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Luigi ArditiItalian conductor and composer.
Date of Birth: 22.07.1822
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Luigi Arditi
Luigi Arditi was an Italian conductor and composer, born in Piedmont. He studied violin under Bernardo Ferrara and composition under Nicolo Vaccai at the Milan Conservatory. Arditi made his debut as a violinist in 1839 and began his conducting career in the city of Vercelli in 1842.
Early Career
Arditi's first opera, "I Briganti", was premiered in Milan in 1841. He conducted in various opera houses in Italy until 1846, after which he traveled to Cuba with Giovanni Bottesini. It was in Cuba that he gained recognition for one of his most famous operas, "Il Corsaro".
Work in the United States
Starting in 1851, Arditi worked in the United States, conducting in cities such as Boston and Philadelphia. In 1852, he was invited to be the conductor of the Italian opera in New York, where he completed his second most famous opera, "The Spy", four years later. In 1856, he visited Constantinople and composed the "Turkish Hymn" by order of Sultan Abdul-Mejid I, later performed in the Crystal Palace in London to commemorate the visit of Sultan Abdul-Aziz.
London Career
From 1858 to 1869, Arditi served as the conductor of Her Majesty's Theatre in London, and from 1869 to 1870, he worked at Covent Garden Theatre. One of Arditi's notable achievements was conducting the first complete performance of Richard Wagner's opera, "The Flying Dutchman", in Britain, paradoxically in Italian, with Ilma di Murska in one of the leading roles. He also conducted several British premieres, including Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet", Charles Gounod's "Faust", and Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana".
Later Years and Legacy
Between 1871 and 1873, Arditi conducted at the Italian opera in St. Petersburg, Russia, before working in Germany, Vienna, and Madrid. He returned to Covent Garden Theatre in 1885. Arditi's compositions gained popularity, particularly his vocal waltz "Il bacio" (The Kiss). He passed away in Hove, East Sussex.
