PierLuigi Samaritani (September 29, 1942, in Novara – January 5, 1994, in Rome) was a renowned opera director/production designer, who began his career at a young age, working alongside some of the greatest names in theatre, opera and ballet, such as

Lila de Nobili Lila De Nobili (September 3, 1916 – February 19, 2002) was an Italian stage designer, costume designer, and fashion illustrator. She was noted for her collaborations with leading stage and opera directors such as Luchino Visconti and Fra ...

, Giancarlo Menotti,

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

and many more. Samaritani had an enormous talent, which allowed him to take on all the roles the theatre, opera and ballet demanded, making sure to always be involved in all aspects of his productions even when delegating. From the creation of his "sketches" of the set, which were more like works of art in and of themselves to the smallest change in an extra’s costume, he was a true perfectionist preoccupied with every detail. His productions graced the stage of countless opera houses and theaters, amongst them

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

di Milano, Teatro Regio of Parma, The Metropolitan Opera House,

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

and the Festival of Two Worlds at Spoleto ( Festival dei Due Mondi), where he collaborated for many years, alongside his dear friend,

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

. The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto founded in 1947 in Spoleto, by

Adriano Belli Adriano Belli (born August 25, 1977) is a Canadian former professional gridiron football, football player who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Belli is nicknamed "The Kissing Bandit" for his penchant for kissing people on thei ...

created a special award carrying the name of Pier Luigi Samaritani, awarded each year to the set designer with the best set design of the opera season.

Education

Pierluigi Samaritani was born in Novara, Italy and later moved to Milan, Italy to receive his degree from the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera. He soon after went to Paris to continue his studies at L’Ecole Superieure d’Arts et Technique du Théâtre, where he studied under famed stage and costume designer,

(September 3, 1916 – February 19, 2002). Lila never attended school but dedicated herself to painting and drawing. Her talent show through her work doing cover and high fashion illustrations for Vogue, Hermes and others. De Nobili was well known for her highly romanticized settings. De Nobili would become a huge influence on Samaritani and his work. She was known for her collaborations with Italian directors

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

and

, and also did productions in the UK for

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

and Peter Hall at Stratford-Upon-Avon. Hall was founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later director of the National Theatre. Lila de Nobili never married and lived in Paris most her life, though, while working on her productions in the UK, she lived with Peter Hall and his wife,

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French and American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. Caron b ...

, who was a close friend of Lila’s at their home in Knightsbridge.

Personal life

Pierluigi Samaritani had no children and was married only once. His widow, Chilean former model, Maria del Pilar Muñoz Fontaine, has two children (Samaritani’s stepsons): international designer and marchand d’art, Micky Hurley, and his brother, Max Hurley, an entrepreneur and awarded ad man. The whole family lived together for a time in Samaritani’s villa in Tuscany in the 1990s. Samaritani died on January 5, 1994, in Rome, after complications from terminal cancer.

Career

Samaritani worked all over the world, in the most prestigious opera houses and theatres. His favorite theatre was said to be the communal theatre of Florence, for which he produced several works. Several conductors, opera registas, set designers and other great artists and talents have used Samaritani's works for their opera productions around the world. Some examples are: Claus Helmet Drese. The New York Times published an article on June 2, 2015, detailing the shortcomings and highlights of a recent ''La Bayadère'' production at the Metropolitan Opera House, based on the production choreographed by the late, famed dancer Natalia Makarova. The article exalts PierLuigi Samaritani's set design as a high-point in the production: "The Makarova production has Pier Luigi Samaritani’s fabulous painted scenery, always a triumph of rich Indian color and successful illusion."

List of productions 1967 - 1986

* Manfred (Schumann) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1967 * I Capricci di Callot (Malpiero) Teatro alla Scala di Milano 1968 * Semiramide (Rossini)

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (literal English translation: 'Florence Musical May') is an annual Italian arts festival in Florence, including a notable opera festival, under the auspices of the Opera di Firenze. The festival occurs between late A ...

1968 * Tristano e Isotta (Wagner) Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto 1968 * Maria di Rohan (Donizetti) Teatro alla Scala 1969 * La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1969 * El Retablo de maese Pedro (De Falla) Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto 1969 * La Vestale (Spontini) Teatro Massimo di Palermo 1970 * Carmen (Bizet) Teatro alla Scala di Milano 1972 * Mosè (Rossini) Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 1973 * Sebastian (Menotti) Teatro Massimo di Palermo 1973 * Boheme (Puccini) TEatro dell’Opera di Roma 1974 * La Falena (Smareglia) Teatro Verdi di Trieste 1975 * Re Cervo (Henze) Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 1976 * La Forza del Destino (Verdi) San Drancisco Opera House 1976 *

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play '' Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea f ...

(Verdi) Teatro all Scala di Milano 1976 * La Signora delle Camelie (Dumas) Teatro Eliseo di Roma – Compagnia Falk 1976 * La Traviata (Verdi) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1977 * Medea in Corinto (Mayr) Teatro San Carlo di Napoli 1977 * Werther (Massenet) Teatro Comunale di Firenze 1978 * Thaïs (Massenet) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1978 * Carmen (Bizet) Deutsche Oper Berlin 1979 * Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Teatro Comunale di Firenze 1979 * Faust (Gounod) Chicago Lyric Opera 1979 * La Sonnambula (Bellini) Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto 1979 * Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Arena di Verona 1979 * Eugenio Onieghin (Cajkovskij) Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 1980 * La Bayadere (Minkus) Metropolitan Opera House New York 1980 * Aida (Verdi) Chicago Lyric Opera 1980 * Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai) Teatro Filarmonico di Veronca 1980 * La Sonnambula (Rieti) American Ballet Theatre 1981 * Carmen (Bizet) TEatro Comunale di Firenze 1982 * Le Baiser de la Fee (Stravinsky) Teatro Comunale di Firenze 1982 * Manon (Massenet) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1982 * Parsifal (Wagner) Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 1983 * Ernani (Verdi) Metropolitan Opera House New York 1983 * Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Festival Pucciniano di Torre del Lago 1984 * Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Teatro Comunale di Firenze 1985 * Macbeth (Verdi) Teatro Municipal de Santiago 1985 * La Rondine (Puccini) Teatro Regio di Parma 1986

Education

Personal life

Career

List of productions 1967 - 1986

References

Further reading