Classical Music: Sergio Calligaris

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Argentina, born in Rosario, Sergio Calligaris lived for a long time in the United States, then became an Italian citizen, where he has lived since 1974.
Active internationally as a soloist from the age of 13, his career is guided by such masters as George Fanelli, Arthur Loesser, Adele Marcus, Nikita Magaloff and Guido Agosti. He was concertized extensively in his native Argentina, and launched his international career during the 1967-1969 season with his highly acclaimed debut at Brahmssaal from Musikverein in Vienna, followed by a similarly successful presentation at the Konzersaal Bundesallee (for Hans Adler Konzert-Direktion) Berlin, at Societa del Quartetto Rome; at Madrid's Hispanic Cultural Institute.

His pianistic art has also been recognized in some of the most prestigious spaces around the world, among which are Schonberg Hall of the University of California at Los Angeles; Kulas Hall from Cleveland Institute of Music; RAI Italia Broadcasting Corporation; the Auditorium of the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome; Main Theater Manila.

In 1968 he gave a special recital at the Palazzo Patrizzi in Rome for a diplomatic representative at the Holy See.

Française Radiodiffusion-Télévision in Paris commissioned him to record a special program, and he was also presented in Paris and London in an official recital organized and sponsored by the local Argentine Embassy.

His concerts in 1977, 1985, 1987, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 were recorded by Vatican Radio for the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and broadcast by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the Rundfunk Bayerischer, by Suisse Romande Broadcasting Corporation and other radio networks around the world.

In 1966 he was awarded the coveted Artist's Diploma of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where, as a teacher, he was a member of the piano faculty, for which he held the Piano Main Scholarship, a post he also held at California State University in Los Angeles from 1969. in 1973 he founded, together with California State University in Los Angeles, the American Academy of Arts in Europe, in Verona. As the first artistic conductor he also gave a master class at the piano there. He has taught in Italy since 1974, the first state in the Conservatory of Music S. Pietro a Majella Napoli, and on Luisa D'Annunzio of Pescara, and later on Alfredo Casella of L'Aquila.
As a soloist with the Vatican Symphony Orchestra, Sergio Calligaris is a formal recording artist from the Vatican State Radio, which produced two highly acclaimed albums "Fantasia" and "Bis Celebri", released in Italy in 1969, which met with great success and exceptionally critical consent . In the United States he, in the same year, a recording pianist for Orion Records of Los Angeles, under the artistic sponsorship of Yehudi Menuhin Foundation.

His recordings have been produced by his EMI-Master's voice, Classico Records (Ricordi distribution), Lev (Ares distr.), Orion Records and, more recently, by Ente dello Spettacolo and by Agora, this last one distributed by Nuova Carisch.

On February 12, 1972 in the Album Album of Billboard Magazine of Los Angeles, a leading American publication, distinguished by its Four Star List of "The Chopin's most beautiful stereo recordings" (ORION, oralit 7155).

Further the highest recognition was confered by publications such as the "New Note" of Philadelphia (in LP "The most beautiful Chopin") in 1972, "La Nazione" of Florence (in LP "Bis Celebri", Famous Encores) in 1975 and "Stereoplay "Rome (on CD" Quaderni pianistici ", Piano Notebook) in 1989.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musician, 1971 Edition, G. Schirmer, New York, including Sergio Calligaris' biography, written by Nicolas Slonimsky, an honor awarded to several living musicians.

Sergio Calligaris is often invited to act as a jury for national and international important piano competitions. In addition, several national and international piano contests have been dedicated over the years special prizes for rendering Maestro music sponsored by its publisher Nuova Carisch Milan. Among them T.I.M. (Music International Tournament, the Artistic Director of Luigi fait), with special piano prizes dedicated to Sergio Calligaris and sponsored by Assicurazioni Generali of Trieste; and the "City of Rome" contest of the International Piano, the Italian capital "Fryderyk Chopin" Association (Artistic Director Marcella Crudeli) the "Carisch Award" recently won on two successive editions by Duo Maclé (Sabrina Dente and Annamaria Garibaldi): in 2004 with Op.12 Scene coreografiche for 4 hand pianos and in 2005 with BHS Op.20 for two pianos.

