Ghedini: Musica da Concerto, Musica Concertante, Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No.4 Simonide Braconi, Enrico Bronzi, Massimo Belli & Nuova Orchestra da Camera Ferruccio Busoni

• Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892 - 1965): Musica da Concerto for Viola & Viola d'Amore and String Orchestra:
• 1 Ghedini: Musica da Concerto for Viola & Viola d'Amore and String Orchestra 24:21
• Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963): Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4:
• 2 Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4: I. Langsam 02:42
• 3 Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4: II. Langsam. Schnell 01:53
• 4 Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4: III. Lebhaft 01:47
• 5 Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4: IV. Sehr Langsam 04:08
• 6 Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4: V. Lebhaft 03:27
• Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892 - 1965): Musica Concertante:
• 7 Ghedini: Musica Concertante 15:46
• Total Runtime 54:04

Info for Ghedini: Musica da Concerto, Musica Concertante, Hindemith: Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No.4

New recordings of unfamiliar, imposing concertos by an Italian contemporary of Prokofiev.

Born in 1892, Giorgio Federico Ghedini was among those Italian composers – like Martucci and Casella – who elected to devote most of their energies to music for the concert hall rather than the stage. Initially writing in a relatively conservative neoclassical idiom, Ghedini began to take his place in the front rank of modern Italian composers during the late 1930s, with a terse, boldly sculptured series of ‘edifici sonori’ (as the composer called them), in which Stravinsky’s influence is unmistakable.

After the war his style continued to evolve through engagement with the concerto genre and the concerto grosso ensemble with its roots in the Italian Baroque. The private, reflective, plaintive characters of both solo instruments are well matched to Ghedini’s idiom by this point in his career. Dating from 1953, the Musica da concerto for viola and string orchestra is cast in a single span which disguises a traditional fast-slow-fast arch, though the viola’s powerful presence frequently draws the pulse of the music away from convention and into earnest dialogue with the strings. Neoclassical counterpoint briefly surfaces near the beginning of the final section, but otherwise the Musica da concerto is remarkable for its sustained lyric intensity around the soloist’s almost ubiquitous presence.

Composed in 1962, the Musica concertante for cello and string orchestra is emphatically late music – Ghedini died three years later – which has attained a measure of serenity compared to the earlier viola work. Here the string orchestra and soloist engage in overlapping waves of melody and rhapsody, rising and falling across a continuous 16-minute span, comparable to but distinct from contemporary concertante works by Henze (Ode to the West Wind) and William Schuman (A Song of Orpheus).

These valuable and underrated mid-century concertos are intriguingly separated by Hindemith’s condensed set of Op.44 pieces for string orchestra, characteristically knotty, chromatic and incisive. This unique pairing of works joins several previous, well-received albums on Brilliant Classics by the Trieste-based Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni, such as a similarly adventurous coupling of string idylls by Elgar, Janáček and Kalinnikov (95199) and more recently a collection of string-orchestra works by Ernanno Wolf-Ferrari (95875). ‘The New Busoni Chamber Orchestra’s approach under Massimo Belli thoughtfully treads a line between relaxation and over-inflection, and hits the right note (as it were) in terms of capturing the music’s rusticity.’ (Fanfare)

Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892 – 1965) was an Italian composer. Born in Cuneo in 1892 he studied organ, piano and composition in Turin, then graduated in composition from the Bologna Conservatory under Marco Enrico Bossi in 1911. He worked as conductor for a certain time, then he gave up to devote himself to teaching. He worked as a teacher of composition in Turin, Parma, and finally Milan, where he directed the local Conservatory (1951–1962). Among his pupils the most eminent were Marcello and Claudio Abbado, Luciano Berio, Guido Cantelli, Niccolò Castiglioni, Carlo Pinelli, and Fiorenzo Carpi.

Ghedini had a fascination for the Italian masters of the Renaissance, he transcribed many works by Frescobaldi, Monteverdi and Gabrieli. Although deeply influenced by their musical language he developed a highly personal style, in which the renaissance polyphony and instrumental styles are perfectly blended in a harmonious and characteristic language completely his own.

