Though rarely heard compared to Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo or Mascagni, this Neo-Romantic Italian opera composer is most known for his occasionally performed dramatic operas "Francesca da Rimini" and "Giulietta e Romeo".
When Puccini died, his publisher Ricordi first considered Zandonai to complete the opera Turandot but Puccini's son Tonio preferred Franco Alfano who was chosen. During World War I Zandonai composed a patriotic Italian song; "Alla Patria" (1916) which resulted in his property being seized in the town of Sacco, then within the Austro–Hungarian Empire. In later life, Zandonai became the director of the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, his favorite town. Zandonai revived and edited Rossini works that had been neglected at that time, such as the opera "Il viaggio a Reims" and the overture to "Maometto secondo". During World War II Zandonai edited a three-act version of Rossini's "La gazza ladra".
There are passages in Zandonai's music, such as the opera "Giulietta e Romeo" that approach Respighi in terms of colorful orchestration and stirring rhythms.
