After being published in New York by Oxford University Press under the title Succeeding Puccini, the biography of a major Italian composer of the early 20th century is now being released in Italy. The title: Opera Between Two Worlds: The Life, Music, and Theater of Italo Montemezzi, published by Il Saggiatore. Written by Raffaele Mellace and David Chandler, the book reconstructs the artistic journey of Italo Montemezzi, a leading figure of early 20th-century Italian opera, whose rapid and brilliant rise was followed by a long and determined pursuit of a glory he was unable to renew. Educated at the Milan Conservatory, one generation after Puccini and Mascagni, Montemezzi was soon welcomed by Casa Ricordi, which saw in him the promise of an heir worthy of Verdi and Rossini. The prophecy seemed fulfilled in 1913, when The Love of the Three Kings propelled him onto the world stage, especially in the United States, where the opera was championed by Toscanini, who described it as “a stunning success with both audiences and critics… I am still amazed”. Deeply rooted in Italian tradition yet open to Wagnerian influences and beyond – so much so that American critics hailed it as “the noblest musical drama to come from Italy since Otello” – the masterpiece captured the spirit of its time. The book also tells the story of thwarted ambition: even before moving to America in 1939, Montemezzi’s star began to fade in Italy amid difficulties in producing new major works, an unfavorable cultural climate, and increasingly dramatic historical circumstances, condemning him to a marginal status that persisted even after his death. On the 150th anniversary of his birth, this first complete critical monograph retraces his life and career, from the countryside of Verona to Beverly Hills, spanning the Belle Époque, the Fascist era, and international show business. A volume that illuminates over half a century of cultural history on both sides of the Atlantic.