Erik Bruchez
Sun, 19 Oct 2003 21:35:20 -0700
This is a reminder to the opera lovers in the NYC area that Teatro Grattacielo will perform on November 25 what is probably going to be the North American premiere of Mascagni's Guglielmo Ratcliff, in concert version.
The cast is composed of Philip Cokorinos, Carol Ann Manzi, Brian Davis, Lando Bartolini, John Hagen, Eugenie Grunewald, Lawrence Long, Anna Tonna, Young-Bok Kim, and Daniel Cory. The Teatro Grattacielo Orchestra will be conducted by Maestro Alfredo Silipigni.
Guglielmo Ratlicff is Mascagni's first grand opera. Composition started in 1884, when Mascagni was still a student at the conservatory of Milan, and continued after he prematurely left the conservatory and started travelling the country with operetta companies.
Work on Ratcliff was interrupted by the composition of Cavalleria Rusticana, composed specifically for the one-act opera contest annouced by the editor Sonzogno in 1888. As everybody knows, Mascagni won the contest and became instantly famous. The composition of three other operas preceded the premiere of Guglielmo Ratcliff: L'amico Fritz (1891), I Rantzau (1892), and Silvano (1895). Ratcliff finally premiered on February 16, 1895.
Guglielmo Ratcliff was Mascagni's favorite among his 15 operas, and remains one of his most ambitious works. The opera was to be performed during the 1902-1903 North American tour, but the difficulty of the work, which led to extended rehearsals, and the eventual disintegration of the tour, did not permit any performance to take place.
If everything goes as planned, I will be in New York for that performance, and I would be happy to meet any Mascagnano who may be around, time permitting!
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