Nicolas Flagello

Nicolas Oreste Flagello (March 15, 1928 – March 16, 1994) was an American composer and conductor of classical music. He was one of the last American composers to develop a distinctive mode of expression based wholly on the principles and techniques of late romanticism.

Life

Flagello was born in New York City, into a musical family. (His brother Ezio Flagello was a bass who sang at the Metropolitan Opera). He began studying composition with Vittorio Giannini, with whom he continued to study at the Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduating (M.M., 1950) he joined the faculty, where he remained for more than 25 years. In 1955, he won a Fulbright Fellowship to study at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome where he worked under Ildebrando Pizzetti.

As a composer, Flagello held firmly to a belief in music as a personal medium for emotional and spiritual expression. This unfashionable view, together with his vehement rejection of the serialism that dominated musical composition for several decades after World War II, hindered his music from attracting significant attention during much of his lifetime. Among his most auspicious successes were the oratorio ''The Passion of Martin Luther King'' (1968), premiered in Washington, DC, in 1974, and the opera ''The Judgment of St. Francis'' (1959), presented at the Cathedral of St. Francis in Assisi in 1982. He produced a large body of work, including seven operas, two symphonies, eight concertos, and numerous orchestral, choral, chamber, and vocal compositions. As a conductor, he made many recordings with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma and the Orchestra da Camera di Roma, focusing on repertoire from the Baroque to the 20th century. In the mid-1980s, his career was cut short by a degenerative disease, at which time a number of his works were left without orchestration. Many of these works were later orchestrated by composer and editor Anthony Sbordoni.

Flagello died in New Rochelle, New York, on March 16, 1994.NY Times Obituary "Nicolas Flagello, 66, American Composer" (March 17, 1994)
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Since his death Flagello's music has generated a greater following, and many of his major works have been recorded. His opera “Beyond the Horizon” premiered in New York City in September 2024, and his Lautrec ballet suite premiered in March 2025, thanks to the dedication of his wife. He was married to Dianne Flagello, and was the father of two sons, Donis G. Flagello and Vittorio P. Flagello. Dianne Flagello has carried on his legacy since his death by founding publishing company, Maelos Music, and Flagello.com to publish and publicize his works. His granddaughter is American composer, Gala Flagello.

Selected recordings

*Symphony No. 1; Theme, Variations, and Fugue; ''Sea Cliffs''; ''Piper'' Intermezzo (Slovak Radio SO, D. Amos, cond) Naxos 8.559148
*Cello Capriccio (G. Koutzen, cello); ''Contemplazioni di Michelangelo'' (N. Tatum, soprano); ''Lautrec''; ''Remembrance'' (M. Randolph, soprano; Orch. Sinf. di Roma, N. Flagello, cond) Phoenix PHCD-125
*Piano Sonata; ''Prelude, Ostinato, and Fugue''; Violin Sonata; ''Declamation''; ''Nocturne'' et al. (S. Nagata, violin; P. Vinograde, piano) Albany TROY-234
*Piano Concertos Nos. 2, 3 (T. Rankovich, piano); ''Credendum'' (E. Oliveira, violin); ''Overture Burlesca''; ''A Goldoni Overture'' (Slovak Phil, Kosice, D. Amos, cond) Artek AR-0002-2
*Piano Concerto No. 1 (T. Rankovich, piano); ''Dante's Farewell'' (S. Gonzalez, soprano; National RSO of Ukraine, J. M. Williams, cond); ''Concerto Sinfonico'' (New Hudson Sax Qt, Rutgers SO, K. Johns, cond) Naxos 8.559296
*Symphony No. 2; ''Odyssey''; ''Valse Noire''; ''Concerto Sinfonico'' (U. of Houston Sax Qt, Wind Ensemble, D. Bertman, cond) Naxos 8.573060
*Violin Concerto (E. Oliveira, violin); ''Mirra'' Interlude and Dance; ''Symphonic Aria''; ''The Sisters: Interludio''; Songs (S. Gonzalez, soprano; National RSO of Ukraine, J. M. Williams, cond) Artek AR-0036-2
*''Passion of Martin Luther King''; ''The Land''; ''L'Infinito'' (E. Flagello, bass-baritone; N. Flagello, cond) Naxos 8.112065
*Harp Sonata (E. Goodman) BIS CD-319

