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Lorenzo MolajoliItalian opera conductor
Country:
 Italy |
Content:
Biography of Lorenzo Molajoli
Lorenzo Molajoli was an Italian opera conductor who gained fame for his performances of the Italian repertoire. From 1927 to 1932, he recorded over twenty operas by composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, and others. Currently, his recordings are being reissued on CDs by labels such as 'Naxos'.
Early Life and Career
Lorenzo Molajoli was born in 1868 in Rome and studied at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia. His professional music career began in 1891 or 1893, and it is highly likely that he spent a significant part of his pre-World War I career as an opera teacher in North and South America, South Africa, and various provincial Italian opera houses. It is said that Molajoli conducted at La Scala during the interwar period, but there is no documentary evidence to confirm this. However, he did work in Milan for the 'Columbia Graphophone Company', recording complete operas and accompanying numerous singers, as well as working on recordings of opera overtures.
Recording Career
Molajoli's first recording in 1916 was Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto' with the La Scala orchestra and chorus. It is also established that he worked at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1912, as evidenced by a letter he wrote to a friend, in which he described a dramatic dispute between conductor Arturo Toscanini and tenor Giuseppe Anselmi regarding the interpretation of Massenet's 'Manon', and criticized another conductor, Bernardino Molinari. In 1925, after the introduction of new recording standards, the British 'Columbia Graphophone Company' launched an extensive program to record masterpieces of world opera. Their work in Italy began in March 1926. Molajoli became the resident conductor of the company's Milan branch, where he not only conducted the orchestra in the studio but also participated in organizing the sessions, overseeing the work of artists and technicians, and making decisions on the abridgment of works.
Success and Legacy
The 'Columbia Graphophone Company' started with recording excerpts from opera works, often featuring leading singers from La Scala. However, in late 1928, the company decided to switch to recording complete operas, using the La Scala chorus and orchestra. Molajoli achieved success in November of the same year with the recording of the first three operas in this cycle - Verdi's 'La traviata' and 'Aida', and Puccini's 'La Bohème'. Despite the decline in the recording industry after the Wall Street crash in 1929, a total of 24 operas, in both full and abridged versions, were transformed into records over four years. Molajoli made his last recordings for 'Columbia' in 1932. His only similar work for another recording company was a performance of Vivaldi's 'Concerto in A major' for the 'His Master's Voice' (HMV) label with the Santa Cecilia Academy orchestra.
Lorenzo Molajoli passed away in Milan on April 4, 1939. His conducting was characterized by a strong sense of style and the ability to turn the ensemble and singers into a unified musical instrument - classic characteristics of opera professionals. Many of his recordings possess fiery dramatic intensity and swift tempo. Although the 'Columbia' recordings often featured less renowned artists compared to their competitors in the recording industry, they never gave the impression that they were less experienced or talented - quite the opposite. Some of his most successful recordings of complete works include Boito's 'Mefistofele', Giordano's 'Andrea Chénier', Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci', Ponchielli's 'La Gioconda', Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly' and 'Manon Lescaut', as well as Verdi's 'Aida', 'Falstaff', 'Il trovatore', 'La traviata', and 'Rigoletto'.
