Life
His entire creative trajectory, from training to full maturity, unfolded consistently within the great stream of Italian Romanticism, reaching the threshold of post-unification Realism.
Eugenio Cavallini was born in Milan in 1806. From 1833 he was first violin of the Teatro alla Scala orchestra, a post he held until 1855. At La Scala, he conducted world premieres of operas by Donizetti, Mercadante, and the young Giuseppe Verdi, such as Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Gemma di Vergy (1834), Maria Stuarda (1835), Il giuramento (1837), and Oberto (1839).
He was also a composer, dedicating himself to orchestral, chamber, and vocal music, in addition to pedagogical works for strings. He died in Milan in 1881, leaving a memory of a great performer and conductor.
Aneddoto
Verdian premieres
Eugenio Cavallini conducted the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, Oberto, at La Scala, helping to launch the future master's career.Works
He composed orchestral and chamber pieces, works for solo viola, vocal pieces, and pedagogical writings for strings. His production, less known today, testifies to his double vocation as a performer and composer.