Giacomo Orefice

Giacomo Orefice (1865 – 1922) was an Italian composer. He was born on 27 August 1865 in Vicenza, which was then part of the Austrian Empire, but was annexed into Italy in the following year.

He studied under Alessandro Busi and Luigi Mancinelli at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, and later became professor of composition at the Milan Conservatory. His students included Andree Aeschlimann Rochat.

He died in Milan on 22 December 1922. His works include: Operas

L'oasi (1885) Mariska (1889) Consuelo (1895, after George Sand's novel; the title role was created by Cesira Ferrani, who the following year created Mimí in Puccini's La bohème) Il gladiatore (1898) Chopin (1901); Orefice's most successful work in which he incorporated music by Frédéric Chopin, arranged as arias and duets; it depicts a rather fanciful interpretation of some events in Chopin's life and the operatic arrangements are not highly regarded (Scott "Record of Singing" Duckworth Press, 1978). Excerpts recorded by the tenors Amedeo Bassi, Enzo Leliva and others c1903 to 1905. At the time also performed in Polish. Cecilia (1902) Mosè (1905) Pane altrui (1907) Radda (1912, after Maxim Gorky's short story Makar Chudra) Il castello del sogno (not produced) Ballet

La Soubrette (1907) Orchestral

Symphony in D minor Sinfonia del bosco Anacreontiche (4 movements: Ad Artemide, A Faune, Ad Eros, A Dionisio) Concertos

Cello Concerto Chamber

Riflessi ed ombre (quintet) Piano Trio 2 violin sonatas cello sonata Piano

Preludi del mare Quadri di Böcklin Crespuscoli Miraggi Songs

various songs.

Operas in the OperaPedia Catalogue

The following 1 opera by Giacomo Orefice are catalogued in OperaPedia, listed in chronological order of premiere. Click any title for the full editorial entry, including synopsis, premiere details, language, and notable arias.

• 1865 Chopin, 1865 Italian

Stylistic Position & Reception

Giacomo Orefice's position within the operatic canon has been shaped by performance tradition as much as by scholarly judgment. The works that survive in the active repertory of the major houses tend to be those that combine memorable vocal writing with dramatically effective situations · qualities that audiences continue to respond to from one generation to the next. Other works in the catalogue, less frequently performed, often reward closer study by singers, conductors, and dramaturges seeking to broaden the standard repertoire.

Modern scholarship on Giacomo Orefice has been substantially enriched by the publication of critical editions of the major scores, by the rediscovery of forgotten works and revisions, and by the steady documentation of performance history through recordings, theatre archives, and contemporary criticism. The biographical sketch above and the catalogue of works are compiled from public-domain reference sources, including the structured Wikidata layer and the corresponding English Wikipedia article.

Editorial Note

OperaPedia maintains its composer entries as living documents, revised whenever new editorial work justifies a change. If you encounter a factual error in the biographical material above or in the linked opera entries, please write to the editors using the contact details on our about page.