Pietro Mascagni
What do we know of Pietro Mascagni, besides Cavalleria rusticana? There are about fifteen of his melodramas, numerous compositions for orchestra, chamber music and piano, a wide range of choral repertoire (both sacred and profane), and a curious interest in theater and cinema. Friend-enemy of Puccini, with whom he competed on stage for many years, favored by the regime but loved throughout Europe, for the first half of the Twentieth century Mascagni was much more than just a verist composer, as shown by his music, from time to time decadent, liberty, neoclassical and much more. With an in-depth musicological spirit and with the help of unpublished documents – not least Bastianelli\’s precious Pietro Mascagni and the letters of librettist Guido Menasci – Cesare Orselli guides us to the discovery of the great Tuscan composer.
Cesare Orselli, was professor of History of Music at the Conservatory and University of Florence, after having taught at the Universities of Cosenza and Siena. He has been collaborator of the Accademia Chigiana, of RAI and of the major Italian theatrical institutions, he has published essays and held conferences on more than 130 operas; he has signed entries for the encyclopedias Treccani, Utet and others.