In fact, towards the end of the 1970s, after two decades dedicated exclusively to concertizing, he began to composition again, which had been abandoned in his youth. He was given the opportunity to do so in 1978 with the work, which has since entered the standard repertoire, entitled "Il Quaderno Pianistico Di Renzo" ("Renzo Piano Notebook"), a musical gift inspired by friendship fraternity. In a few short years this composition won the admiration of the public and the most internationally qualified critics, the fate of the successive working ones was also doomed, making Sergio Calligaris one of the most often contemporary composers in the world. Basically Calligaris music language presents two opposite aspects, one is "praiseful", passionate and wild primordial and the other "sad poetry", lyrical and evocative.

His works, masterfully composed and harmonically sophisticated, have been done with great success for some of the most important musical associations, as part of international and Italian festivals, by the RAI, not to mention in very many cities around the world, from Japan to the former Soviet republics and in China. Places are mainly to remember: Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome; Salle Gaveau, Paris; Philharmonic Hall of St Petersburg, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Hall, Tel Aviv, Prado Museum, Madrid; Kammer-Oper, Vienna; Rachmaninoff Hall Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the dell'Opera Teatro, Rome; Purcell Room, London; Kaway Hall, Tokyo; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, while Conservatory, Copenaghen; the conservatorio "Giuseppe Verdi", Milan; Broadcasting Corporation of China Auditorium, Taipei - Taiwan; Museum Charlier, Bruxelles; in Teatro Comunale, Florence; Festival du Vigan, France; Teatro Ghione, Rome; Musikhalle, Hamburg; Kunsthalle der Konzertsaal, Brema; RAI Turin; Pravda Culture and Glinka Music Hall Palace Museum, Moscow, Société Française de Contemporaine Musique, Paris; XIV d'Art Festival Sacré de la Ville de Paris (1991); Los Angeles County Museum of Art; RAI Auditorium, Naples, Roosevelt University, Chicago; Juilliard School of Music, New York; The Delhi Music Society; the Chigiana Accademia, Siena; Society Fryderyk Chopin, Warsaw; Salle de l'UNESCO, Paris, Boston University Concert Hall, Boston; École Normale de Musique de Paris, Paris; conservatories National de Musique, Brussels; Hall Harvard, New York; Piccadilly St James', London.

"His Three madrigals" - with choreography by Vittorio Biagi - performed several times in important theaters such as I Opera from Lyon, the Petruzzelli of Bari, the Romolo Valli of Reggio Emilia, Argentina from Rome, Massimo of Palermo, they are also transmitted by RAI Radio Televisione Italiana, Italy National TV Network. With the composition of Sergio Calligaris participating in "Premio Italia" 1985 represents RAI 2.
In 1986, in commemoration of the 40th Anniversary, the Societa Aquilana dei Concerti "B. Barattelli "is included in the prestigious cycle that concerts the whole program honoring Sergio Calligaris both as a composer and pianist with Choir from the Academy of S. Cecilia of Rome, performed by Fausto Di Cesare, Calligaris himself and Marcella Crudeli at the piano, and drummer Adolf Neumeier. That same season the program was repeated with great success in Rome at the Auditorium on Via della Conciliazione to the public recognition and the same critics.

In 1989, commissioned by Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese in L'Aquila, he composed "Concerto op.25" for the string orchestra, was immediately carried out successfully on different occasions. Particularly noteworthy are the two dates Solisti Aquilani toured in Poland: on October 16, 2005 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Cracow and on October 18th at the Royal Palace Mirror Hall in Warsaw.

The "Symphonic Dances (as a tribute to Bellini) op.26, for the great orchestra" - was commissioned by Teatro Bellini Catania for a hundred and for the event of the Bellini Festival 2 - composed by Calligaris in 1990, and on their first performance, on October 4 of the same year, under the direction of Tamas Pal, was a triumphant success. The same work opened Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonic-Season 1993-1994 in Bulgaria, with Wladimir Ghiaurov as a conductor.
The world's first performance of "Seconda suite Di Danze Sinfoniche op.27" on February 8, 1995 Tirana with Symphonic Orchestra or Albanian Radio and Television Corporation performed by Vittorio Parisi won unanimous success with both public and critics. The recent success was repeated during the Gala Concert of New Year's Eve from Philharmonc Orchestra George Enescu Bucharest, conducted by Stefano Trasimeni, in the Atheneum Hall of the Philharmonic, on December 2004 29.

The following year, Sergio Calligaris drew up op.28 The suite for cello solo, commissioned by emilant bulgarian famous cello Baranowska, was immediately recognized successfully.