This new recording presents concertante works by Ghedini: Musica da Concerto for viola and strings and Musica Concertante for cello and strings, vibrant and attractive music of a 20-th century master.

Also included are the Fünf Stücke for strings Op. 44 No. 4 by Paul Hindemith (1895 – 1963), stylistically linked with Ghedini.

Played with zest and dedication by Simonide Braconi (viola) and Enrico Bronzi (cello) with the strings of the Nuova Orchestra da Camera “Ferruccio Busoni” conducted by Massimo Belli, who already recorded several highly successful CDs for Brilliant Classics with music by Rolla, Viotti, Wolf-Ferrari, Janáček and others.

Simonide Braconi, viola & d'amore
Enrico Bronzi, cello
Nuova Orchestra da Camera "Ferruccio Busoni"
Massimo Belli, conductor

Simonide Braconi
Born in 1971, he graduated first-class honour in Rome and in Freiburg (Germany), studying respectively with Prof. S.Esposito and K.Kashkashian.

He continued his training under the guidance of renewed soloists such as Y.Bashmet (Acc.Chigiana) and B.Giuranna (Acc."W. Stauffer" in Cremona).

Winner of several competitions, prized in the 1994 Lionel Tertis Competition,he got in 1995 a special prize from the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft in Koln.

As a soloist and chamber musician he has recorded for Vigiesse, Thymallus, Agorà, Tudor, Dad, Rhona, Stradivarius, Dynamic, Brilliant, for italian Radio3 and for the classical reviews CD Classica, Suonare news and Amadeus (Brahms sonates op. 120).

Principal viola in the Orchestre des jeunes de la Mediterranée, then member of the European Community Youth Orchestra (ECYO), in 1994 he was selected by M. Riccardo Muti as principal viola soloist at the Teatro alla Scala and for the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala of Milan.He's also member of the orchestra of the Lucern Festival and has been invited to play in the Berliner Philarmoniker orchestra.

He often performs in duo with his brother pianist.

Togheter with other section's leaders of the orchestra, he recently founded the Quartetto d' archi della Scala. Invited as member of jury in several international competitions (Geneva).He is regularly invited as professor to hold masterclasses and concerts at important festivals (Arts Academy in Rome, Festival delle citta’ in Portogruaro, Gubbio Festival, Accademia "T. Varga" in Sion, Associazione Napolinova, Accademia Malibran, Accademia di musica in Pinerolo,Sebino summercourse).

In chamber music or as a soloist he performed with artist such as J. Rachlin, P. Vernikov, M. Quarta, S. Accardo, U. Ughi, E. Dindo,E. Pahud, Sonia Ganassi, Jose Carreras.

In 2003 he performed the Kammermusik N. 5 (concert for viola) with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala under the conducting of M. W. Sawallisch and in 2005 the Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with M. Riccardo Muti and the orchestra Cherubini.

He's also soloist with viola d'amore; as a composer several works are published by Sonzogno, MAP musical editions and several premiere have been performed in the teatro Alla Scala and Philarmonie of Berlin.

He plays a “Giovanni Gagliano” viola (1800).

Enrico Bronzi
Born in Parma in 1973, Enrico Bronzi is the cellist of the Trio di Parma, with whom he has carried on an intense concert activity since 1990 appearing in the most important concert halls of Europe, the United States, South America and Australia (Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Filarmonica in Berlin, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Filarmonica in Colonia, Herkulessaal in Munich, Filarmonica in St. Peterburg, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires). The group has also successfully competed in a number of international competitions in Florence, Melbourne and Munich, and has received the “Premio Abbiati” from Italian musical critics.

Since 2001, Bronzi has coupled his chamber group activity with an active career as soloist, which after having won a prize in the Rostropovich Competition in Paris culminated with an international award: first prize in the Paulo Cello Competition of Helsinki, one of the highest awards given in the cellist world in 2002. On that occasion, he also received the Special Prize dedicated to R.Sommer for the best performance of Dvorak’s Concerto with the Helsinki Philarmonic. Since then he has also been asked to play as a soloist in the most important festivals and with orchestras throughout Northern Europe.

