Friedrich Haider, the conductor, is an ardent champion of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's music, having recorded the composer's complete orchestral works, a cappella choral works, and several operas.
Composition History
Wolf-Ferrari's early successes led to an artistic revival of works by Venetian comedy writer Carlo Goldoni and a fundamental renewal of opera buffa, which brought him global fame.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wolf-Ferrari believed that composing in C major was still justified in the 20th century if its treatment offered new expressive possibilities, similar to Wagner's Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wolf-Ferrari's scores offered a clear alternative to both Wagner and verismo (a style of realism), elevating 'leggerezza' (lightness) and 'garbo' (charm) as characteristic stylistic features.
Performer Biography
The Oviedo Filarmonía, the orchestra on this recording, is the resident orchestra of the Festival de Zarzuela and the Oviedo Auditorium's Concert Cycle.
Composer Biography
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, the composer, was born in Venice, and his mother spoke Venetian dialect, which he felt a closer affinity with than his father's German tongue.
Cultural Impact
The 'campiello' theme from Wolf-Ferrari's opera Il campiello became famous during his lifetime; mourners sang it as his coffin was borne through Venice's canals.
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