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29-558: Along with Camillo Boito , Luca Beltrami , and Luigi Broggi , Maciachini is one of the prominent representatives of the eclectic period of Milanese architecture, sometimes referred to as "Milanese Eclecticism" (approx. 1860–1920). Maciachini was born in Induno Olona , in the Province of Varese ( Lombardy ), to a farmers family. As a young boy, he proved to be a talented wood carver, working as an apprentice in local woodworking shops. At

58-454: A psychological horror short story titled " A Christmas Eve ", a tale of incestuous obsession and necrophilia , which bears a striking similarity to Edgar Allan Poe 's " Berenice ." A short film adaptation was released in 2012. Around 1882 he wrote his most famous novella, Senso , a disturbing tale of sexual decadence. In 1954, Senso was memorably adapted for the screen by Italian director Luchino Visconti and then, later, in 2002 into

87-475: A larger project. The revised Boccanegra premiered to great acclaim in 1881. With that, their mutual friendship and respect blossomed, and that larger project became Otello . Although Verdi's aim to write the music for an opera based on Shakespeare's King Lear never came to fruition (despite the existence of a libretto), Boito provided subtle and resonant libretti not just for Otello (based on Shakespeare's play Othello ) but also for Falstaff (which

116-576: A more sexually disturbing adaptation by Tinto Brass . Another story, " Un corpo " (also dealing with themes of sexual decadence and necrophilia), was adapted into an opera of the same title by the Greek composer Kharálampos Goyós , commissioned and premiered by the Experimental Stage of the Greek National Opera in 2008. Arrigo Boito , Camillo's younger brother, was a noted poet, composer and

145-504: A more successful second premiere, in Bologna on 10 April 1875. This revised and drastically cut version also changed Faust from a baritone to a tenor. Mefistofele is the only work of his performed with any regularity today, and Enrico Caruso included its two tenor arias in his first recording session. The prologue to the opera, set in heaven, is a favourite concert excerpt. Libretti Boito's literary powers never waned. As well as writing

174-544: A personal and appreciated style, which was both scientific and eclectic . He would first try to identify the original structure of the buildings he was restoring through a study of any available documentation, to recreate them as faithfully as possible; but then, when precise documentation wasn't available, he would integrate the design, creatively borrowing features from other buildings of the same historical period and architectural style. A recurring theme in Maciachini's style

203-523: Is the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti which was built 1895 - 99. It was financed by the composer Giuseppe Verdi and serves as a rest home for retired musicians, and as a memorial for the composer, who is buried in the crypt of the chapel there. In the early 1900s, Boito helped shape Italian laws protecting historical monuments. Boito died in Milan in 1914. Boito also wrote several collections of short stories, including

232-542: Is the extensive use of dense patterns of geometric shapes and symbols in the decoration of facades, rose windows , and other architectural elements. It has been noted that, despite working on religious buildings, Maciachini made very little use of Christian symbols: for example, the chapels in the Famedio (the core building of the Monumental Cemetery) did not include any Cross symbol in Maciachini's original design. On

261-681: The Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia (School of Fine Arts) in Venice . During his time there, he was influenced by Selvatico Estense , an architect who championed the study of medieval art in Italy. He taught architecture at the Venice School of Fine Arts until 1856 when he moved to Tuscany . His agitation against the Austrian domination of Venice pressured him to leave, despite his position as adjunct professor at

290-621: The Corinthian capitals of the church of Bodio , as well as the pulpits of the Basilica of San Vittore in Varese . Maciachini was also involved in a resounding failure with his design of the dome of the Cathedral of Pavia , which was completed in 1885 and partially collapsed in that same year. The cathedral had to remain closed for over seven years because pieces of marble would occasionally fall from

319-524: The libretti are Giuseppe Verdi 's monumental last two operas Otello and Falstaff as well as Amilcare Ponchielli 's La Gioconda . Along with Emilio Praga and his brother Camillo Boito , he is regarded as one of the prominent representatives of the Scapigliatura (Italian bohemian) artistic movement. He wrote essays under the anagrammatic pseudonym of Tobia Gorrio. Boito was born in Padua . He

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348-659: The Academy. In Florence he begins to write for the journal lo Spettatore edited by Celestino Bianchi . In 1860, he was named professor of Superior Architecture at the Brera Academy in Milan. In Milan, he published for a number of journals, including Politecnico , Perseveranza , and Nuova Antologia . During his extensive work restoring ancient buildings, he tried to reconcile the conflicting views of his contemporaries on architectural restoration, notably those of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and John Ruskin . This reconciliation of ideas

377-681: The Church and Campanile of Santi Maria e Donato at Murano , inspired by the theories and techniques of Viollet-Le-Duc. He also worked on the Porta Ticinese in Milan between 1856–1858 and famed Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua in 1899. He designed the Cemetery of Gallarate . Other architectural designs include Gallarate Hospital (in Gallarate , Italy) and a school in Milan. His most famous building in Milan

406-634: The age of 20, he moved to Milan to become an art student at the Brera Academy , where eventually graduated in architecture, at the same time earning a great popularity in the Milanese high society as a carver and decorator. His first major work as an architect was the realization of the Saint Spyridon Church in Trieste for the Serbian Orthodox community. A few years later he submitted his proposal for

435-417: The author of the libretti for Giuseppe Verdi 's last two great operas, Otello and Falstaff . Arrigo Boito Arrigo Boito ( Italian: [arˈriːɡo ˈbɔito] ; born Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito ; 24 February 1842 – 10 June 1918) was an Italian librettist , composer, poet and critic whose only completed opera was Mefistofele . Among the operas for which he wrote

