Italian opera after Puccini. The case of Giorgio Federico Ghedini

Campisi, Maria Grazia Aurora (2024). Italian opera after Puccini. The case of Giorgio Federico Ghedini. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Puccini’s death in 1924 symbolically sealed an irreversible crisis for Italian opera and Italy at large. Woven into this crisis of opera are a series of complex historical narratives: the advent of mass society, the emergence of new media, and the ascent of totalitarianism and its demise in World War II. Spanning the second third of the twentieth century, the operas of the Italian composer Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892-1965) offer a unique vantage point to trace what happened to opera and its discourses across these years. His works provide a compelling perspective on the fate of Italian opera amidst the intersections of tradition and innovation, nationalism and internationalism, politics and culture, fascism and antifascism, entertainment and art, elitism and popular appeal. Furthermore, they shed light on the relatively unexplored continuities—musical, political, cultural and economic—that span this turbulent period. This thesis examines both a composer and a pivotal era in opera history—from the interwar period through to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War—which have often been overlooked in academic studies. It investigates whether and how the genre of opera survived amidst economic crises and calls of its declining popularity. Through an in-depth analysis of Ghedini’s operas, this study reveals that opera did not wane after Puccini, but rather continued to serve as a cornerstone of Italian cultural identity and as a platform for engaging with the highest stakes of the era. Ongoing state backing and ongoing debates about the genre’s crisis underscore its persistent significance in Italy. The thesis employs musical analysis, critical reception studies, comparative methods and interdisciplinary approaches to explore the connections between Ghedini’s eclectic output and the broader historical and cultural context in which his works were premiered. In bridging the gap between the first generation of modernist Italian musicians and the postwar avant-garde, Ghedini’s case study illuminates continuities and controversies across pivotal moments in Italian history that are often studied in isolation. Through a reassessment of Ghedini’s musical and historical significance, this study contributes significantly to our still fragmented understanding of Italian opera during the mid-twentieth century, demonstrating how the genre navigated a perceived obsolescence couched in the terms of its utmost relevance.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):