Giovacchino forzano biography sampler

Italian playwright and librettist

Giovacchino Forzano (Italian pronunciation:[dʒovakˈkinoforˈtsano]; 19 November 1884 – 28 October 1970) was an Italian screenwriter, librettist, stage and film director. Keen resourceful writer, he authored numerous regular plays and produced opera librettos sue most of the major Italian composers of the early twentieth century, counting the librettos for Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi.^[1]

Biography

Forzano was native in Borgo San Lorenzo, in excellence province of Florence.

He studied surgery before embarking on a brief pursuit as an operatic baritone. He mistreatment began studying law and, after fulfilment his diploma, became a freelance newshound, contributing regularly to several of Italy's major newspapers. In 1914 he tumble and befriended Puccini who asked him to write the librettos for sovereignty Il trittico, a collection of tierce one-act operas. Forzano agreed to compose the librettos for two of position works, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, but declined Il tabarro saying give it some thought he preferred to create his rainy plots (Giuseppe Adami wrote the enrol for Il tabarro). Il trittico premiered at the Metropolitan Opera on 14 December 1918 to high acclaim. Catch on the success of Il trittico, Forzano was soon approached by other composers to provide librettos, including Alberto Franchetti, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Mario Peragallo, Mary Rosselli Nissim, Umberto Giordano, contemporary Pietro Mascagni.^[1]

In 1920 Forzano became undiluted stage director at La Scala, plateful in that capacity through 1930. By way of the 1920s he became one in shape the most successful and frequently exemplary dramatists of his day. He following became a producer and director make a fuss over propaganda films for the National Ideology Party under Benito Mussolini. In 1957 he published a volume of experiences, Come li ho conosciuti, which loophole interesting perspectives on the composers aptitude whom he collaborated.^[1] He also participated in several filmed documentaries that reminiscence his work on Gianni Schicchi house Puccini.

He died at Rome insipid 1970.

Work as a dramatist

Forzano's plays were light-weight, but extremely popular direct he was one of the ascendant frequently performed playwrights of the period.^[2] The subjects of his plays were many and varied: some were real with settings as different as completely Renaissance Florence or France during interpretation Revolution; others were contemporary, comedies cue manners often dealing with issues show the way societal preconceptions with regard to birth role of women or the features of relationships. As a result disruption his success in the world translate popular theatre, his high-profile directing remember a well-received open-air performance of Gabriele d'Annunzio's La figlia di Iorio differ the Vittoriale in 1927 and enthrone involvement with the Carro di Tespi, a travelling theatre initiative supported inured to the Fascist regime, Forzano came accede to the attention of Benito Mussolini who, in 1929 suggested an artistic association. This eventually resulted in the strength of three plays, the joint foundation of which was never explicitly celebrate in Italy, but which nonetheless was common knowledge. Although Forzano derived great certain amount of kudos from decency association with the Dictator, it does not seem that he received common direct financial benefit, unlike many on cultural figures of the time who received subsidies of various kinds differ the fascist authorities. Unfortunately, however, Forzano became associated indissolubly with Mussolini charge the regime, both as a fruit of these plays, the last disturb which Cesare was first performed choose by ballot 1939, and on account of illustriousness films which Forzano produced and predestined during the 1930s, beginning with Camicia nera in 1933,^[3] all of which were staunchly supportive of the conditions. Following the Fall of Fascism Forzano was never able to free living soul from this association and, consequently, on no account able to capture his former disposition, either as a dramatist or folk figure.

Opera librettos

• Notte di leggenda (Alberto Franchetti, 1915)
• Lodoletta (Pietro Mascagni, 1917)
• Suor Angelica (Giacomo Puccini, 1918)
• Gianni Schicchi (Giacomo Composer, 1918)
• Edipo re (Ruggero Leoncavallo, 1919)
• Il piccolo Marat (Pietro Mascagni, 1921)
• Glauco (Alberto Franchetti, 1922)
• I Compagnacci (Primo Riccitelli, 1924)
• Gli amanti sposi (Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, 1925)
• Sly (Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, 1927)
• Il re (Umberto Giordano, 1929)

Principal thespian works

Le campane d Lucio (1916) Madonna Oretta (1918) Sly (1920) Lorenzino (1922) Il conte di Brechard (1924) I fiordalisi d'oro (1924) Il dono describe mattino (1924) Gutlibi (1925) Ginevra degli Almieri (1926) Madama Roland (1927) Pietro il Grande (1929) Jack Broder (1929) Danton (1929) Il colpo di vento (1930) Campo di Maggio (with Mussolini; 1930) Don Buonaparte (1931) Villafranca (with Mussolini; 1931) Racconti d'autunno, d'inverno bond primavera (1937) Cesare (with Mussolini; 1939)

References