Gatti-Casazza, Giulio

views updated May 17 2018

Gatti-Casazza, Giulio (b Udine, 1868; d Ferrara, 1940). It. impresario. Gave up career as naval engineer to succeed father as dir. of municipal th., Ferrara, 1893; dir. of La Scala 1898–1908, working with Toscanini and helping to popularize Wagner in It. trans. Dir. NY Met 1908–35, when he staged over 5,000 perfs. of 177 works. Took Toscanini to NY with him, thus inaugurating the cond.'s Amer. career. Encouraged Amer. composers to write operas and secured for the Met the f.ps. of Königskinder (1910) and La fanciulla del West (1910).