Francesco Cilea was born on July 26, 1866 in the small town of Palmi in Calabria, in southern Italy, in the family of a lawyer. In early childhood, due to mental illness, his mother was sent by his father to his grandmother on the maternal side. There was a spirit of music in the family. The local conductor of the brass band advised his father to let him study piano. Soon, however, the father sends his seven-year-old son to Naples and places him in a private school. A father's dream is to make his
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Francesco Cilea was born on July 26, 1866 in the small town of Palmi in Calabria, in southern Italy, in the family of a lawyer. In early childhood, due to mental illness, his mother was sent by his father to his grandmother on the maternal side. There was a spirit of music in the family. The local conductor of the brass band advised his father to let him study piano. Soon, however, the father sends his seven-year-old son to Naples and places him in a private school. A father's dream is to make his son a lawyer. However, much attention was paid to music at school, and soon the boy showed a clear desire to study composition. Meeting with the librarian of the Naples Conservatory Francesco Florimo, Bellini’s best friend, had a decisive influence on the future composer’s fate. In 1878, he (despite the resistance of his relatives) entered the conservatory. His teachers were P. Serrao (harmony and counterpoint) and B. Chesi (piano). Here Chilea meets another student - Umberto Giordano - who later became a famous composer. The young musician makes brilliant successes, wins in student competitions. In 1884, his father died. The young man continues to support Florimo. Soon Francesco was appointed head of the student choir and orchestra. This gives him a free visit to the famous San Carlo Theatre, where he gets his first and perhaps most important operatic experiences. In 1887, after participating in the next conservatory competition, the aspiring composer receives an order to compose an opera, which, according to tradition, will be staged in the conservatory theater. Thus was born his first opera “Gina” (1889, Libretto E. Goliciani based on the French comedy of the early 19th century), which received benevolent criticism. In 1889, Chilea graduated from the conservatory. Soon P.Serrao introduces him to the famous publisher E.Sonzoño, the rival of the famous Ricordi. He orders the composer a new opera “Tilda” on the libretto of A. Zanardini, who collaborated with Ponchielli, Catalani, Massenet, who translated Wagner’s tetralogy into Italian. The premiere of Tilda (April 1892, Theatre Palliano in Florence) was a good success. It was quickly staged in a number of Italian cities, and in the autumn of the same year in Vienna, drawing the approval of E. Hanslik himself, a famous critic of that era. Chilea, however, was unsatisfied with his new work, and after some time took away the score, never to return to it. The next stage in the composer’s work was the opera “Arlesian” based on the drama by A. Dode. In his time for this play wrote music by J. Bizet. Suites from "Arlesian" Bizet - the decoration of any concert of symphonic music. The rivalry did not bother Chilea, he wrote enthusiastically (albeit for a long time) and in 1897 presented the opera to the public. The premiere of the opera on the libretto by L. Marenko took place on November 27, 1897 at the Lirico Theatre in Milan. This premiere is also famous for the fact that the young Enrico Caruso performed in it in the party of Federico. Lamento di Federico from this opera became one of the most popular arias of the tenor repertoire and still admires its penetrating. The composition was well received, but without enthusiasm. Subsequently, the composer twice reworked the opera (1889, 1912), but still did not achieve the expected result. However, since the 30s of the 20th century, she began to appear more often on theatrical posters and since then entered the world repertoire as a rarely performed, but quite famous work. In many ways, the success was promoted by the production in La Scala (season 1935/36) with the participation of Margherita Carosio (Vivetta), Tito Skipa (Federico), Gianna Pederzini (Rosa Mamai). In 1902, Chilea created his best opera, which was included in the world fund of opera classics - "Adrianu Lecouvrer" (Milan, the theater "Lirico", the libretto of A. Colautti on the play by E. Scrib). In the world premiere sang Angelica Pandolfini (Adriana), Enrico Caruso (Moris), Giuseppe de Luca (Michonne), conducted by Cleophonte Campanini. The hall was attended by R. Leoncavallo, A. Franketti, G. D'Annunzio. The success was complete. Soon the composer sent an enthusiastic letter to J. Massnet, who visited one of the first performances. During the year, the Adriana was delivered in many cities in Europe and even in Buenos Aires. Note the production of 1905 in Rome with the participation of Salomia Krushelnitskaya and Giovanni Zenatello. The success was facilitated by the significantly increased skill of Chilea as a composer, a melodist, who subtly felt the nuances of the human soul and managed to embody them in music. In addition, the libretto was successful, as well as the most popular work of Scribe, which was based on the true story of an outstanding French actress of the 18th century. Adrienne Lecouvreur (in Russia, the main character of this play was wonderfully played by the inimitable actress of the Tairov theatre Alice Koonen). Many prominent singers of the 20th century performed the part of Adriana (Italian version of the name Adrienne). Among them - Magda Olivero, Renata Tebaldi, Mirella Freni, etc. The staged fate of the opera in Russia, as it often happens, is sad. In 1906 it was performed in St. Petersburg in the private Novaya Opera by A. Tsereteli (conductor Golishiani, in the title part of Livia Berlandi). Only many years later, in 1989, our opera lovers were able to enjoy this masterpiece during a tour in Moscow of the La Scala Theatre (conductor Gianandrea Gavazzini, starring Mirella Freni and Giuseppe Giacomini). The composer’s next opera, Gloria, was destined to be the last to be staged. Libretto on the medieval Italian plot (Siena of the 13th century) he offered Colautti. The premiere was prepared for the carnival season in Milan. On April 15, 1907, it was held at La Scala. The main parties were occupied by Krushelnitskaya (Gloria), Zenatello (Lionetto) and Pasquale Amato (Bardo). Arturo Toscanini was behind the remote. This circumstance (according to the composer) played a fatal role in the fate of the composition. According to Chilea, Toscanini did not like this work, conducted without enthusiasm and could not reveal all the merits of the work, although there was a standing ovation at the premiere, and the audience called the composer many times. The opera was only three times. Now she's forgotten. The composer himself (as is often the case) valued his creation more than others. Powerful choirs, sophisticated instrumentation - all this turned out to be in vain work. An attempt to resume the opera was made in 1932 (Naples), but with the same result. After another failure with the opera “Forest Wedding” (1909), which did not see the scene, the composer practically ceases to compose, not counting a number of instrumental works. He devotes himself to teaching. From 1913 he headed the conservatory in Palermo, in 1916-35 - director of the conservatory in Naples. The composer died on November 20, 1950 in the Italian city of Varazze.Chilea was a bright representative of verism - a peculiar trend in opera art of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The galaxy of verist composers also includes R. Leoncavallo, P. Mascagni, U. Giordano and a number of others. The great Giacomo Puccini also reflected some features of the verist style in his work. There is no place to talk about this artistic phenomenon. Verisma was as bright as it was short-lived. A number of verist composers (for example, Giordano) abandoned his principles in their later works. But his best examples, including "Arlesian" and "Adriana Lecouvrer" Chilea, forever entered the treasury of world musical culture.