Antonio Cagnoni

Primarily known for his twenty operas, his work is characterized by his use of leitmotifs and moderately dissonant harmonies.

[1] Born in Godiasco, Cagnoni first studied music composition privately in Voghera.

He then studied at the Milan Conservatory where his first three operas, Rosalia di San Miniato (1845), I due savoiardi (1846), and Don Bucefalo, were premiered while he was a student.

[2] He went on to compose 16 more operas and a pastiche, of which his most successful were Michele Perrin (1864), Claudia (1866), Un capriccio di donna (1870), Papà Martin (1871), and Francesca da Rimini (1878).

His last opera, Re Lear, was completed in 1895 but did not premiere until 2009 when it was mounted at the Festival della Valle d'Itria.