Francesco Molinari-Pradelli was a leading Italian opera conductor of the 20th century. He studied piano and composition in Bologna, and continued these studies at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, adding conducting studies with Bernardino Molinari (no apparent relation). He graduated in 1938. His first performances were as an orchestral concert conductor. His first operatic performance was a production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, a production that traveled to Bologna, Bergamo, and Brescia.
He built a reputation during the war years that enabled him to debut at La S...