Agnese Riccitelli in New York

Teatro Grattacielo, foremost opera company in New York to breathe new life into the deserving repertory of late 19th, early 20th century Italy, is graced with the presence of Agnese Riccitelli, the great grand-niece of composer Primo Riccitelli, whose opera "I Compagnacci" will be performed next month. Ms Riccitelli, an enthusiastic dancer and dance historian, has championed the work of her ancestor, and will be in the audience for the performance on May 24.
She joined artistic director Duane Printz at Restaurant Quattro Gatti last week, and met the production company.

"Riccitelli was a fine musical craftsman," said David Wroe, Teatro Grattacielo's conductor, "it's obvious that he studied with the best." As it happens, he studied with Pietro Mascagni at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro.

Born in 1875, Pancrazio Riccitelli (Primo was a stage-name), was born in Cognoli di Campli 1875. At the Rossini Conservatory he studied with opera composer Riccardo Zandonai as a fellow student. It was there that he wrote his first operas, "Francesca da Rimini", and "Suora Maddalena" -- both of which are now unfortunately lost.

Riccitelli had the poor luck to be caught in the publishing struggle that happened in the Sonzongno family, which ended up blocking performances of his work, thanks to a rights dispute. Even though Renzo Sonzogno commissioned him to write "Madonna Oretta," which was performed to great acclaim, Riccitelli did not receive his entire fee for writing it, and the work was never published.

It was "I Compagnacci" that caught the public's fancy, and made Ricitelli's name an operatic byword in Italy. The opera won first prize in a national competition that was judged by Puccini, Mascagni and Cilèa in 1922 and then it was presented at the Teatro Costanzi, followed by performances at La Scala in 1923 and at the Metropolitan in 1924. Later, in November, 1924 "I Compagnacci" was performed on a double bill with Richard Strauss's "Salome" -- after the tragedy, not before it, as one might expect. It was lauded as being able to lift the spirits of the audience after Strauss's gloomy drama.

Riccitelli's one act opera was heard in a number of other theaters as well as on the air from 1925-1930. In 1931, it had the distinction of being the first opera ever broadcast in Italy over the EIAR network (which later became the RAI).

After many years sitting in a drawer, the opera "Madonna Oretta" was finally produced to great acclaim, with 26 curtain calls for the composer. For the next ten years Riccitelli took his two operas on the road, performing them throughout Italy.

Then in March, 1941, after an arduous life of struggling to get his music heard, and working on another opera, "Captain Fracassa," Primo Riccitelli died after a short illness. The war took its toll on his popularity, and the two operas that do survive him have not been heard since 1948.

Now Teatro Grattacielo is proud to present "I Compagnacci" again, for the New York area to hear and enjoy again.