On 23 February 1994 the world premiere at the Santa Cecilia Auditorium in Rome of "Concerto op.29 for piano and orchestra" by Sergio Calligaris, commissioned by Nuova Carisch, was extraordinarily well received by the public and the critics. The composition, performed by the Symphonic Orchestra of Albania Radio and Television, with its own author on piano, and performed by Massimo De Bernart, is voiced by Vatican Radio and offered for broadcasting for EBU Also RADIO RAI 3 broadcasts the same audio recording. Just three days later, on February 26, 1994 was repeated, performed by Vittorio Parisi with the same player, at the "Alessandro Scarlatti" Auditorium of RAI Napoli. The performance of Naples was recorded by RAI and aired on June 5, 1994 on RAI 3 for the music series "Aku Concerti Di RAI 3". In March 1998, Concerto op.29 had great success on Asia's first appearance at the Main Theater of Manila, with Calligaris at the piano and the Philippine National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ruggero Barbieri.

"Toccata, Adagio and Fugue op.36 for string orchestras" had a world premiere on October 8, 1997, during the season of the Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese in L'Aquila, performed by Vittorio Parisi; at the end of the same month, on the 29th it was a "Double op.37 Concerto for violin, piano and friction orchestra" to be received with great enthusiasm by the press and audience, to the world premiere at the Mégaron Theater of Athens National, in the brilliant performance of the Stefania duo Mormone -Sergei Krylov, with the orchestra "La Camerata", Friends of Music, from Athens, performed by Alexandros Myrat. A repeat success on 29 June 1998 with a victory performance - South American Première - Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, again with the Mormone-Krylov duo, and the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra by Garcia Navarro; on July 3rd at Teatro "3 de Febrero" in Paraná with Entre Ríos Symphony Orchestra and the same soloist; on August 30 in Rome with the Bulgarian Symphonic Orchestra performed by Vittorio Parisi. Prime Milan from 14 February 1999 at Liberty Palazzina, with Mormone-Krylov duo and Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica performed by Massimiliano Caldi, also made a good impression. Among recent shows by the Mormone-Krylov duo, one accompanied by the International Orchestra was founded and performed by Anton Nanut, on September 1, 2000 (at the inaugural concert of the International Festival of Modern Music in Lubiana, recorded by the Slovenian State of television) and Chile's first performance with Chile Symphony Orchestra was performed by David del Pino Klinge in Santiago on August 30 and 31, 2002: on both occasions the duo achieved an enthusiastic and unanimous success.

The Maestro catalog has risen with a composition that confirms creative inspiration, gaining wider and wider approval. Among them, "Sonata op.38 for clarinet and piano" stands completely out and performed as a world premiere by Dimitri and Vladimir Ashkenazy, to whom the work is dedicated - in memories, interesting and very high-artistic-level performance, immediately recognized triumphally by both spectators and critics -, on June 30, 2001 to the inaugural concert of the Pontino Festival in Musica, at Teatro del Palazzo della Grande Cultura in Latina (Italy). The script and composition sketches have been donated by The Institute of Music Composer "Goffredo Petrassi" from Latina, Festival organizers.

The next "Double Concerto for two pp op.41 and" orchestra, commissioned by Magna Grecia Orchestra Taranto, has occurred in the first world performance - famous for its immediate and successful live - on October 29, 2000 at Teatro Orfeo of Taranto, under conduction of Vittorio Parisi and with Fabio and Sandro Gemmiti as soloists, to whom the work is dedicated.

The "Ave Verum op.42" was then coming - composed in the summer of 2000 and dedicated "in light memory" to the young Montourro Dario (1976-1995), a son of my excellent composers friends - performed for the first time on May 25, 2001 at Teatro Ghione Roma for Euromusica, by the vocal ensemble of "Festinanti i", with Alessandro Drago at piano and conduction Antonio Vignera, caused a deep impression and moved on.
In 2002 Calligaris wrote "Op.43 Suite for two pianos and four timpani ad libitum", another work intended to great impact to the audience and dedicated to the beloved mother Carlota. The world premiere took place on 16 October 2004 in Rome, during the European Conference of XXI EPTA (European Piano Teacher Association), performed by pianist Irina Ossipova and Michele Gioiosa.

Always in 2002 he wrote "Preludio e Toccata op.44 for a piano solo", a personal award to his friend Marco Volonté, managing director of Carisch. The world premiere took place on March 29, 2003, conducted by pianist Monaldo Braconi, in the Great Hall of the Unity of the Russian Composers at St.Petersburg, during a conference conference in Italian Music in the second half of the twentieth century, hosted by Maestro Fico Lorenzo. Enthusiasm was successfully won by composition, this time from undergraduate and specialist audiences.
Opus 45, written in the summer of 2003, entitled "Il Giorno" (The Daytime), Suite for Kids for Boys' Choir (or Mixed Choir), piano, violin (or flute) and percussion.

It is about a unique work in the compositive field of Calligaris, who wrote his text too: thinking for young people with almost didactic purpose, it combines highly cantabile and catchy vocal lines with instrumental parts that have complex and delicate harmonical language so distinctive in The author, who creates sophisticated contrast is able to evoke an intense and suggestive poetic climate.

Inspired by the Author's love for life in the mountains, the work is divided into four parts that express the joy of waking up in nature, enthusiasm for a healthy new day's work, the contemplation of the sunset with the toll of the village bell tower and the climate that danced the country feast .

The first world performance, which gained great enthusiasm in the audience for the presence of the Author, took place last December 14 at Cremona, in Salone delle Cariatidi of Palazzo Cattaneo, in a Christmas Concert event promoted by Provincia Di Cremona.

What has been done, all still very young but already the winners of national and international first prizes, was carefully undertaken by Ludmilla Krylova, a renowned international artist concert and teacher, in the heads of Choir Santo Cosma and Damiano of Persico Dosimo: Beatrice Magnani at piano, Edoardo Zosi on violin and Luca Vanoli in percussion.
2004 opened with tremendous international recognition for work and artistic production Maestro Calligaris: nomination as International Musician The year 2004, based on outstanding contributions to pianism and contemporary compositions, was awarded by the International Biographical Center of Cambridge, England.

This prestigious award was awarded by one of the world's leading biographical reference publishers with over 30 Who's Who titles in 142 separate editions: these were made available to only a few well-known individuals whose outstanding achievements and leadership in the International Music Society, as set by the Agency Research and Advisors, strictly choosing between tens of thousands of biographies at the International Biographical Center.

An honor made by Maestro Calligaris was very happy and that, as the Research and Chairman of the Legal Advisory Board Nicholas S. testified personally congratulating him, is justifiable.
Even in the summer of 2005, as every year since 1989, Maestro Calligaris is found in Rocca Di Mezzo, in the Highlands of Rocche between Apennina of Abruzzi, the ideal place to spend his summer vacation, his inspiration makes use of for almost all of his creation "from its beauty , from an impressive landscape space, from its clear air and green forests ". An intimacy in which the Rocche Cultural Development Consortium, in collaboration with Aquilani Solisti, the Province of L'Aquila, the Regions of Abruzzi and the Ministry of Culture would like to thank Maestro, organize a three-concert cycle called "Awards for Sergio Calligaris", on 23 July (Ovindoli in), on July 20 (Secinaro in) and on August 24 (Rocca di Mezzo Di).

Maestro Calligaris, who really admired the composition of his players (conductor Luis Carlos Badia in Toccata, adagio e fuga op.26 for Strings, pianist and violinist Stefania Mormone Laura Gorna at Doppio concerto op.37 for violin, piano and Strings, Solisti Aquilani both works and as Concerto op.25 for Strings), returning to an outstanding employee role, on August 24th, playing Ravel, Schumann, Debussy and Galuppi pieces.
the most recent compositions inspired during being in 2005 at Rocca Di Mezzo, "Panis Angelicus" Op.47 for piano and mixed choirs (it is also in the version for solo piano as Op.47a), dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI.

In March, 30 2006 at Teatro Ghione in Rome, a very good duet Pietro Stella (cello) and Alessandra kafir (piano) perform Sonata op.9, with a smooth, elegant and rich feel of performance.

On April 29, there was Premiere of op.37a Double Concerto in versions for flute and piano, for the "Spring in music" cycle, in the determination of the parish church of St. Mary Rising Gazzuolo (Mantova). A standing ovation of the entire audience applauded the enthusiastic performance of Stefano Maffizzoni flute player and pianist Stefania Mormone, dedicatees the composition, accompanied by String Orchestra Viva Classica performed by Stefano Ligoratti. A great prize that the composer offered to two young artists as a token of appreciation and friendship.
Among the world's most significant Premieres-Calligaris' composition of the same year, on July 2, in season from Ateneo in Madrid and under the sponsorship of the Spanish Capital, it happened, with overwheming the success of the public, world-première of Sonata op.39 for violin and piano, in the brilliant performance of Natasha Nikiforova on the violin and Piero Romano on the piano. This work is dedicated to the memory of Joaquín Rodrigo.

While on December 9th, it was time for Preludio, Corale and Finale Opus 33, for the accordion, at the Contemporary Mediterranean Music 4 Days Festival, in Istanbul, performed by Massimiliano Pitocco.

Always in 2006, the Rachmaninoff Society (Newsletter N.66, June 2006) has dedicated an extensive interview to Calligaris, signed by Maurizio Brunetti.
Additionally IMAIE (Art Performing Rights Protection Agency) has sponsored CD (Rigor y Pasion) for the label Records DAD, enterely dedicated to Calligaris' music room, which has received the most enthusiastic reviews from the press.

New and renowned artists keep going in to take part among Calligaris' interpreters. Only in spring 2007, on April 14, it was the time of Katowice Philharmonic Orchestra, performed by Massimiliano Caldi (at Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, Opus 36). On May 10th, it was the prestigious orchestra "I Solisti Veneti", with Stefania Mormone at the piano and Stefano Maffizzoni in the flute to perform his Doppio Concerto Opus 37a. And in the same 21 months, at the Philharmonic Hall of Luxembourg, is a pianist Bruno Canino, bow and Marco Antonio Sollini (in Passacaglia Opus 18 and Suite "... a Tchaikovsky" Opus for three pianos, 21). Always with remarkable success, like one year later, on April 23, 2008 at the Alexander Hall of the Philharmonia Helsinki.

Calligaris' other musical performances took place mainwhile in leading musical institutions from Canada to England, from France and Belgium to Taipei, by leading artists, among them pianist Marcella Crudeli.
In the summer of the same year 2007 two very important words of Maestro Calligaris' premier music took place. On the 30th, in Basilica Loreto, in front of an enthusiastic audience of more than two thousand people, there was an official concert in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, in which Panis Angelicus Opus 47, for piano and chorus, performed in an inspiring performance by Marco pianist Sollini and Lyric Choir "Vincenzo Bellini" organized by David Crescenzi.

The event was recorded "live" by Vatican Radio, for the EBU European Broadcasting Union, and announced on the CD "della sera armonie - Festival at Musica da Camera, terza edizione" (ADS 06).

Less than a month later, on August 24th, it was the time of the Double Concerto Opus 37b, in a version for cello, piano and friction orchestra, at the Sports Palace in Rocca Di Mezzo, L'Aquila. A truly breath-taking interpretation by cellist Fernando Caida Greco, pianist Stefania Mormone and Chamber Orchestra "I Solisti Aquilani" hosted by Andrea Di Mele.

On 27th, at Sala Museo del Greco in Sabaudia (Latina), Maestro Calligaris earned the prestigious award of the "Giuseppe Verdi" (Sixth Edition) International Music Prize, a much sought-after recognition awarded to the highest personality in the music world, in his capacity as Pianist and Composer . In the ceremony he especially gave a very high level of pianistic performance, winning the approval of this great personality.
In the first months of 2008 Carisch reached an important publishing initiative, through the printing of piano anthologies in two books entitled Piano Parnassum. It is a collection, structured as a progressive piano method, from the most significant composition to a piano solo from Maestro Calligaris.

A creation is intended to bring fundamental contributions to the study of modern piano techniques, in addition to supplying an invaluable tool for a deep understanding of Maestro's work.
In October Maestro Calligaris composed a lyric entitled "Op.49 Poema" for soprano or tenor and piano, on the VII text of Rima by poet and prose writer of Romanticism Gustavo Adolfo of Spain Bécquer.

Pianist Marcella Crudeli and tenor Marcello Nardis, assigned and to whom dedicated, performed the world premiere at Maddalena Sala in Monza on 29 March 2009, in the cycle of "I Concerti a Monza 2009" hosted by Societa Di Concerti Corona Ferrea, a huge productive success and round.
The publication of Piano Parnassum piano anthologies continues in 2009 with two other books, each focusing on music concerts in piano solo versions and original music for the piano duets: the enormous enrichment of the contemporary piano repertoire.