Alberto Zedda, Rossini Scholar and Conductor, Dies at 89

Conductor and musicologist Alberto Zedda died in Pesaro in 2017 at age 89. Born in Milan in 1928, he revolutionized the understanding of Gioachino Rossini, shifting public and critical perception from a superficial view to a deeper, more complex composer. His critical edition of 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' for Claudio Abbado at La Scala in the late 1960s became a milestone. Zedda co-founded the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro with Gianfranco Mariotti, making it a leading international festival. He rediscovered works like 'Il viaggio a Reims', premiered in modern times at the ROF in 1984 under Abbado. Zedda also directed La Scala and trained singers such as Juan Diego Flórez. His book 'Divagazioni rossiniane' collects essays on Rossini's complexity.