Panizza, Ettore

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Panizza, Ettore

Panizza, Ettore, Argentine conductor and composer of Italian descent; b. Buenos Aires, Aug. 12,1875; d. Milan, Nov. 27,1967. He studied at the Milan Cons., graduating in 1898 with prizes for piano and composition. From 1907 to 1914 and again in 1924 he conducted at London’s Covent Garden. He made his first appearance at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1908), conducting there regularly from 1921. He joined the roster of Milan’s La Scala (1916), serving as assistant to Toscanini (1921–29); was a regular conductor there (1930–32; 1946–48); also conducted at the Chicago Civic Opera (1922–24) and N.Y.’s Metropolitan Opera (1934–42). He publ, an autobiography, Medio sigio de vida musical (Buenos Aires, 1952).

Works

dramatic: Opera: II Fidanzato del mare (Buenos Aires, Aug. 15,1897); Medio evo latino (Genoa, Nov. 17, 1900); Aurora (Buenos Aires, Sept. 5, 1908); Bisanzio (Buenos Aires, July 25, 1939). other:II Re della foresta for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch.; Tema con variaciones for Orch.; Violin Sonata; Cello Sonata; String Quartet; piano pieces; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire