Nicola Rescigno, the co-founder of the Dallas Opera and one of Maria Callas' favorite conductors, has died in Italy, officials said Tuesday. He was 92.
Rescigno died Monday at the Belcolle hospital in Viterbo, a town about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Rome, said Dr. Corrado Ricci. Rescigno had been admitted July 30 with a broken femur following a fall. Ricci said that at that point the patient was already in serious condition.
He died of complications following heart failure and breathing problems, Ricci said.
Jonathan Pell, the Dallas Opera director of artistic administration, said he received a phone call Monday afternoon from Rescigno's nephew, who had been informed of his uncle's death by the hospital.
Pell said Rescigno "went to sleep and didn't wake up."
The New York-born Rescigno moved to music after a receiving a law degree at Rome's La Sapienza university. His career was largely spent in the United States.
He conducted Maria Callas' debut in America, eventually becoming one of the star soprano's favorite conductors in a collaboration that spanned several years, performances and recordings.
"He knew how to bring together orchestra and singing, doing everything possible to bring out the best singing performance," said Elvio Giudici, a leading opera critic. "It is not by chance that he worked with Callas when she had her small vocal problems."
Rescigno and the late Lawrence V. Kelly founded the Dallas Opera in 1957, with Rescigno taking the job of artistic director.
According to the theater's Web site, the theater opened with a concert by Callas in November of that year.
After Kelly's death in 1974, Rescigno took on the role of general director as well.
Many internationals stars made their American debuts at the Dallas Opera, including Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo and director Franco Zeffirelli, the theater's Web site said.
Rescigno was also a co-founder of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and conducted at the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Vienna State Opera. His recordings include recitals with Callas and Luciano Pavarotti.
Francesco Ernani, the superintendent of Rome's Opera House, said Rescigno's career was "indissolubly tied to the musical heritage of the Italian lyric tradition." He said Rescigno was a connoisseur of Italian composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Rossini, Verdi and Puccini.
Rescigno worked at the Rome Opera as well as in other theaters in Italy, such as the San Carlo in Naples and La Fenice in Venice. In Rome, among other performances, he conducted "Aida" at the city's ancient Baths of Caracalla in 1989 and 1990. In his later years he lived in Rignano Flaminio, a village near Rome.
"He was of the old school, he knew the repertoire backwards," said Giudici. "He could solve any problem because he knew the subject really well."
"Adjust the sound, the orchestra, the timing, the dynamics to the conditions of any given night: this is something that old-time directors could do really well," said Giudici.
Pell said plans to honor Rescigno by the Dallas Opera will be announced later.
Information on survivors and funeral arrangements was not immediately available.
