Aldo Ferraresi
Encyclopedia
Aldo Ferraresi was a celebrated Italian
violin
ist.
Ferraresi was born Ferrara
, the son of Augusto Ferraresi, an artillery marshal and mandolin
player, and Marcella Jesi. At the age of five he began his studies at the Frescobaldi Institute of Music in Ferrara with Federico Barera and Umberto Supino. When he was 12, he was admitted to the Parma Conservatory. His teacher there, Mario Corti, also accompanied him to Rome where he received a degree in violin from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia three years later. Upon suggestions from Jan Kubelik
, he went to Eugène Ysaÿe
, who considered him one of his best pupils.
He went on to perform in concert halls throughout Europe and the United States including La Scala
in Milan, the Royal Festival Hall
in London
. In addition to his solo concert work, he was also first violin in the Quartet of San Remo
and the Symphonic Orchestra of San Remo, as well as the concert master at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
.
Aldo Ferraresi died in San Remo on June 29, 1978. In May 2002, the 100th anniversary of his birth was marked by an exhibition and seminars in Ferrara and concerts in his honour in Ferrara at the Teatro Comunale.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist.
Ferraresi was born Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, the son of Augusto Ferraresi, an artillery marshal and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
player, and Marcella Jesi. At the age of five he began his studies at the Frescobaldi Institute of Music in Ferrara with Federico Barera and Umberto Supino. When he was 12, he was admitted to the Parma Conservatory. His teacher there, Mario Corti, also accompanied him to Rome where he received a degree in violin from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia three years later. Upon suggestions from Jan Kubelik
Jan Kubelík
Jan Kubelík was a Czech violinist and composer.-Biography:He was born in Michle . His father, a gardener by occupation, was an amateur violinist. He taught his two sons the violin and after discovering the talent of Jan, who was aged five at the time, arranged for him to study with Karel Weber and...
, he went to Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
, who considered him one of his best pupils.
He went on to perform in concert halls throughout Europe and the United States including La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan, the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In addition to his solo concert work, he was also first violin in the Quartet of San Remo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
and the Symphonic Orchestra of San Remo, as well as the concert master at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Aldo Ferraresi died in San Remo on June 29, 1978. In May 2002, the 100th anniversary of his birth was marked by an exhibition and seminars in Ferrara and concerts in his honour in Ferrara at the Teatro Comunale.
Notable performances
- GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in 1950 for the 500th anniversary of the birth of Christopher ColumbusChristopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, where he performed Paganini's Concerto in D major on the Guarnieri "Cannone" violin. - San RemoSanremoSanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
in 1950, a concert in the presence of Prince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, where, as an encore was demanded by the audience, he performed the Paganini Concerto in D major. - In 1963, he performed the Aram Kachaturian concerto for violin and orchestra, conducted by Kachaturian himself. The concert was televised nationally by RAIRAIRAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
(Italian state television) - The VaticanVatican CityVatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
in 1965 when he gave a concert in the Hall of Benediction in St. Peter's BasilicaSt. Peter's BasilicaThe Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
, in the presence of Pope Paul VIPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
and his Papal Court, playing Jean SibeliusJean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
' Solemn Melodies Op. 77.
Recordings
- Aldo Ferraresi - The Great Italian Radio Recordings, CD box by RAI Trade, 2006, with Elgar, Mozart, Kachaturian, Walton, Paganini, Guarino, Shostakovich, and Ysaye violin concertos.
Sources
- Estense, "Aldo Ferraresi, il Gigli del violino", 17 November 2006.
- Hall, Raymond, "Riviera Chamber Music", New York Times, 13 January 1934.
- Kennedy, Michael, Portrait of Walton, Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 169. ISBN 0-19-816705-9
- La Villa, Gianluca, Souvenir of Aldo Ferraresi, 2001
- La Villa, Gianluca, "Ricordo di Aldo Ferraresi-L'arte italiana del violino di un grande maestro del Novecento", "Ferrara-Voci di una città', Dicembre 2001, rivista della Fondazione Cassa di risparmio di Ferrara, p. 39-43
- La Villa, Gianluca, Aldo Ferraresi: L'arte italiana del violino, 2002. (PDF)
- La Villa, Gianluca, "Ricordo di Aldo Ferraresi", Archi Magazine, May-June 2008, p. 30.
- Woolf, Jonathan, Review: Aldo Ferraresi, La storia discographica del violino Vol 5 (IDIS 6366), Music-Web International, February 2003.
- Woolf, Jonathan, Review: "Aldo Ferraresi, Il Gigli del violino: The Great Italian Radio Recordings, "Music-Web International", March 2007.