He has been taught Orchestra Direction by Jorma Panula and has appeared as guest director with several Italian groups. For the Brilliant Classics label, together with the Accademia I Filarmonici of Verona, he has supervised a vast recording project Boccheriniano. For three years he was the first cellist at Teatro alla Scala and he regularly takes part in the juries of major international competitions (Premio ‘Trio di Trieste’, Concorso ‘V.Gui’of Florence, Turku Cello Competition…).

He, also in collaboration with the Trio di Trieste and Maureen Jones, carries out an intense activity teaching in various schools, taking on dozens of musicians that often receive international awards and recognition.

He has been a professor at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg since 2007. The cello Enrico Bronzi plays is a Vincenzo Panormo cello from 1780.

Massimo Belli
began studying the violin with his father, then continued with Bruno Polli. Under the tutelage of Renato Zanettovich he graduated cum laude at the “B.Marcello” Conservatory of Venice. He followed specialization courses in Fiesole with the Trio di Trieste and Piero Farulli, and at the Accademia Chigiana di Siena with Henryk Szeryng. For two years he was a student of Salvatore Accardo’s at the Accademia di Alto Perfezionamento “W.Stauffer” in Cremona.

The winner of numerous national and international competitions, Belli made his debut at sixteen at the Teatro Politeama Rossetti of Trieste for the Concert Society; later, as a soloist, he performed in the most important venues in Italy – the Teatro Verdi of Trieste, La Fenice in Venice, Bologna’s Sala Bossi, the Sala Verdi of the Milan Conservatory, the Milan Press Club, the Turin Conservatory, Milan’s Teatro Litta, Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo, the Todi Festival, Florence’s Estate Fiesolana, Padua’s Sala dei Giganti, the Aterforum of Ferrara – but also throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, and South America.

He has performed the principal concertos in the violin repertoire, accompanied by such notable orchestras as the Prague Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (Ciaikovskji), the Angelicum Orchestra of Milan (Beethoven), Trieste’s Teatro Verdi Orchestra (Bruch), the Haydn Philharmonia (Mendelssohn), and the Salzburg Chamber Orchestra (Mozart). He was lead violinist in the Italian Youth Orchestra, the Busoni Orchestra, the Haydn Philharmonia, and both lead violinist and conductor of the Virtuosi dell’Ensemble di Venezia.

Massimo Belli has worked with Salvatore Accardo, Ivry Gitlis, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Adriano Vendramelli, Aldo Bennici, Piero Bellugi, Tiziano Severini, Dan Zhu, Michael Flaksman, Domenico Nordio, and Stefan Milenkovic.

The great Triestine composer Giulio Viozzi dedicated a piece for solo violin to Massimo Belli, “Tema variato”, published by Pizzicato.

He has broadcast on radio and television in Italy, the Soviet Union, Germany, Yugoslavia, Brazil, and Austria, has recorded for Sipario Dischi, and performed world premieres of works by Donizetti and Tartini for Nuova Era (together with the pianist Victoria Terekiev) and Tirreno Editoriale di Lugano.

Massimo Belli studied conducting with Aldo Belli and Julian Kovatchev.

He teaches violin at the Trieste Conservatory. He has taught at the United World College of the Adriatic, at the summer courses in Solighetto, and has recently been invited to give master classes at the Conservatorio Reale di Murcia (Spain), the Hochschule of Mannheim, and the Academy of Tallin.

In August 2002 he had the honour to conduct the “Orchestra of the 40th”, composed of the prize-winners of the Città di Vittorio Veneto National Violin Competition, on the occasion of its fortieth anniversary.

He was for five years Vice-Director of the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory of Trieste and was on the Administrative Council of Trieste’s "Giuseppe Verdi» Opera House Foundation.

This album contains no booklet.