Artist:Alfredo Antonini
Song:Gavotte
Album:The CBS Television Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
Readers of this blog will know that sometimes I like to feature the musicians behind your favorite TV shows, movies and Broadway musicals. Alfredo Antonini was a symphony orchestra conductor who worked for CBS for many years. And one project he worked on was as musical director of the much beloved 1957 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella starring Julie Andrews. He was born May 31, 1901 in Alessandria, Italy. Antonini studied at the Milan Conservatory where he was a student of famed conductor Arturo Toscanini. He was an orchestra pianist for the La Scala opera house in Milan before moving to the US in 1929. He became an American citizen in 1938. Antonini started working for CBS in the 30s and became musical director in the 40s. He conducted the orchestra on live radio broadcasts like Viva America. When CBS Television started, Antonini was named musical director. He worked on all kinds of TV shows. But the biggest thing he ever worked on was the 1957 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical Cinderella starring Julie Andrews. This show reached an audience if 107 million so it was a big deal at the time. Gavotte is an instrumental that is supposed to resemble a French folk dance. The original cast is available on CD and can be streamed on YouTube. Most of the other shows he worked on were shows like Lamp Unto My Feet and Camera One. Antonini won an Emmy for the 1971 opera And David Wept. Antonini retired in 1977 and he died on Nov. 3, 1983 at age 82. Here's a video for Gavotte from the 1957 TV Show Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella conducted bt Alfredo Antonini.
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