This weeks featured artist on The Music Treasury is violinist Aldo Ferraresi, a significant performer as a soloist as well as in chamber ensembles and orchestras this past century. The show will air between 19:00 and 21:00 PDT, hosted by Dr Gary Lemco, on KZSU in the Bay Area, or live on the ‘Net at kzsu.stanford.edu.
Aldo Ferraresi (1902-1978), violinist
Mr. Ferraresi was born in Ferrara, the son of Augusto Ferraresi (1868-1939), an artillery marshal and mandolin player, and Marcella Jesi. His mother was “of Jewish origin”. 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. Starting from 1923 he was leader of “Aldo Ferraresi Chamber Orchestra” where, together with Marcello Cortopassi and professors of the “Rome Augusteo Orchestra”, he played at Gran Caffé Margherita in Viareggio (Lucca). 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 concertmaster at the Symphonic Orchestra of San Remo, as well at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. As teacher, he held the violin class at Music Conservatory “N. Puccinni” in Bari from October 1967 until 1973, when Nino Rota was the director. Among his pupils we can remember Uto Ughi who studied with him privately in Naples for 7 years. Aldo Ferraresi died in Sanremo 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. Ferraresi played on many precious violins, among of them are the “King George” Stradivarius and the “Cannone” Guarneri of Paganini. His favourire instruments were a Camillo Camilli and an Alessandro Gagliano. [from Wikipedia]
This evening’s program comes exclusively through the courtesy of the Rhine Classics label and its founder Emilio Pessina. The Concerto by Mario Guarino is the work of a composer who served as violinist of Teatro alla Scala until 1943, and afterwards dedicated himself to composing and managing public musical institutions. The concerto was written in 1935 dedicated to the centenary of Paganini’s death. It was world premiered by Aldo Ferraresi at La Scala on June 14,1948, under the baton of André Cluytens. The Paganini works are performed on Paganini’s own Guarnerius instrument.
Program Listing:
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. 16, Op. 72, No. 8 (arr. Kreisler)
Ysaye: Poeme elegiaque No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 12
Turina: El poema de una sanluquena, Op. 28
Paganini: Nel cor piu non mi sento for Violin Solo
Paganini: Le streghe, Op. 8
Debussy: Ballade (arr. Carembat)
Guarino: Violin Concerto (1948; dedicated to Aldo Ferraresi)
