Luigi Mancinelli

Mancinelli was a cellist as well as a conductor. He conducted at Covent Garden, in Madrid, and in Buenos Aires, where he led the inaugural performance of the Teatro Colón. He made his Metropolitan Opera début in Faust, which re-opened the house on Nov. 27, 1893, after a fire which had closed the house the preceding season. During nine seasons as leading conductor, he led the first Met performances of Werther, Falstaff, Samson et Dalila, Le Cid, The Magic Flute, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, and Ernani, as well as his own opera, Ero e Leandro.

His popularity was rivaled only by that of Toscanini for many years, and had he not been much older, Mancinelli would have certainly been better recorded and better known today. He apparently wrote Ero e Leandro in forty days, during a tour of the United States.

Operas

• Isora di Provenza (3 acts, A. Zanardini; Bologna, 1884)
• Ero e Leandro (3 acts, Arrigo Boito; Madrid, 1897)
• Paolo e Francesca (1 act, Arturo Colautti; Bologna, 1907)
• Sogno di una Notte d'Estate (3 acts, Fausto Salvatori; 1919)

Other Stage Works

• Messalina (Prelude and Intermezzo for the drama by Pietro Cossa, 1876)
• Cleopatra (Symphonic Intermezzi for the drama by Pietro Cossa, 1877)
• Tizianello (Five pieces for the comedy by E. Lombroso, 1880)
• Isaia (Cantata, words by Giuseppe Albini, 1887)
• Frate Sole (Symphonic poem for chorus and orchestra from the tale by Mario Corsi, through Tespi-films, Rome; 1918)
• Giuliano L'Apostata (Symphonic poem for chorus and orchestra from the tale by Ugo Falena, through Bernini-films, Rome; 1920)

contributed by John Mucci