Giulio Gatti-Casazza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Manager of theMetropolitan Opera | |
| In office 1908–1935 | |
| Preceded by | Heinrich Conried |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Witherspoon |
| General Manager ofLa Scala | |
| In office 1898–1908 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-02-03)3 February 1869 |
| Died | 2 September 1940(1940-09-02) (aged 71) |
| Spouse(s) | Rosina Galli |
Giulio Gatti-Casazza (3 February 1869 – 2 September 1940) was an Italian opera manager. He was general manager ofLa Scala inMilan, Italy, from 1898 to 1908 and later theMetropolitan Opera inNew York City from 1908 to 1935.[1]
Gatti-Casazza was born on 3 February 1869 inUdine, in northeastern Italy. In 1893 he succeeded his father as manager of the municipal theatre inFerrara. He was manager ofLa Scala from 1898 to 1908, before his move toNew York City, when he became general manager of theMetropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1935. Under his leadership the Metropolitan enjoyed a prolonged era of artistic innovation and musical excellence. He brought with him conductorArturo Toscanini, who became the company's principal conductor and led performances of Verdi, Wagner and others that set high standards for the Metropolitan which have endured to the present day. The Viennese composerGustav Mahler also was a Met conductor during Gatti-Casazza's first two seasons and in later years conductorsTullio Serafin andArtur Bodanzky led the company in the Italian and German repertories respectively.[1]
Affectionately called "Gatti" by friends and colleagues, Gatti-Casazza's prodigious artistic and organizational skills attracted the best singers and conductors to the Metropolitan, and, on 10 December 1910, hosted its first World premiere,La Fanciulla del West byGiacomo Puccini. Many noted singers of the era appeared at the Met under Gatti-Casazza's leadership, includingRosa Ponselle,Emmy Destinn,Frances Alda,Amelita Galli-Curci,Maria Jeritza,Lily Pons;Enrico Caruso,Jacques Urlus,Giovanni Martinelli,Beniamino Gigli,Feodor Chaliapin,Titta Ruffo,Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, andLauritz Melchior.
For his accomplishments, Gatti-Casazza was one of the first Italians (and the first Italian living in the United States) to be featured on thecover ofTime magazine. He appeared on the weekly's cover twice; on 5 November 1923, and again on 1 November 1926.[2]
In 1910, he married the sopranoFrances Alda.[3] They divorced in 1928 and he married the Met'sprima ballerinaRosina Galli. He retired in 1935 and spent the last years of his life in his native Italy. He died on 2 September 1940 inFerrara, Italy.[1]
Giulio GattiCasazza, who for twenty-seven years was impresario of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, died at Ferrara today at the age of 71.
Just as the Marriage License Bureau in the City Hall was closing yesterday at noon the General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera Company, Signor Gatti-Casazza, and Mme. Fiances Alda, one of the principal sopranos of the company, together with Rawlins Cottenet, one of the Directors of the company, drove up, and the Italian manager and his soprano obtained a marriage license, according to Chief Clerk Scully of the Marriage License Bureau.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Cover ofTime magazine 5 November 1923 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
