Gaetano Bavagnoli
Encyclopedia
Gaetano Bavagnoli was an Italian
conductor
who was particularly known for his work within the field of opera
. He was mainly active within Italy's major opera house
s during the first third of the 20th century; although he did conduct at important international stages like the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City and the Royal Opera House
in London as well. He also worked as a voice teacher
and was notably the instructor of opera singers Emanuel Kopecky, Lina Pagliughi
, and Aureliano Pertile
.
, Bavagnoli was the son of conductor and voice teacher Manilo Bavagnoli and it was from him that he received his early musical training. After graduating from the Parma Conservatory, Bavagnoli began working as a conductor in Italy in 1900. He also worked in Spain on the conducting staffs of the Teatro Real
and the Liceu
during the first decade of the 20th century. At the latter house he notably conducted performances of Vincenzo Bellini
's La sonnambula
with Amelita Galli-Curci
as Amina.
On 10 August 1908 Bavagnoli conducted a performance of Giacomo Puccini
's Manon Lescaut
for the opening of the Teatro Municipal
in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
. In 1911 he joined the conducting staff of the Tetro Regio in Parma
. While there he notably conducted that house's first presentation of Modest Mussorgsky
's Boris Godunov
on 25 December 1911 with Eugenio Giraldoni
in the title role.
's Conchita
in the United States. The production starred Tarquinia Tarquini
in the title role and made stops at the Cort Theatre
in San Francisco (1912), the Philarmonic Auditorium in Hollywood (1912), the Heilig Theatre in Portland
(1912), the Metropolitan Opera House
in Philadelphia (1912), the Chicago Grand Opera
(1913), and the Metropolitan Opera House
in New York City (1913).
In 1913 Bavagnoli returned to Parma, this time working on the staff of the Teatro Massimo
. In 1915 he was invited to join the conducting staff of the New York Metropolitan Opera
after Arturo Toscanini
decided not to renew his contract with the company. Bavagnoli accepted, making his Met debut on November 19, 1915 leading a performance of Giacomo Puccini
's La bohème
with Frances Alda
as Mimì, Enrico Caruso as Rodolfo, Ida Cajatti as Musetta, and Antonio Scotti
as Marcello. He remained at the Met for only one season, conducting a total of 61 performances of mostly Italian operas such as Aida
, The Barber of Seville
, Cavalleria Rusticana
, Lucia di Lammermoor
, Manon Lescaut
, Tosca
and La Traviata
. He notably conducted the world premiere of Enrique Granados
's Goyescas
on January 28, 1916 with Anna Fitziu
as Rosario and Giovanni Martinelli
as Fernando. His last performance with the Met was conducting Friedrich von Flotow
's Martha
in an out of town engagement in Atlanta, Georgia on April 28, 1916 with Maria Barrientos
in the title role.
in Bergamo
and the Teatro Regio in Parma. Over the next several years he remained busy conducting at various principal houses in Italy. In 1920 he conducted the Royal Opera, Covent Garden
's first performances of Giacomo Puccini
's Il tritico. He worked on the conucting staff of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
from 1920–1924, after which he was at the Teatro Regio di Torino from 1924-1926. From 1924-1931 he conducted the Winter Season at the Teatro Carlo Felice
. In the 1926-1927 season he conducted at La Fenice
.
Bavagnoli conducted at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
in 1928-1929. In the late 1920s he worked as a conductor for Nellie Melba
's Melba-Williamson Grand Opera Company in Australia. During the last few years of his life he was mainly busy working at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Teatro Donizetti. At the latter house, he notably conducted an acclaimed performance of Vincenzo Bellini
's Norma
on September 28, 1831 in honor of the work's 100th anniversary with Bianca Scacciati in the title role. In 1932 he led performances of Giacomo Meyerbeer
's L'Africaine
at the Arena di Verona Festival
. He died in 1933 in Milan
at the age of 54.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who was particularly known for his work within the field of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. He was mainly active within Italy's major opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s during the first third of the 20th century; although he did conduct at important international stages like the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City and the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London as well. He also worked as a voice teacher
Voice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...
and was notably the instructor of opera singers Emanuel Kopecky, Lina Pagliughi
Lina Pagliughi
Lina Pagliughi was an Italian-American opera singer. Based in Italy for the majority of her career, she made a number of recordings and established herself as one of the world's finest lyric coloratura sopranos of the 1930s and '40s.-Career:Pagliughi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian...
