‘Guglielmo Ratcliff’ is a tragic opera in four acts by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni. The libretto was translated from the German play 'Wilhelm Ratcliff (1822) by Heinrich Heine.
Mascagni often wrote that ‘Guglielmo Ratcliff’ was his best opera. However, it has not entered the standard operatic repertoire. It is especially known for its act 3 Intermezzo, which features prominently in the Martin Scorsese film ‘Raging Bull’. This intermezzo, ‘Il Sogno’, is now transcribed for Symphonic Band by Italian arranger Massimo Sgargi.