Giacomo Orefice (1865 – 1922) was an Italian composer.

He was born on 27 August 1865 inVicenza, which was then part of theAustrian Empire, but was annexed into Italy in the following year. He studied under Alessandro Busi andLuigi Mancinelli at theLiceo Musicale di Bologna, and later became professor of composition at theMilan Conservatory. His students includedAndree Aeschlimann Rochat. He died in Milan on 22 December 1922.

His works include:

Operas

• L'oasi (1885)
• Mariska (1889)
• Consuelo (1895, afterGeorge Sand'snovel; the title role was created byCesira Ferrani, who the following year created Mimí inPuccini'sLa bohème)
• Il gladiatore (1898)
• Chopin (1901); Orefice's most successful work in which he incorporated music byFrédéric Chopin, arranged as arias and duets; it depicts a rather fanciful interpretation of some events in Chopin's life and the operatic arrangements are not highly regarded (Scott "Record of Singing" Duckworth Press, 1978). Excerpts recorded by the tenorsAmadeo Bassi, Enzo Leliva and others c1903 to 1905. At the time also performed in Polish.
• Cecilia (1902)
• Mosè (1905)
• Pane altrui (1907)
• Radda (1912, afterMaxim Gorky's short storyMakar Chudra)
• Il castello del sogno (not produced)

Ballet

• La Soubrette (1907)

Orchestral

• Symphony in D minor
• Sinfonia del bosco
• Anacreontiche (4 movements: Ad Artemide, A Faune, Ad Eros, A Dionisio)

Concertos

• Cello Concerto

Chamber

• Riflessi ed ombre (quintet)
• Piano Trio
• 2 violin sonatas
• cello sonata

Piano

• Preludi del mare
• Quadri diBöcklin
• Crespuscoli
• Miraggi

Songs

• various songs.

• Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954

• Free scores by Giacomo Orefice at theInternational Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)