Lazzari, (Joseph) Sylvio

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Lazzari, (Joseph) Sylvio

Lazzari, (Joseph) Sylvio, Austrian-born French conductor and composer; b. Bozen, Dec. 30, 1857; d. Suresnes, near Paris, June 10, 1944. He was born into a wealthy Austro-Italian family. After extensive travels, he settled in Paris and in 1883 he entered the Cons., where he was a student of Gounod, Guiraud, and Franck. In 1896 he became a naturalized French citizen. He became active as a theater conductor, and also wrote operas and incidental music. His most distinguished work was the tragic opera La lépreuse or L’ensorcelé (Paris, Feb. 7, 1912). His opera La tour de feu (Paris, Jan. 28, 1928) was the first to utilize film as an integral part of the score.

Works

dramatic: Opera: Armor (1897; Prague, Nov. 7, 1898); La lépreuse or L’ensorcelé (1900-1901; Paris, Feb. 7, 1912); Melaenis (1913; Mulhouse, March 25, 1927); Le sauteriot (1913-15; Chicago, Jan. 19, 1918); La tour de feu (1925; Paris, Jan. 28, 1928).other: A pantomime, Lulu (Paris, May 1889), and incidental music.other: Sym.; symphonic poems; other orch. pieces; chamber music; piano pieces; choral works; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire