''The Gadfly'' (russian: Овод) is a 1958 Russian-language opera by the Soviet composer of Italian descent

Antonio Spadavecchia Antonio Emmanuelovich Spadavecchia (russian: Антонио Эммануилович Спадавеккиа; born in Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport ...

based on the novel '' The Gadfly''. An earlier opera based on the book, also called ''The Gadfly'', had been composed by Mikhail Zhukov in 1928. It is set in Italy in 1834–48, one of the few Russian revolutionary operas to take a plot overseas, another being

Kirill Molchanov Kirill Vladimirovich Molchanov (russian: Кирилл Владимирович Молчанов; 7 September 1922 – 14 March 1982) was a Russian and Soviet composer. He was appointed director of the Bolshoi, at the time political disfavour had ...

's 1960 opera ''Del Corno Street'' following Vasco Pratolini's anti-fascist story set in Mussolini's Italy.Anglo-Soviet journal – Volumes 23 – 25 – Page 43 Society for Cultural Relations with the USSR (Great Britain) – 1962 "A special edition of The Gadfly appeared in 150,000 copies (in Russian), and an edition in English in October, 1964 ... was with her parents when they came to the novelist's flat in 1955, and the composer Spadavecchia, author of the opera."

References

Russian-language operas 1958 operas Operas based on novels Operas Operas set in Italy {{opera-stub