Alfredo Catalani book review

I have reviewed of a pair of books, edited and introduced by David Chandler, which deal with Catalani, the composer of La Wally. Catalani died young, of TB, and the books gather together early biographies and primary sources, putting them into English for the first time. The review is here, on OperaToday.com.

Assumptions about later Italian opera are dominated by Puccini, but Alfredo Catalani, (born in the same town and almost at the same time), was highly regarded by their contemporaries. Two new books on Catalani could change our perceptions.....