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.
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Diskografie
20 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Lauritz Melchior (Recorded 1924 - 1939)
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Prima Voce am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mario Del Monaco: His First Classical London Records of Pagliacci & Cavalleria Rusticana
Oper - Erschienen bei Urania am 01.01.2006
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei TACET Musikproduktion am 05.02.2021
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 05.03.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Caruso: The Early Recordings
Enrico Caruso, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salvatore Cottone
Oper - Erschienen bei Prima Voce am 01.01.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Pagliacci Highlights & Verdi Choruses
Tito Gobbi, Mario Spina, Franco Corelli
Oper - Erschienen bei P4Y am 25.11.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggero Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (1954)
Oper - Erschienen bei Classical Moments am 20.03.2013
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei YOYO USA Digital am 12.06.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera -I Pagliacci
Oper - Erschienen bei Digital Natives am 10.02.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Bohème Collection
Klassik - Erschienen bei Classique Perfecto am 25.10.2011
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Pagliacci
Oper - Erschienen bei The Digital Gramophone am 06.03.2014
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Mario Lanza - Sus mejores canciones
Klassik - Erschienen bei EurotradeDigital am 23.07.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggero Leoncavallo. Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo. Pagliacci)
Oper - Erschienen bei FONOCAL am 13.09.2012
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I Pagliacci - Der Bajazzo
Orquestra Sinfonica e Coro do Tatro La Scala
Oper - Erschienen bei Bela Records am 26.04.2010
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The World's Favourite Opera Choruses
Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir, The
Oper - Erschienen bei Ondine am 01.09.2000
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Ruggiero Leoncavallo: Chatterton
Chor der Mailäner Scala, Orchester der Mailäner Scala, Ruggero Leoncavallo
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 19.10.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Pagliacci (Intermezzo)
World Music - Erschienen bei Viking Records am 03.11.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Gigli
Klassik - Erschienen bei Sunday Club Records am 26.11.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo