Konrad Dryden Livres

The biography offers a comprehensive exploration of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's life, focusing on his contributions to music and his enduring legacy as the composer of the renowned opera Pagliacci. It delves into his personal experiences, artistic influences, and the historical context surrounding his work, providing readers with an in-depth understanding of both the man and his music. Through meticulous documentation, the book sheds light on Leoncavallo's impact on the opera world and his place in musical history.

The biography offers a comprehensive look at Franco Alfano, renowned for completing Puccini's Turandot. It features 24 unpublished photos, an appendix detailing Alfano's works, and plot synopses of his operas. Additionally, a foreword by Magda Olivero enriches the narrative, while an index of names aids in navigating the text. This work serves as a significant resource for understanding Alfano's contributions to music and opera.

This is the first fully-documented biography of the Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai (1883-1944). A pupil of Mascagni, Zandonai composed ten operas for Casa Ricordi, who considered him Puccini's heir. He achieved international recognition in 1914 with his operatic adaptation of D'Annunzio's play Francesca da Rimini . His opera I cavalieri di Ekebù after Lagerlöf's novel Gösta Berling was heralded as the national Swedish opera during the 1920's. The biography presents a monthly chronicle of the composer's life taken from his unpublished correspondence as well as his working and private relationships with D'Annunzio, Lagerlöf, Mascagni, Tito Ricordi, Puccini, Respighi, Pascoli, and his wife the soprano Tarquinia Tarquini. Working with original sources from international archives including Milan's Casa Ricordi, the author herewith presents the most comprehensive portrait of Zandonai to appear in any language.