The son of a chemist who wished him to become a doctor, the young Giordano was instead enrolled at the Royal College of San Pietro at Majella, Naples, on the advice of a family friend who had recognised his musical leanings. A favourite pupil of the famous Maestro Paolo Serrao, in 1888, even before completing his courses, he took part in the Sonzogno Competition for a one-act opera (the competition which was to bring forward Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana), where his Marina came sixth and aroused the interest of the publisher Edoardo Sonzogno, who commissioned from him the opera Mala Vita, based on the play of the same name by Salvatore di Giacomo.

His great success came in 1896 with the resounding acclaim by public and critics of Andrea Chénier at the Teatro alla Scala.

In the same year Giordano married Olga Spatz, daughter of the owner of the Grand Hotel de Milan, the prestigious hotel in which Verdi resided when in Milan. The ageing Maestro looked on the Giordano couple with affection and was unusually ready with advice and suggestions for the young composer.

Giordano’s subsequent operas (Fedora, Siberia, Madame Sans-Gêne, La Cena delle Beffe, Il Re) also entered the repertoire of the principal theatres of the world.

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• Poster by Marcello Dudovich for Fedora at the Teatro Verdi of Padua (1899)
• An advertisement for the first complete edition on disc of Andrea Chénier (1921)
• Poster by Marcello Dudovich for the first performance of Siberia (1903, La Scala, Milan)
• Poster by Galileo Chini for the first performance of La cena delle beffe (1924, La Scala, Milan)
• Some great interpreters of Giordano's operas: Lina Cavalieri and Enrico Caruso in Fedora, Maria Callas in Fedora, Franco Corelli in Andrea Chénier, José Carreras in Andrea Chénier, Mirella Freni in Fedora, Giorgio Zancanaro and Daniela Dessì in La cena delle beffe

• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier Operas 01h 56' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, aria di Chénier Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, aria di Chénier Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, aria di Gerard Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, aria di Maddalena Symphonic 00h 05' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, aria di Madelon Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, coro delle pastorelle Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, duetto finale Maddalena-Chénier Symphonic 00h 08' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, duetto Maddalena-Chénier Symphonic 00h 08' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, improvviso Symphonic 00h 05' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Andrea Chénier, monologo di Gérard Symphonic 00h 05' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Carillon de Noël per voce e orchestra da camera Symphonic 00h 02' 30"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora Operas 01h 45' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, aria di De Siriex Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, aria di Fedora - atto I Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, aria di Fedora - atto I Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, aria di Fedora - atto III Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, aria di Loris Symphonic 00h 01' 15"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, duetto Fedora-Loris Symphonic 00h 13' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, interludio atto II Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Fedora, racconto di Cirillo Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Il Re Operas 01h 07' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Il Re, interludio e danza del moro Symphonic 00h 04' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto La cena delle beffe Operas 01h 30' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Madame Sans-Gêne Operas 01h 50' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Mala vita Operas 01h 30' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Mala vita, intermezzo atto II Symphonic 00h 03' 30"
• GIORDANO Umberto Mala vita, tarantella Symphonic 00h 02' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Marcella Operas 01h 10' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Marcella, aria di Giorgio Chamber 00h 02' 50"
• GIORDANO Umberto Marcella, intermezzo atto II Symphonic 00h 01' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Marcella, intermezzo atto III String 00h 01' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Mese mariano Operas 00h 40' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Mese mariano, intermezzo Symphonic 00h 04' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Siberia Operas 01h 40' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Siberia, Il canto dei forzati Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Siberia, La Pasqua Symphonic 00h 03' 00"
• GIORDANO Umberto Siberia, preludio atto II Symphonic 00h 04' 00"