Franco Mannino plays Liszt Etude de Paganini No. 3 "La Campanella"
live, Roma 1965 (Busoni version)
Franco Mannino (25 April 1924 - 1 February 2005) was an Italian film composer, pianist, opera director, playwright and novelist, born in Palermo.
He made his debut as pianist at the age of 16. After abandoning the piano, Franco Mannino started a brilliant career as a conductor appreciated enthusiastically in Italy and worldwide. He conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada between 1982 and 1986, among the others.
In all he wrote more than 440 compositions including opera, ballet, oratorios, symphonies, chamber music and music for the theatre. In addition there was his music for more than a hundred films by some of the best-known directors of his day, including Luchino Visconti with whom he collaborated many times, including such films as Death in Venice.
His 1963 opera Il diavolo in giardino, from a libretto by Visconti (and collaborators) based on a Thomas Mann short story, was presented at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in February. Another of his works, which Visconti directed, was the ballet Mario e il Mago in 1956.
