Pietro Mascagni (Livorno December 7, 1863 - Rome August 2, 1945) is one of the most important Italian opera composers of the turn of the 20th century. The formidable success of his first masterpiece in 1890, Cavalleria Rusticana, unfortunately eluded many of his following works. Mascagni however wrote 15 operas, an operetta, several beautiful orchestral and vocal works, as well as songs and piano music. He enjoyed amazing operatic successes during his lifetime, and at the same time pursued a very successful career as a conductor. Mascagni's approach to opera differed greatly from that of his friend and rival Puccini -- arguably one of the reasons why critics underestimated the value of his music.

Mascagni's main operas

• Cavalleria Rusticana (17 May 1890 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) libretto: [1] (http://rick.stanford.edu/opera/Mascagni/Cavalleria/libretto.html), [2] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/cavalleria/libretto)
• L'amico Fritz (31 October 1891 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) libretto: [3] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/fritz/libretto)
• I Rantzau (10 November 1892 Teatro La Pergola, Florence)
• Guglielmo Ratcliff (16 February 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) [composed between 1885 and the early 1890's] libretto: [4] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/ratcliff/libretto)
• Silvano (25 March 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Zanetto (2 March 1896 Liceo Musicale, Pesaro) libretto: [5] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/zanetto/libretto)
• Iris (22 November 1898 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) libretto: [6] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/iris/libretto)
• Le maschere (17 January 1901 Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa - Teatro Regio, Turin - Teatro alla Scala, Milan - Teatro La Fenice, Venice - Teatro Filarmonico, Verona - Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Amica (16 March 1905, Monte Carlo) Italian libretto: [7] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/amica/libretto)
• Isabeau (2 June 1911 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires)
• Parisina (15 December 1913 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) libretto: [8] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/parisina/libretto)
• Lodoletta (30 April 1917 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) libretto: [9] (http://www.mascagni.org/works/lodoletta/libretto)
• Sì (13 December 1919 Teatro Quirino, Rome) [operetta]
• Il piccolo Marat (2 May 1921 Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Pinotta (23 March 1932 Casinò, San Remo) [adapted from the cantata In filanda (1881)]
• Nerone (16 January 1935 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) [with music written between the 1890's and the 1930's]

Resources

• English web site about Pietro Mascagni (http://www.mascagni.org/)
• Official Italian web site about Pietro Mascagni (http://www.pietromascagni.com/)