Paganini: Chamber Music for Strings Roberto Noferini, Anna Noferini, Andrea Noferini & Giulio Tampalini

• Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840): 3 Ritornelli, M.S.113:
• 1 I. Allegro in A Major 05:37
• 2 II. Allegro in C Minor 06:01
• 3 III. Allegro assai in C Major 05:09
• Sonata concertata in A Major, Op. 61, M.S.2:
• 4 I. Allegro spiritoso 07:26
• 5 II. Adagio assai espressivo 03:19
• 6 III. Rondeau, allegretto con brio. Scherzando 02:13
• Nicolò Paganini:
• 7 Preghiera del mosè 09:42
• 8 Moto perpetuo, Op. 11, M.S.72 04:52
• 9 Cantabile, Op. 17, M.S.109 04:20
• 10 Preludio No. 1 in D Major 00:55
• 11 Preludio No. 2 in E-Flat Major 01:14
• 12 Preludio No. 3 in A Major 00:59
• 13 Preludio No. 4 in E Major 01:03
• 14 Preludio No. 5 in B-Flat Major 00:56
• 15 Preludio No. 6 in C Major 00:58
• Total Runtime 54:44

Info for Paganini: Chamber Music for Strings

This new recording features some rarely recorded chamber music by Niccolo Paganini, the violinist “possessed by the devil”, great innovator of his instrument and composer of delightful, brilliantly written music of great melodic invention.

Paganini isn’t all about finger-breaking caprices and concertos. Anyone hearing the easy-going opening to the Sonata Concertata for violin and guitar would be forgiven for thinking they were listening to another composer entirely. But then he was so much more than the devilish virtuoso of impressive if one-dimensional posthumous reputation: not least, an avid guitarist, in which capacity he would often delight in playing among friends (one’s sympathies go to whichever poor musician was tasked with playing the violin on such occasions).

All the works on this album of chamber music show the composer’s lighter side, except perhaps the fiendish complexity of the variations on a theme from Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto. There are three ritornelli for two violins and bass (here played on a cello) which take a Baroque form and rework it with Classical harmony into a trio of four- minute, upbeat miniatures. Six brief Preludes are like preliminary studies for the Caprices, less rhythmically and technically convoluted. The flying spiccato of the Moto perpetuo Op.11 opens a window onto Paganini the recitalist with a piece designed to leave an audience breathless with its string of semiquavers. The long-breathed melody of the Cantabile Op.17 Rossini and Schumann for Paganini is touched with the kind of grace that drew admiration and esteem from Rossini and Schumann for Paganini’s compositions as much as his playing.

Played with total dedication and “spielfreude” by three members of the Noferini family: Roberto, Andrea and Anna, together with the excellent Italian guitarist Giulio Tampalini.

Roberto Noferini, violin
Anna Noferini, violin
Andrea Noferini, cello
Giulio Tampalini, guitar

Roberto Noferini
was born in 1973. He graduated in violin with honours from the Milan Conservatory "Verdi" under Gabriele Baffero. Later, he was able to perfect his skills with Arthur Grumiaux, Salvatore Accardo, Corrado Romano, Dora Schwartzberg, and Pavel Vernikov; he also studied chamber music with Dario De Rosa. He won several first prizes and special awards at important international competitions ("A. Postacchini" in Fermo, Viterbo, Portogruaro, "R. Lipizer" Competition in Gorizia, "L. Perosi" in Biella).

Since his début at the age of 12 at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, he has carried out a very intense concert activity at prestigious festivals and for important Italian concert associations (Società dei Concerti of Milan, Amici della Musica of Florence, Vicenza and Pescara, Teatro Comunale in Ferrara, Accademia Chigiana, Rossini Opera Festival, Città di Castello and Ravello Festivals, Università Cattolica in Rome). He also performed in the most important European capitals, in South America, Japan, and Egypt.

In 2000 he founded the SchuberTrio. Since then, he has performed in several chamber concerts, always getting remarkable appreciation of public and criticism. Described by many critics as one of the most brilliant violinists of his generation, he has played as soloist in some of the most renowned violin concerts (Bach, Locatelli, Vivaldi, Paganini, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn) and has played in chamber ensembles together with Bruno Canino, Alessandro Specchi, Denis Zardi, Salvatore Accardo, Domenico Nordio, Massimo Quarta, Isabelle Faust, Cristiano Rossi, Bruno Giuranna, Sylvie Gazeau, Anthony Pay, Emanuele Segre, and Giampaolo Bandini.

He forms a duo with harpsichordist and fortepianist Chiara Cattani performing Baroque and Classical repertory with violin and Baroque bow. Together with his sister Anna (violinist of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and viola player) and his brother Andrea (first cello of the Rome Opera House), he plays in a string trio as an homage to their father Giordano Noferini, who was composer, conductor and director from 1974 to 1977 at the Bologna Conservatory "Giovan Battista Martini".

Roberto Noferini concentrates on contemporary repertory and has collaborated with Luciano Berio, Salvatore Sciarrino, Goffredo Petrassi, Niccolò Castiglioni, Giacomo Manzoni, and Bruno Bettinelli. Thanks to his versatility, he also played solo violin in various poetry readings with Paola Gassman, Arnoldo Foà, Ugo Pagliai, Giancarlo Giannini, and Ottavia Piccolo. Among his recordings are two CDs for the Bongiovanni label together with the pianist Bruno Canino (Sonatas by Busoni and Morceaux by Bazzini), a CD for Atopos with the Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Messiaen, and several CDs for Tactus (the 24 Caprices by Paganini, Trio Sonatas by Sammartini with Bruno Canino, Trios by Bossi with the SchuberTrio, the complete Violin Sonatas by Giuseppe Sarti with Chiara Cattani at the harpsichord).

He currently teaches violin at the Institute of Advanced Music Studies "Claudio Monteverdi" of Cremona and at the Municipal Music School "Giuseppe Sarti" of Faenza and gives master classes in Castrocaro ("Corso di Perfezionamento Violinistico estivo").

Roberto Noferini was honoured as Knight of the Order of Saint Agatha by the Republic of San Marino for high artistic and cultural achievements.

He plays on a 1865 Giuseppe Scarampella ex-Bazzini or on a Don Nicola Amati dated 1732.

This album contains no booklet.