In 1923, the cotton industrialist, PIERO OSTALI, a musician and composer himself, takes over the Publishing House and stops it from going to rack and ruin. An energetic man with a fighting spirit, Ostali succeeds in achieving the worldwide popularity of operas that had undeservedly sunk into oblivion, such as L’Arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilèa; he also extends the repertory with works by Giordano (La Cena delle beffe and Il Re, both conducted by Toscanini at La Scala), Wolf-Ferrari (Sly – with the interpretation of Pertile at La Scala, La Vedova Scaltra and various orchestral music pieces), Smareglia, Lattuada, Lualdi, Porrino.
In 1943 an air raid wipes out the premises of Casa Sonzogno. Piero overcomes this adversity with flying colours, also thanks to the teamwork of his son, Enzo.
