Ferrucio Calusio
Encyclopedia
Ferrucio Calusio was an Argentine conductor
. He began his career in the 1920s at La Scala
in Milan, Italy as an assistant conductor to Arturo Toscanini
. In 1927 he returned to his native country to join the conducting staff of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He served as one of that house's main conductors in the Italian repertoire through 1960. He also worked as a guest conductor with several important opera house
s during his career, including conducting several operas at La Scala in the 1930s and at the Metropolitan Opera
(Cavalleria rusticana
, Pagliacci
, and Il trovatore
) in 1940-1941. In 1939 he conducted the orchestra of La Scala for the first recording of Claudio Monteverdi
's L'Orfeo. He died in Buenos Aires at the age of 93.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He began his career in the 1920s at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan, Italy as an assistant conductor to Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
. In 1927 he returned to his native country to join the conducting staff of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He served as one of that house's main conductors in the Italian repertoire through 1960. He also worked as a guest conductor with several important opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s during his career, including conducting several operas at La Scala in the 1930s and at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
(Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
, and Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
) in 1940-1941. In 1939 he conducted the orchestra of La Scala for the first recording of Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
's L'Orfeo. He died in Buenos Aires at the age of 93.