Silvio Barbato facts for kids
Silvio Sergio Bonaccorsi Barbato (born May 11, 1959 – died June 1, 2009) was a talented Italian-Brazilian conductor and composer of opera music. He was known for his passion for music and his work in both Brazil and Italy. Sadly, he passed away in the Air France Flight 447 accident.
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Silvio Barbato's Life and Musical Journey
Silvio Barbato was born in Italy. His family had roots in Italy but his grandparents were doctors in Brazil. His father was also a university professor in Brazil.
Early Music Education
Silvio Barbato studied music at the University of Brasília in Brazil. He learned about conducting and composing from famous teachers like Cláudio Santoro. Later, he moved to Milan, Italy, to continue his studies at the "Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi."
In 1984, he earned a special degree from the "Accademia Musicale Chigiana" in Siena. The next year, he graduated from the "Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi" with a gold medal in High Conducting. He was the first Brazilian to receive this honor since the famous composer Antônio Carlos Gomes.
Starting His Career
Silvio Barbato began his conducting career at just 25 years old. He directed the opera Tosca at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro. People called him "maestro menudo" (little conductor) because he was the youngest conductor in Brazil to lead a full opera.
In Italy, he also learned from Franco Ferrara and became an assistant director at the famous Teatro alla Scala. He also studied "Italian Opera" at the University of Chicago.
Leading Orchestras
Maestro Barbato was the director of the Orchestra of the Cláudio Santoro National Theater in Brasília two times: from 1989 to 1992 and again from 1999 to 2006.
In 1996, a famous singer named Plácido Domingo asked him to help with an opera called O Guarany. Silvio Barbato helped put together the original music for this opera, which was performed for the first time in 126 years at the Washington National Opera.
Awards and Special Performances
Silvio Barbato was the music director for the film Villa-Lobos – Uma Vida de Paixão. He won an award for the best music score for this film. In 2002, he received a "Medal for Cultural Merits" from the President of Brazil. He was also given the title "Commendatory of the Order of Rio Branco" for his contributions.
In 2006, he directed the first European performance of an opera called "Colombo" in Catania, Italy. This was a big event because the opera had not been performed in Europe for 114 years! A music CD of this performance was also recorded. That same year, he was asked to conduct the closing concert of the Mozartian year in Vicenza, Italy.
In 2009, he conducted special symphonic music in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Later Works and Collaborations
In 2008, Silvio Barbato conducted a concert called "Tribute to Pavarotti" in Brazil. He also conducted the first performance of his second opera, "Carlos Chagas," in Rome, Italy. Many important scientists attended this event.
In his later years, Barbato focused on writing his own operas. He wrote "O Cientista," which was about the life of a scientist named Oswaldo Cruz, and "Carlos Chagas," about another scientist named Carlos Chagas Filho.
He worked with many famous singers like Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Montserrat Caballé, and Plácido Domingo. He was a permanent director of the Symphonic Orchestra of the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro. He was also the artistic director of the Cláudio Santoro National Theater in Brasília.
Silvio Barbato loved his city, Rio de Janeiro, and always wanted to live in Brazil, even though his international career meant he traveled a lot. He was also a big fan of the "Flamengo" football team.
He also conducted large choral works, like L'enfance du Christ by Hector Berlioz. He often promoted the music of his teachers and other Brazilian composers like Heitor Villa-Lobos.
His Final Journey
Silvio Barbato was on his way to Kyiv to conduct and teach when he boarded Air France Flight 447 on June 1, 2009. The plane was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it crashed over the Atlantic Ocean. The accident happened near Fernando de Noronha, a group of islands off the coast of Brazil.
Major Works
- "O Guarani, Canto de Guerra, Canto de Vitória" – a book he wrote in 2004.
- "Terra Brasilis" – a ballet that premiered at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro in 2003.
- "O Cientista" – an opera that premiered at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro in 2006.
- "Carlos Chagas" – an opera that premiered in a special "pocket version" in Rome in 2008.
- "Simon Bolivar" – his last opera, which was not finished before he passed away. It was planned to debut in 2009.
