Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo is remembered almost exclusively for his opera I Pagliacci, which -- along with Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana -- has become the hallmark of the late nineteenth century verismo style. Leoncavallo studied composition at the Naples conservatory and literature at Bologna University; this dual passion for music and poetry would lead the young composer to seek a unity between the two disciplines in the manner of Richard Wagner, whose music would come as a revelation.
His first operatic efforts were thwarted by ill fortune: a production of his student work, Chatterton, fell through after the impresario made off with the money Leoncavallo himself had furnished to cover the costs. However, after several years of scraping by as a café pianist, he was introduced to the influential publisher Giulio Ricordi, who bought the rights to Chatterton and engaged Leoncavallo as a librettist. While this signified a temporary improvement in the young man's circumstances, the creative alliance between Leoncavallo and Ricordi proved frustrating. Ricordi declined his next opera, I Medici, and his attempts at a libretto for Puccini's Manon Lescaut led to irreconcilable creative differences.
These combined misfortunes instilled in Leoncavallo a singular desire for operatic success, which he channeled into his masterpiece, I Pagliacci. Modeled on Mascagni's Cavalleria, Pagliacci was an instant sensation at its premier in 1892. From that point onward, Leoncavallo enjoyed fame and wealth, although the success of this work was never to be repeated.
In 1897 Leoncavallo produced a setting of La Bohème that was meant to rival that of Puccini, but, although it pleased the public somewhat, Puccini's finer and more sophisticated work quickly outstripped Leoncavallo's in popularity. Subsequent re-workings of Chatterton and I Medici proved to be dismal failures in Italy, but I Medici sufficiently impressed the Kaiser of Germany to gain a commission for a new work, Der Roland von Berlin (1904), which enjoyed modest success in Berlin. However, Leoncavallo never again gained his footing in Italy, where his works formed a succession of spectacular failures and tepid successes.
The advent of recording technology was fortuitous for Leoncavallo, who conducted I Pagliacci in the first complete recording of an Italian opera. He also accompanied Enrico Caruso in a recorded performance of the song, "Mattinata," which has become his most popular work after Pagliacci.
© TiVo
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Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Lauritz Melchior (Recorded 1924 - 1939)
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Prima Voce on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mario Del Monaco: His First Classical London Records of Pagliacci & Cavalleria Rusticana
Opera - Released by Urania on 1 jan. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Welte Mignon Mystery, Vol. 14
Eugen d' Albert, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Engelbert Humperdinck, Max von Schillings, Wilhelm Kienzl, Heinrich Zollner
Klassiek - Released by TACET Musikproduktion on 5 feb. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandi Voci- Mario Del Monaco Le prime registrazioni. Una collana con registrazioni originali Decca e Deutsche Grammophon rimasterizzate con le tecniche più moderne che ne garantiscono eccellenza tecnica e artistica.
Mario del Monaco, Giuseppe Verdi, Ruggero Leoncavallo
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 5 mrt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Caruso: The Early Recordings
Enrico Caruso, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salvatore Cottone
Opera - Released by Prima Voce on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Pagliacci Highlights & Verdi Choruses
Tito Gobbi, Mario Spina, Franco Corelli
Opera - Released by P4Y on 25 nov. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggero Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (1954)
Opera - Released by Classical Moments on 20 mrt. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Musicians, Great Music: Beniamino Gigli Sings Pagliacci
Beniamino Gigli, Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala - Milan
Klassiek - Released by YOYO USA Digital on 12 jun. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera -I Pagliacci
Opera - Released by Digital Natives on 10 feb. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Bohème Collection
Klassiek - Released by Classique Perfecto on 25 okt. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pagliacci
Opera - Released by The Digital Gramophone on 6 mrt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mario Lanza - Sus mejores canciones
Klassiek - Released by EurotradeDigital on 23 jul. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggero Leoncavallo. Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo. Pagliacci)
Opera - Released by FONOCAL on 13 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Pagliacci - Der Bajazzo
Orquestra Sinfonica e Coro do Tatro La Scala
Opera - Released by Bela Records on 26 apr. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World's Favourite Opera Choruses
Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir, The
Opera - Released by Ondine on 1 sep. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggiero Leoncavallo: Chatterton
Chor der Mailäner Scala, Orchester der Mailäner Scala, Ruggero Leoncavallo
Klassiek - Released by Cantus Classics on 19 okt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Pagliacci (Intermezzo)
Wereldmuziek - Released by Viking Records on 3 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Gigli
Klassiek - Released by Sunday Club Records on 26 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo