Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and songs throughout his career it is his opera Pagliacci (1892) that remained his lasting contribution, despite attempts to escape the shadow of his greatest success.
Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation.
Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who murders his wife Nedda and her lover Silvio on stage during a performance. Pagliacci premiered at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on 21 May 1892, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, with Adelina Stehle as Nedda, Fiorello Giraud as Canio, Victor Maurel as Tonio, and Mario Ancona as Silvio. Soon after its Italian premiere, the opera played in London and in New York. Pagliacci is the composer's only opera that is still widely performed.
Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone. Best known for his interpretations of Verdi roles, he was widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th century. He was enormously admired within the field of opera for his rich and abundant voice, fine vocal technique and exceptional breath control. In the great Italian tradition he fused words and music into elegant phrases. He focused on Italian repertory, particularly the operas of Verdi, singing 17 major roles.
Daniela Dessì was an Italian operatic soprano.
Gabriella Tucci was an Italian operatic soprano who was particularly associated with the Italian repertory and performed at notable opera houses worldwide. She appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in 11 Verdi roles across 13 seasons, including Violetta in La traviata and Desdemona in Otello.
Love of a Clown, or Pagliacci, is a 1948 Italian film based on Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, directed by Mario Costa. The film stars Tito Gobbi and Gina Lollobrigida. It recounts the tragedy of Canio, the lead clown in a commedia dell'arte troupe, his wife Nedda, and her lover, Silvio. When Nedda spurns the advances of Tonio, another player in the troupe, he tells Canio about Nedda's betrayal. In a jealous rage Canio murders both Nedda and Silvio. The only actor in the cast who also sang his role was the celebrated Italian baritone, Tito Gobbi, but the film is largely very faithful to its source material, presenting the opera nearly complete.
Afro Poli was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.
Carlo Romano was an Italian actor, voice actor and screenwriter.
Ernesto Badini was an Italian opera singer that sang in the baritone range. He was trained at Milan Conservatory and made his debut as Matteo at Lodi's Teatro Gaffurio in 1896. Badini was a regular performer at Milan's La Scala and achieved his greatest success in the comic role of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
Pagliacci is a 1982 Italian film of Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. All the actors, including Plácido Domingo and Teresa Stratas in the starring roles, were opera singers who sang their own parts. Pagliacci was shot at Milan's La Scala opera house and on a movie sound stage. Georges Prêtre conducted the Orchestra and Choir of La Scala.
The Two Orphans is a 1942 Italian historical drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Alida Valli, María Denis and Osvaldo Valenti. It was based on the play The Two Orphans by Adolphe d'Ennery and Eugène Cormon, one of many film adaptations. It was made at Cinecittà in Rome.
Adalgisa Giana was an Italian operatic soprano.
Pagliacci is a 1931 American musical film directed by Joe W. Coffman and starring Fernando Bertini, Alba Novella and Mario Valle. It is a filmed version of a stage performance of the opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.
The Song of Life is a 1945 Italian melodrama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Alida Valli, Carlo Ninchi and María Mercader. It is set during the German occupation of Rome in the Second World War before the Liberation of the city in 1944.
Seven Years of Happiness is a 1943 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Ernst Marischka and Roberto Savarese and starring Vivi Gioi, Wolf Albach-Retty and Hans Moser.
A Thousand Lire a Month is a 1939 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Max Neufeld and starring Alida Valli, Umberto Melnati and Osvaldo Valenti. It is a remake of the 1936 Hungarian film Havi 200 fix. The plot concerns an electronic engineer who goes to Budapest, accompanied by his girlfriend, to work on experiments for a new television system leading to countless mix-ups.
Events during the year 2006 in Italy.
Laugh, Bajazzo is a 1943 German drama film directed by Leopold Hainisch and starring Paul Hörbiger, Claude Farell and Dagny Servaes. A separate Italian-language version Laugh, Pagliacci was also produced. The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Koehn and Hans Kuhnert.
Angelo Lo Forese, sometimes written as Loforese, was an Italian lyric tenor.
