The Gadfly (Russian: Овод) is a 1958 Russian-language opera by the Soviet composer of Italian descent Antonio Spadavecchia based on the novel The Gadfly. An earlier opera based on the book, also called The Gadfly, had been composed by Mikhail Zhukov in 1928.[1][2][3][4]
It is set in Italy in 1834–48, one of the few Russian revolutionary operas to take a plot overseas, another being Kirill Molchanov's 1960 opera Del Corno Street following Vasco Pratolini's anti-fascist story set in Mussolini's Italy.[5][6]
Soviet literature – Part 1 – Page 188 Soyuz pisatelei SSSR., International Union of Revolutionary Writers – 1964 "The courageous Gadfly became a friend and comrade, an example to be followed, a man who remained true to his ... The opera by the Soviet composer Antonio Spadavecchia ha« been produced in 17 Soviet cities, also in Bulgaria and ..."
THE MUSICAL QUARTERLY – Page 262 1965 "... of the people (Prokofiev's The Story of a Real Man, Kabalevsky's The Family Taras, Dzerzhinsky's The Fate of a Man). Occasionally, freedom fights in other countries are depicted (Spadavecchia's The Gadfly, Molchanov's Del Corno Street)." Contemporary music in Europe: a comprehensive survey – Page 262 Paul Henry Lang, Nathan Broder – 1966 "... the people (Prokofiev's The Story of a Real Man, Kabalevsky's The Family Taras, Dzerzhinsky's The Fate of a Man ) . Occasionally, freedom fights in other countries are depicted (Spadavecchia's The Gadfly, Molchanov's Del Corno Street ) ."
Music and musical life in Soviet Russia, 1917–1970 – Page 263 Boris Schwarz – 1972 "Foreign rebellions were not neglected: The Gadfly by Spadavecchia is set in Italy in 1834–48, while Kyril Molchanov's Del Corno Street which has an anti-Fascist plot. Although "classic" literature was avoided by those who sought to be up-to-date, ..."
Anglo-Soviet journal – Volumes 23 – 25 – Page 43 Society for Cultural Relations with the USSR (Great Britain) – 1962 "A special edition of The Gadfly appeared in 150,000 copies (in Russian), and an edition in English in October, 1964 ... was with her parents when they came to the novelist's flat in 1955, and the composer Spadavecchia, author of the opera."