, and Aureliano Pertile
Aureliano Pertile
Aureliano Pertile was an Italian lyric-dramatic tenor. He is considered to have been one of the most exciting operatic artists of the inter-war period, and one of the most important tenors of the entire 20th century.- Life and career :Pertile was born in Montagnana, Northern Italy, 18 days after...
.
Early life and career: 1879-1911
Born in ParmaParma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Bavagnoli was the son of conductor and voice teacher Manilo Bavagnoli and it was from him that he received his early musical training. After graduating from the Parma Conservatory, Bavagnoli began working as a conductor in Italy in 1900. He also worked in Spain on the conducting staffs of the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
and the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
during the first decade of the 20th century. At the latter house he notably conducted performances of Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's La sonnambula
La sonnambula
La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur.The first...
with Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the best-known coloratura singers of the early 20th century with her gramophone records selling in large numbers.-Early life:...
as Amina.
On 10 August 1908 Bavagnoli conducted a performance of Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
for the opening of the Teatro Municipal
Teatro Municipal (San Nicolás de los Arroyos)
The Teatro Municipal is a municipal theatre located in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Argentina. It is that city's main venue for opera, ballet, and orchestral performances...
in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, 61 km from Rosario. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido of the same name...
. In 1911 he joined the conducting staff of the Tetro Regio in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. While there he notably conducted that house's first presentation of Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
's Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
on 25 December 1911 with Eugenio Giraldoni
Eugenio Giraldoni
Eugenio Giraldoni was an Italian operatic baritone who enjoyed a substantial international career. In 1900, he created the role of Baron Scarpia....
in the title role.
Working in the United States:1912-1916
In 1912-1913 Bavagnoli conducted a touring production of Riccardo ZandonaiRiccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
's Conchita
Conchita (opera)
Conchita is an opera in four acts and six scenes by composer Riccardo Zandonai. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Maurizio Vaucaire and Carlo Zangarini which is based on Pierre Louÿs's 1898 novel La femme et le pantin...
in the United States. The production starred Tarquinia Tarquini
Tarquinia Tarquini
Tarquinia Tarquini was an Italian dramatic soprano and the wife of composer Riccardo Zandonai. Born in Colle di Val d'Elsa, Tarquini studied singing at the Milan Conservatory and privately in Florence...
in the title role and made stops at the Cort Theatre
Cort Theatre
The Cort Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 138 West 48th Street in the Theatre District of midtown Manhattan in New York City...
in San Francisco (1912), the Philarmonic Auditorium in Hollywood (1912), the Heilig Theatre in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
(1912), the Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (Philadelphia)
The Metropolitan Opera House is a historic opera house located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 858 North Broad Street. Built over the course of just a few months in 1908, it was the ninth opera house built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I. It was initially the home of Hammerstein's Philadelphia...
in Philadelphia (1912), the Chicago Grand Opera
Chicago Grand Opera Company
Two grand opera companies in Chicago have gone by the name Chicago Grand Opera CompanyThe first Chicago Grand Opera Company produced four seasons of opera in Chicago’s Auditorium Theater from the Fall of 1910 through November 1915. It was the first resident Chicago opera company...
(1913), and the Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (39th St)
The Metropolitan Opera House was an opera house located at 1411 Broadway in New York City. Opened in 1883 and demolished in 1967, it was the first home of the Metropolitan Opera Company.-History:...
in New York City (1913).
In 1913 Bavagnoli returned to Parma, this time working on the staff of the Teatro Massimo
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II....
. In 1915 he was invited to join the conducting staff of the New York Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
after Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
decided not to renew his contract with the company. Bavagnoli accepted, making his Met debut on November 19, 1915 leading a performance of Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
with Frances Alda
Frances Alda
Frances Alda was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality—and frequent onstage partnerships at the New York Metropolitan Opera with the...
as Mimì, Enrico Caruso as Rodolfo, Ida Cajatti as Musetta, and Antonio Scotti
Antonio Scotti
Antonio Scotti was an Italian baritone. He was a principal artist of the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than 33 seasons, but also sang with great success at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Milan's La Scala.-Life:Antonio Scotti was born in Naples, Italy...
as Marcello. He remained at the Met for only one season, conducting a total of 61 performances of mostly Italian operas such as Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, Cavalleria Rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
, Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
and La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
. He notably conducted the world premiere of Enrique Granados
Enrique Granados
Enrique Granados y Campiña was a Spanish pianist and composer of classical music. His music is in a uniquely Spanish style and, as such, representative of musical nationalism...
's Goyescas
Goyescas (opera)
Goyescas is an opera in one act and three tableaux, written in 1915 by the Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Granados composed the opera to a Spanish libretto by Fernando Periquet y Zuaznabar with melodies taken from his 1911 piano suite, which was also called Goyescas...
on January 28, 1916 with Anna Fitziu
Anna Fitziu
Anna Fitziu was an American soprano who had a prolific international opera career during the early part of the 20th century. Her signature roles included Fiora in L'amore dei tre re, Mimi in La Boheme, Nedda in Pagliacci, and the title roles in Isabeau, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca...
as Rosario and Giovanni Martinelli
Giovanni Martinelli
Giovanni Martinelli was a celebrated Italian operatic tenor. He was particularly associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well...
as Fernando. His last performance with the Met was conducting Friedrich von Flotow
Friedrich von Flotow
Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera Martha, which was popular in the 19th century....
's Martha
Martha (opera)
Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
in an out of town engagement in Atlanta, Georgia on April 28, 1916 with Maria Barrientos
Maria Barrientos
Maria Barrientos was a Spanish opera singer, a light coloratura soprano, one of the most eminent sopranos of her time.- Life and career :...
in the title role.
Later career:1916-1933
In the 1916-1917 season Bavagnoli worked on the conducting staffs at the Teatro DonizettiTeatro Donizetti
The Teatro Donizetti is an opera house in Bergamo, Italy. Built in the 1780s using a design by architect Giovanni Francesco Lucchini, the theatre was originally referred to as either the Teatro Nuovo or Teatro di Fiera. The first opera to be mounted at the theatre, Giuseppe Sarti's Medonte, re di...
in Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
and the Teatro Regio in Parma. Over the next several years he remained busy conducting at various principal houses in Italy. In 1920 he conducted the Royal Opera, Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
's first performances of Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Il tritico. He worked on the conucting staff of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
from 1920–1924, after which he was at the Teatro Regio di Torino from 1924-1926. From 1924-1931 he conducted the Winter Season at the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
. In the 1926-1927 season he conducted at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
.
Bavagnoli conducted at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
in 1928-1929. In the late 1920s he worked as a conductor for Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
's Melba-Williamson Grand Opera Company in Australia. During the last few years of his life he was mainly busy working at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Teatro Donizetti. At the latter house, he notably conducted an acclaimed performance of Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
on September 28, 1831 in honor of the work's 100th anniversary with Bianca Scacciati in the title role. In 1932 he led performances of Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
's L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
at the Arena di Verona Festival
Arena di Verona Festival
The Arena di Verona Festival is a summer festival of opera, located in the city of Verona Italy. Since 1936, it has been organized under the auspices of an official body, first the Ente Autonomo Spettacoli Lirici Arena di Verona, , and then, following legislation in 1996 and...
. He died in 1933 in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
at the age of 54.