464-436: The composer (and later conductor) Franco Faccio . The rapprochement was effected by the music publisher Giulio Ricordi , whose long-term aim was to persuade Verdi to write another opera. Verdi agreed that Boito should revise the libretto of the original 1857 Simon Boccanegra . Musicologist Roger Parker speculates that this was based on a desire to "test the possibility" of working with Boito, before possibly embarking on

493-615: The design of the new Monumental Cemetery of Milan ("Cimitero Monumentale di Milano"), and was chosen by the city authorities for the task. The cemetery was completed in 1866, and is widely recognized as Maciachini's prominent achievement. Thereafter, Maciachini worked on a number of other designs (mostly restorations of decayed religious buildings) in Milan and other areas of Northern Italy, including several cities in Lombardy , Veneto , and Friuli-Venezia Giulia . He would also sporadically return to sculpture and carving; for example, he realized

522-491: The fractured dome. The dome is still in place, but its maintenance is difficult and costly because of the defective design. Maciachini died in Varese in 1899, and was buried in the Monumental Cemetery of Milan. To honour his contributions to the architecture of Milan, a large square of the city, Piazzale Carlo Maciachini , has been named after him. Especially in the restoration of old buildings, Maciachini developed

551-453: The libretti for his own operas, he wrote them for greater operas by two other composers. As "Tobia Gorrio" (an anagram of his name), he provided the libretto for Amilcare Ponchielli 's La Gioconda . Collaboration with Verdi Shortly after he had collaborated with Verdi on Inno delle nazioni ("Anthem of the Nations", London, 1862), Boito offended him in a toast to his long-time friend,

580-472: The opera Ero e Leandro and left incomplete a further opera, Nerone , which he had been working at, on and off, between 1877 and 1915. Excluding its last act, for which Boito left only a few sketches, Nerone was finished after his death by Arturo Toscanini and Vincenzo Tommasini and premiered at La Scala in 1924. He also left a Symphony in A minor in manuscript. Mefistofele His only completed opera, Mefistofele , based on Goethe 's Faust ,

609-520: The other hand, stars of David , pentagrams , (left-facing) swastikas , triskelions , and other non-Christian symbols are found in many of Maciachini's facades and architectures. This predilection for "pagan" (possibly esoteric ) symbols has aroused a number of theories alleging that Maciachini was an affiliate of some sort of secret organisation, such as a Freemasonry society. Camillo Boito Camillo Boito ( Italian pronunciation: [kaˈmillo ˈbɔito] ; 30 October 1836 – 28 June 1914)

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638-586: The post until 1897. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Cambridge in 1893, and on his death in Milan, he was interred there in the Cimitero Monumentale . He was an atheist. A memorial concert was given in his honour at La Scala in 1948. The orchestra was conducted by Arturo Toscanini . Recorded in very primitive sound, the concert has been issued on CD . Boito wrote very little music, but completed (and later destroyed)

667-418: The restoration of historical monuments: The concern was for maintaining authenticity in terms of the identification of original materials. At the same time, the intention was to promote a "scientific" attitude toward restoration. Boito's principles were well accepted and inspired modern legislation on restoration of historical monuments in several countries. Boito is perhaps most famous for his restoration of

696-508: Was a contemporary of Albert Visetti and Amintore Galli . In 1866, with Galli, Franco Faccio , and Emilio Praga , Boito fought under Giuseppe Garibaldi in the Seven Weeks' War in which the Kingdom of Italy and Prussia fought against Austria , after which Venice was ceded to Italy . Between 1887 and 1894, he had an affair with the celebrated actress Eleonora Duse . Their relationship

725-515: Was an Italian architect and engineer, and a noted art critic, art historian and novelist. He was the brother of Arrigo Boito , the friend and librettist of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi . Camillo Boito has as his favorite student and heir Enrico Zanoni . Boito was born in Rome, the son of an Italian painter of miniatures. His mother was of Polish ancestry. He studied in Padua and then architecture at

754-461: Was carried out in a highly clandestine manner, presumably because of Boito's many aristocratic friends and acquaintances. Despite this, their voluminous correspondence over the years survives. The two remained on good terms until his death. Towards the end of his musical career, Boito succeeded Giovanni Bottesini as director of the Parma Conservatory after the latter's death in 1889 and held

783-407: Was given its first performance on 5 March 1868, at La Scala , Milan . The premiere, which he conducted himself, was badly received, provoking riots and duels over its supposed " Wagnerism ", and it was closed by the police after two performances. Verdi commented, "He aspires to originality but succeeds only at being strange." Boito withdrew the opera from further performances to rework it, and it had

812-513: Was presented at the III Conference of Architects and Civil Engineers of Rome in 1883 in a document later to be known as the "Prima Carta del Restauro" or the Charter of Restoration. This inaugural charter provided a set of principles for the restoration and conservation of monuments. In his 1893 set of dialogues on historic monuments, he develops this into eight points to be taken into consideration in

841-468: Was the son of Silvestro Boito , a painter of miniatures, who was not of noble birth but passed himself off as a nobleman, and his wife, a Polish countess, Józefina Radolińska. His older brother, Camillo Boito , was an Italian architect and engineer as well as a noted art critic, art historian and novelist. Boito studied music at the Milan Conservatory with Alberto Mazzucato until 1861, where he

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