Giorgio Battistelli (born 25 April 1953, Albano Laziale, Italy) is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music.
Early life and education Giorgio Battistelli studied at the conservatory in L'Aquila, and is a former student of Stockhausen and Kagel.
Career By 2009, Battistelli had written nearly 20 operas, on subjects ranging from Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopaedia to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
From 1985 to 1986 he was host of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Berlin. In 1994 he co-founded an improvisation group called Edgard Varèse, and an instrumental ensemble named Beat '72.
In October 2009, his opera Miracle in Brisbane was performed for the Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Australia, directed by Rhoda Roberts and starring an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cast, including Aaron Fa'aoso, Deborah Mailman, Djakapurra Munyarrayan, and Casey Donovan.
In November 2009 he was artistic director of the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme hosted by Aldeburgh Music in England.
His opera CO2, based on Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, premiered at La Scala opera house in Milan in 2015.
Battistelli's opera Wake was premiered by the Birmingham Opera Company in March 2018 and is inspired by the story of Lazarus being brought back from the dead.
He was artistic director of the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte di Montepulciano, the Orchestra Regionale Toscana.
He has been director of the music section of the Venice Biennale.
His music is published by Ricordi and recordings available on Stradivarius.
Recognition and awards In 1990 Battistelli won the SIAE award for an opera, and in 1993 the Cervo Prize for contemporary music.
He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on 27 December 2020.
Stage works
TitleFormatLibretto and source PremiereExperimentum Mundi Opera di musica immaginistica, 60' the composer, after the Encyclopédie of Diderot and D'AlembertMay 1981; Teatro Olimpico, RomeLinzer StahloperSep 1982; Hauptplatz, LinzJules Verne Fantasia da camera, 60'Sep 1987; StrasbourgAphrodite Monodramma di costumi antichi, 50' after the novel Aphrodite: mœurs antiques by Pierre LouÿsJul 1988; Villa Massimo, RomeCombattimento di Ettore e Achille Représentation de corps et de mémoire, 60' the composer, after texts of Homer, Tirso de Molina, Goethe, Schiller, Shakespeare, Du Bellay, Racine, Stazio, Quintus, Monti, Leopardi, Foscolo, Chiabrera, Ariosto, Catullo, Ronsard, ValérySep 1989; Festival Musica, StrasbourgKeplers Traum Kammeroper, 60' the composer, loosely after KeplerSep 1990; Brucknerhaus, LinzTeorema Parabola in musica in 2 atti (16 scene), 70' the composer, loosely after the film by Pier Paolo PasoliniMar 1992; Teatro Comunale, Maggio Musicale FiorentinoFrau Frankenstein Monodramma del Prometeo moderno, 35' the composer, after Mary ShelleyMar 1993; Berliner FestspieleProva d’Orchestra Teatro di musicaNov 1995; StrasbourgThe Cenci Music theatre the composer and Nick Ward, after the setting by Antonin Artaud of the verse drama by ShelleyJul 1997; Almeida Opera Festival, LondonDie Entdeckung der Langsamkeit Musiktheater in 5 scenes, 70' Michael Klügl, after the novel by Sten NadolnyOct 1997; Theater BremenImpressions d'Afrique Music theatre Lavaudant and Loayza, after texts by Roussel, Blake, Dickens, Morgenstern, Rabelais, Saba, TassoMay 2000; Teatro Goldoni/ Maggio Musicale FiorentinoAuf den Marmorklippen Musikalische visionen, 100' Giorgio van Straten and the composer, after the novel by Ernst JüngerMar 2002; Nationaltheater MannheimThe Embalmer Monodramma giocoso da camera, 70' Renzo RossoJul 2002; Almeida Opera Festival, LondonDer Herbst des Patriarchen Opera in 6 scenes, 110' Gotthart Kuppel, after El otoño del patriarca by Gabriel García MárquezJun 2004; Theater BremenRichard III Dramma musicale in 2 acts, 150' Ian Burton, after the play by ShakespeareJan 2005; Flemish Opera, AntwerpMiracolo a Milano Music theatre, 90' the composer, loosely after the novel Totò il buono by Cesare Zavattini and its film adaption Miracolo a Milano by Vittorio De SicaNov 2007; Teatro Valli, Reggio EmiliaThe Fashion Opera Mondana in 12 scenes, 90'Bob GoodyJan 2008; Deutsche Oper am Rhein, DüsseldorfDivorzio all'Italiana Azione musicale in 23 tavole per il crepuscolo della famiglia, 90' the composer, loosely after the film by Pietro GermiSep 2008; Opéra national de Lorraine, Nancy, FranceMiracle in Brisbane October 2009; Brisbane Festival, Australia Opera, 90'Ian Burton, Sung in English with electronic libretto in Italian, EnglishMay 2015; La Scala, MilanIl Medico dei Pazzi Opera2016; Opéra national de Lorraine, NancyLot Opera2017; Staatsoper HannoverWake Opera Sarah WoodsMarch 2018; Birmingham Opera Company
References