remains one of Zandonai’s most widely known works. …

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