Oliviero De Fabritiis

Who was Oliviero De Fabritiis?

Oliviero De Fabritiis was an Italian conductor and composer.

Oliviero De Fabritiis was born in Rome, where he studied with Refice and Setaccialo. He made his debut at the Teatro Nazionale in Rome in 1920, and later moved to the Teatro Adriano. He was artistic secretary at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma from 1932 until 1943. He inaugurated the summer performances at the Baths of Caracalla in 1937, with Lucia di Lammermoor. He conducted widely in Italy, notably in Verona from 1948 until 1980. He conducted many operas with Beniamino Gigli, with whom he also made famous recordings; Andrea Chénier, Tosca, Madama Butterfly. In 1951 De Fabritiis conducted a series of performances in Mexico City with Maria Callas. In 1956, he conducted the television production of Madama Butterfly, which launched Anna Moffo's career. That same year he conducted the soundtrack of a filmed Tosca with Maria Caniglia, and Franco Corelli. He also conducted Leontyne Price in her first operatic album for RCA, and Luciano Pavarotti and Montserrat Caballé in recordings of Mefistofele and Andrea Chénier.