Cesare Sodero
Cesare Sodero (August 2, 1886 – December 16, 1947conductor who spent much of his career working in the United States.
Biography
Born in
cellist before coming to the United States in 1906 at the invitation of Oscar Hammerstein I.[3] He was principal cellist of the Manhattan Opera Company until its demise in 1910.[4] For seven years he directed various American opera companies, among them the Hammerstein's Opera Company, the Aborn Opera Company
, and
the opera company run by symphonic concerts for the network; he then became music director for the Mutual network.[2] From 1934 to 1942 he served as the conductor of the Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York. Having worked for most of his career in the relatively "invisible" fields of recording and radio, Sodero was surprisingly appointed as the principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera's Italian wing in 1942 on account of Ettore Panizza's deciding to remain in Argentina after the United States' entry into World War II.[5] Sodero's Met debut, Aida
on November 28, was highly successful, and critics praised Sodero's precise, powerful, yet lyrical direction. He worked steadily and successfully with the company until his death.
Sodero also composed music, and wrote one opera during his career. Titled Ombre Russe, it was given its premiere by NBC in 1929; the stage premiere took place in Venice in 1930.
Sodero died in New York City in 1947.
References
- ^ David Ewen, Encyclopedia of the Opera (New York: Hill and Wang, 1955), p. 479.
- ^ a b c d e David Ewen, Encyclopedia of the Opera (New York: Hill and Wang, 1955), p. 480.
- ^ a b c "Cesare Sodero, Conductor at Opera, Is Dead," New York Herald Tribune (Dec. 17, 1947), p. 30.
- ^ "Not Jealous, Say Italians," New York Times (March 2, 1910), p. 11.
- ISBN 0-931340-48-9.
External links
- Cesare Sodero scores (the composer's personal collection) in the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
- Cesare Sodero recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- Works by Sodero's Band at Project Gutenberg (audio recordings)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
