John Mucci
Sun, 09 Feb 2003 13:32:15 -0800
Note that the Sonzogno site is back up, after more than a year off line. Still quirky and not terribly informative, it has a fair amount of information and illustrations. www.sonzogno.it John Mucci 9 DeForest Rd Wilton, CT 06897 203-722-6751(c) 203-761-0083 (h) www.jmucci.com >From: Erik Bruchez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [mascagni-interest] Mascagni's 1902-1903 tour >Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 12:38:59 -0800 > >Dear list, > >Almost exactly one century ago, on February 7, 1903, Mascagni arrived >in San Francisco after four months of tournee on the East coast of the >United States. The tournee had largely been a fiasco up to that point, >due to mismanagement and bad luck. The first American manager of the >tour sued Mascagni, who was confined in his Boston suite until a bail >was paid. Having decided to stay in the country until the lawsuit was >resolved, Mascagni and his wife finally left Boston for San Francisco >on their own, invitated by a local San Francisco manager. The >two-month San Francisco stay was to reconcile Mascagni with the New >World. > >At first, only two concerts at the Alhambra theatre took place. Soon, >an additional "sacred concert" and a "popular concert" were announced, >and finally a series of nine performances of Cavalleria Rusticana and >other works took place at the Tivoli opera house. To conclude the >Mascagni season, as the newspapers called it, three more concerts took >place: one dedicated to Beethoven; a testimonial concert; and finally >a concert to raise funds for a Verdi monument in the city. > >The program of the concerts included works by composers such as >Rossini, Verdi, Woton, Beethoven, Goldmark, Tschaikowsky, Wagner, as >well as Mascagni's own works. This shows how important Mascagni's >conducting career had become at the time. The major hit was the Hymn >of the Sun from Iris, who was heard for the first time in the city. > >In San Francisco, Mascagni found competent managers, an enthusiastic >audience, acclaiming critics and banquets in his honor. The Mayor of >the city himself presented Mascagni with a watch, in the name of the >local managers and the orchestra. Mascagni found the time on February >20 to compose a short fragment, "Un pensiero a San Francisco", that >was supposedly published in the San Francisco Chronicle, to this day >one of the major newspapers of the city. Mascagni liked San Francisco >and in a letter proclaimed California "the most beautiful state of the >Union". > >I find the 1902-1903 North American tour fascinating! Alan Mallach has >documented it in an article and in his recent book, "Pietro Mascagni >and his Operas", the first critical Mascagni biography in English, >that I recommend. > >In passing, Cavalleria Rusticana will be performed at the San >Francisco Opera this autumn, with its traditional pairing, Pagliacci. > >I recently found two pictures that do not relate directly with the >tour, but were published in a small book most likely in 1903. One >picture shows Mascagni conducting a concert. The second one shows >Mascagni's work studio, probably in Pesaro. It certainly looks nice! > > http://www.mascagni.org/framed-images/504283 > http://www.mascagni.org/framed-images/504285 > >The Web site will soon feature material related to the San Francisco >part of the tour. Stay tuned! > >-Erik > >-- >Unsubscribe by sending unsubscribe in the body to >[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail -- Unsubscribe by sending unsubscribe in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]