Federico Ricci

Federico Ricci, portrait by Cucinota, circa 1870.

Federico Ricci (22 October 1809 - 10 December 1877), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas.

Born in Naples, he was the younger brother of Luigi Ricci, with whom he collaborated on several works.

Federico studied at Naples as had his brother. His first big success was with La prigione di Edimburgo, one of his best serious works. He stayed with serious subjects for several years, and of these Corrado d'Altamura was a particular success. However, his last collaboration with his brother, a comedy called Crispino e la comare, was hailed as the masterpiece of both composers, so Federico devoted himself thereafter entirely to comedy.

After another success closely followed by a major flop in Vienna, Federico took an official job teaching in St Petersburg and for 16 years he wrote no operas. In 1869 he moved to Paris, and there Une folie à Rome ran for 77 nights; other French comedies of his — mainly revisions of his own and his brother's earlier works — found some success. He also contributed the Recordare Jesu in the Sequentia to the Messa per Rossini.

Although he did not have his brother's energy, Federico's scores are judged by some to be more skilfully written than Luigi's: for example, it has been said that La prigione di Edimburgo shows a sensitivity towards its subject (from Sir Walter Scott's The Heart of Midlothian) that is rare among Italian operas of the period. He died in Conegliano.

Operas

• Il colonello (also as La donna colonello) (with his brother Luigi Ricci) (1835)
• Monsieur de Chalumeaux (1835)
• Il disertore per amore (with his brother Luigi Ricci) (1836)
• La prigione di Edimburgo (Trieste, 18 March 1838)
• Un duello sotto Richelieu (1839)
• Luigi Rolla e Michelangelo (Florence, 30 March 1841)
• Corrado d'Altamura (La Scala, Milan, 16 November 1841)
• Vallombra (1842)
• Isabella de'Medici (1845)
• Estella di Murcia (1846)
• L'amante di richiamo (with his brother Luigi Ricci) (1846)
• Griselda (1847)
• Crispino e la comare, ossia Il medico e la morte (with his brother Luigi Ricci) (Venice San Benedetto, 28 February 1850, revised as Le docteur Crispin, 1869)
• I due ritratti (1850)
• I1 marito e 1'amante (1852, revised as Une f&ecircum;te à Venise, 1872)
• Il paniere d 'amore (1853)
• Une folie à Rome (Paris, 1869)
• Le docteur Rose, ou La dogaresse (1872)
• Don Quichotte (incomplete, 1876)

References

• The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden with Nicholas Kenyon and Stephen Walsh, Viking (1993) ISBN 0-670-81292-7
• Julian Budden: Ricci, Federico in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7