Franci, Carlo
Franci, Carlo
Franci, Carlo, Italian conductor and composer, son of Benvenuto Franci; b. Buenos Aires, July 18, 1927. He went to Rome and studied composition with Turchi and Petrassi at the Cons, and conducting with Previtali at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. After conducting the Radio Eireann Sym. Orch. in Dublin (1955–57) and the RAI in Rome (1961–63), he appeared with the Rome Opera. In 1968 he conducted the Rome Opera production of Rossini’s Otello during its visit to the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. On Feb. 1, 1969, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting Lucia di Lammer-moor, and remained on its roster until 1972. As a guest conductor, he appeared with opera houses in Milan, Berlin, Budapest, Munich, Madrid, Paris, Hamburg, Zurich et al. In 1988 he appeared as a guest conductor with the PACT (Performing Arts Council, Transvaal) Opera in Pretoria, where he subsequently served as principal conductor of the Transvaal Phil. Among his compositions are 4 Studies for Orch. (1993) and the African Oratorio (1994).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire