Luigi Ricci (composer)
Luigi Ricci was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. He was the elder brother of Federico Ricci, with whom he collaborated on several works. He was also a conductor.
Life
Ricci was born on 8 July 1805. He was born and educated in Naples, where he wrote his first opera at the conservatory in 1823. His triumphs in 1831 at La Scala with Chiara di Rosembergh and in 1834 with Un'avventura di Scaramuccia made him famous throughout Europe, and in 1835 he and his younger brother Federico collaborated in the first of the four operas they wrote together.
In 1837 Ricci ran into financial problems, brought about mainly by his extravagant life-style. He was forced to accept a job at Trieste, and he composed no operas for seven years.
Then, however, he fell in love, at the same time, with both Francesca and Ludmila, the 17-year-old identical twin sisters of the singer Teresa Stolz, also singers, and this inspired him to create an opera for them both to sing in, at Odesa. Back in Trieste he married Ludmila.
He then composed three more operas on his own, which were well received, although his greatest success of these years was actually Crispino e la comare, his last collaboration with his brother, of which he wrote the greater part. Comedy was Ricci's strong suit, and though not quite reaching the level of Donizetti, Crispino is generally considered one of the best Italian comic operas of the period. 'The Brewer of Preston', however, is treated irreverently by Andrea Camilleri in the novel of the same name.
His conducting credits include the world premiere of Verdi's Il corsaro.
Shortly after the production of his last opera in May 1859, Ricci succumbed to mental illness. He spent the last months of his life in a mental asylum in Prague. He died in Prague on 31 December 1859 and is buried in Prague's Olšany Cemetery
His daughter with Ludmila, Lella Ricci, was an opera singer, and his son with Francesca, Luigi Ricci-Stolz, was a composer, too.
Ricci's operas and their librettists
L'impresario in angustie, farsa – Naples, Conservatorio, 1823La cena frastornata – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, Autumn 1824L'abbate Taccarella, ovvero Aladino – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, carnival 1825Il sogno avverato – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, summer 1825 Il diavolo condannato a prender moglie – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, 27 January 1827La lucerna di Epitteto – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, carnival 1827Ulisse in Itaca – Naples, Teatro di San Carlo, 12 January 1828Colombo – Parma, Teatro ducale, 27 June 1829L'orfanella di Ginevra – Rome, Teatro Valle, 9 September 1829Il sonnambulo – Rome, Teatro Valle, 26 December 1829Fernando Cortez, ovvero L'eroina del Messico – Rome, Teatro Tordinona, 9 February 1830Annibale in Torino – Turin, Teatro Regio, 26 December 1830La neve – Milan, Teatro Cannobiana, 21 June 1831Chiara di Rosemberg – Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 11 October 1831, also produced as Chiara di Montalbano in France, 1835Il nuovo Figaro – Parma, Teatro ducale, 15 February 1832I due sergenti – Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 1 September 1833Un'avventura di Scaramuccia – Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 8 March 1834; then in Vienna, London, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Théâtre Italien, Warsaw, Brussels, Buenos Aires ; also worked on by Friedrich von FlotowGli esposti, ovvero Eran due or son tre – Turin, Teatro Angennes, 3 June 1834Chi dura vince ovvero La luna di miel – Rome, Teatro Valle, 26 December 1834; La serva e l'ussero, farsa – Pavia, Teatro Compadroni, New Year 1835Il colonello collaboration with Federico Ricci – Naples, Teatro del Fondo, 14 March 1835 Chiara di Montalbano – Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 15 August 1835Il disertore per amore collaboration with Federico Ricci – Naples, Teatro del fondo, 13 February 1836 Le nozze di Figaro – Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 13 February 1838; revised version La solitaria delle Asturie – Odessa, Teatro Italiano, 20 February 1845L'amante di richiamo collaboration with Federico Ricci – Turin, Teatro Angennes, 13 June 1846 Il birraio di Preston – Florence, Teatro della Pergola, 4 February 1847Crispino e la comare collaboration with Federico Ricci – Venice, Teatro S. Benedetto, 28 February 1850 La festa di Piedigrotta – Naples, Teatro Nuovo, 23 June 1852. Concludes with the famous "tarantella napoletana".Il diavolo a quattro – Triest, Teatro Armonia, 15 May 1859