Principal works

Operas

*''The Wig'' (1954); libretto by composer, after Pirandello
*''Mirra'' (1955); libretto by composer, after Alfieri
*''Rip Van Winkle'' (1957); operetta for children, libretto by Christopher Fiore
*''The Sisters'' (1958); libretto by Dean Mundy
*''The Judgment of St. Francis'' (1959); libretto by Armand Aulicino
*''The Piper of Hamelin'' (1970); opera for children, libretto by composer, after Browning
*''Beyond the Horizon'' (1983); libretto by composer and W. Simmons, after O'Neill

Orchestral works

*''Beowulf'' (1949)
*''Suite for Amber'' (1951)
*''Symphonic Aria'' (1951)
*''Overture Burlesca'' (1952)
*Interlude and Dance fm. ''Mirra'' (1955)
*''Theme, Variations, and Fugue'' (1956)
*''Missa Sinfonica'' (1957)
*Concerto for String Orchestra (1959)
*''Lautrec'' Ballet Suite (1965)
*''A Goldoni Overture'' (1967)
*Symphony No. 1 (1968)
*''Serenata'' (1968)
*Symphony No. 2 (for winds and percussion; 1970)

Instrumental works with orchestra

*Piano Concerto No. 1 (1950)
*''Concerto Antoniano'' for Flute and Orchestra (1953)
*Piano Concerto No. 2 (1956)
*Violin Concerto (1956)
*''Capriccio'' for Cello and Orchestra (1962)
*Piano Concerto No. 3 (1962)
*''Credendum'' for Violin and Orchestra (1973)
*''Concerto Sinfonico'' for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra/Band (1985)

Vocal and choral works with orchestra

*''The Land'' (song cycle, Tennyson, bass-baritone and chamber orchestra; 1954)
*''Tristis est Anima Mea'' (SATB, orchestra; 1959)
*''Dante's Farewell'' (monodrama, soprano and orchestra, text by J. Tusiani; 1962)
*''Contemplazioni di Michelangelo'' (soprano and orchestra; 1964)
*''An Island in the Moon'' (soprano/tenor and orchestra, Wm. Blake, 1964)
*''Te Deum for All Mankind'' (SATB, orchestra; 1967)
*''Passion of Martin Luther King'' ratorio(bass-baritone, SATB, orchestra; 1968)
*''Remembrance'' (soprano, flute, strings/stg. qt., E. Bronte, 1971)
*''Canto'' (soprano, orchestra, poem by composer, 1978)

Piano

*Etude, ''Homage to Chopin'' (1941)
*Three Dances (1945)
*''Symphonic Waltzes'' (1958)
*''Prelude, Ostinato, and Fugue'' (1960)
*Piano Sonata (1962)
*Concertino for Piano, Brass, and Timpani (1963)

Chamber music

*''Chorale and Episode'' for Brass Dectet (1944)
*''Lyra'' for Brass Sextet (1945)
*''Episodes'' for Woodwind Quintet (1957)
*''Burlesca'' for Flute and Guitar (1961)
*Sonata for Violin and Piano (1963)
*''Valse Noire'' for Saxophone Quartet (1964)
*Suite for Harp and String Trio (1965)
*''Declamation'' for Violin and Piano (1967)
*''Philos'' for Brass Quintet (1969)
*''Nocturne'' for Violin and Piano (1969)
*''Ricercare'' for 19 Brass and Percussion (1971)

Miscellaneous

*Divertimento for Piano and Percussion (1960)
*Harp Sonata (1961)
*''Introduction and Scherzo'' (1964) for Accordion
*''Electra'' (1966) for Piano, Harp, and Percussion
*''Marionettes'' (1968) for Harp
*''Odyssey'' (1981) for Band
Numerous songs for voice and piano

References

Sources

*
*Odyssey: Birth of a New Work ideo documentary, 1981, Educational Audio Visual Inc.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPYorwNr5lE
*https://www.flagello.com/ omposer website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flagello, Nicolas
1928 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American classical composers
American male classical composers
Manhattan School of Music alumni
American people of Italian descent
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni
20th-century American male musicians