Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze

Italian composer Nino Rota composed orchestral works including four symphonies, several concertos, eight operas, five ballets, songs and chamber music but he was mainly known for his film music like 'War and Peace' (1956), 'Romeo and Juliet' (1968), 'The Godfather' (1972) and all the films of Federico Fellini.

Of all his other works, only two remained repertoire: The ballet 'La Strada' (1966), an adaptation of the music of Fellini's famous film from 1954, and the opera 'Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze' (The Florentine Straw Hat), a musical farce in four scenes, which premiered on April 21, 1955 in Palermo, conducted by Jonel Perlea.