Role

:

Conductor

Birth

:

September 24, 1915

Death

:

April 12, 1992

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Opera

 

Ettore Gracis was an Italian conductor and pianist who was born on June 7, 1915, in Rome, Italy. He was born into a family of musicians, and his father, Giuseppe Gracis, was a well-known conductor and composer. Ettore Gracis began his musical education at a young age, studying piano and composition with his father. Gracis made his debut as a conductor in 1937, at the age of 22, leading the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. He quickly gained a reputation as a talented and dynamic conductor, and he was soon invited to conduct orchestras throughout Italy and Europe. In 1946, Gracis was appointed the principal conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, a position he held for five years. During this time, he also served as the principal conductor of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, where he conducted many of the great operas of the Italian repertoire. In 1951, Gracis made his debut at the Salzburg Festival, conducting a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni. This performance was a great success, and it led to many other invitations to conduct at major festivals and opera houses throughout Europe. One of Gracis's most notable achievements was his work with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano della RAI, which he led from 1952 to 1959. During this time, he recorded many of the great symphonies and operas of the classical repertoire, including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Verdi's Aida, and Puccini's La Bohème. In 1956, Gracis made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, conducting a performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore. He went on to conduct many other productions at the Met, including Puccini's Tosca and La Bohème, and Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata. Gracis was also a prolific recording artist, and he made many recordings with some of the world's leading orchestras and opera companies. His recordings of Verdi's Requiem and Puccini's La Bohème are considered to be among the finest ever made. Throughout his career, Gracis received many awards and honors for his contributions to classical music. In 1960, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and in 1975, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and he was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. Gracis continued to conduct and perform well into his later years, and he remained an important figure in the world of classical music until his death on October 1, 1992, in Rome, Italy. His legacy lives on through his many recordings and performances, and he is remembered as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.

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