Guarnieri, Antonio

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Guarnieri, Antonio

Guarnieri, Antonio, distinguished Italian conductor; b. Venice, Feb. 1, 1880; d. Milan, Nov. 25, 1952. He studied cello, piano, and composition in Venice. He began his career as a cellist in the Martucci Quartet. After making his conducting debut in Siena in 1904, he conducted in various Italian theaters. Following an engagement at the Vienna Court Opera (1912-13), he returned to Italy and founded the Societa Sinfonica Italiana in Milan in 1915. In 1922 he made his first appearance at Milan’s La Scala, where he subsequently was one of its principal conductors from 1929 until shortly before his death. Guarnieri was highly esteemed for his interpretations of the Italian operatic repertory.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire