The Music Treasury continues its tribute to violinist Franco Gulli this week. Hosted by Dr Gary Lemco, the Spring broadcast time of The Music Treasury on KZSU 90.1 FM remains Sunday, from 19:00 to 21:00 PDT. You can also listen online at kzsulive.stanford.edu during the broadcast time.
Franco Gulli, Violinist, Part II
Franco Gulli (1926-2001) was considered one of the world’s finest violinists. He traveled extensively as a guest soloist, touring Europe, the former Soviet Union, North and South America, Africa, and Japan and gave performances all over United States, including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was a jury member of major violin competitions worldwide and held positions at international festivals in Vienna, Paris, Dubrovnik, Lucerne, Venice, and Sienna.
Born in Trieste, Italy, in 1926, he launched his career as concertmaster of the Milan Chamber Orchestra and soloist of the renowned ensemble I Virtuosi di Roma. Subsequently, he had numerous engagements performing with principal orchestras under the baton of great masters such as Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Maestro Rostropovich. Equally a fan of intimate chamber music, Gulli performed the sonata repertory with his wife Enrica Cavallo, a distinguished pianist. Gulli’s discography is long and covers many centuries of music ranging from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the complete violin concerti of Mozart, to Strauss and Respighi.
He met Enrica Cavallo shortly after the war, and the pair formed the Gulli-Cavallo Duo in 1947. They married in 1950, and performed together for the next fifty years. In tandem with the duo, Gulli gave masterclasses and served on juries. He was a member of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, the Accademia Cherubini, Florence, and the Reale Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna. In1966 he and his wife were awarded the Prize of the Critic for their recording of Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Piano, Violin and Strings and his Sonata in F Majo
Perhaps his most well known recording was his 1959 premiere of the then newly-discovered Paganini Concerto No. 5, a best seller ever since. In addition to his career on stage, Franco Gulli has touched the lives of many musicians through his love of teaching. He gave master classes at home and abroad in Switzerland, France, and England. In 1972, he was appointed Professor of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and held this position for nearly 30 years, imparting his love of music to students, faculty, and the community.
The Music Treasury celebrates the new Rhine Classics release of 11 CDs that capture Franco Gulli in concert. Host Gary Lemco shares memories of having met and interviewed Gulli in Atlanta, GA, after the Maestro had performed Bloch’s Baal Shem with the Atlanta Symphony under Louis Lane.
This is the second part of a tribute to Gulli, who had played Bloch’s Baal Shem with the Atlanta Symphony under Louis Lane. His recorded work for the Musical Heritage label has yet to be restored in its entirety. Gulli admired both Nathan Milstein and Joseph Szigeti, and Gulli imitated and surpassed what had been great in both artists: scholarship, fidelity to the musical test, precision, and a degree of personal interpretation that maintained his spontaneity.
Program List:
Bloch: Suite No. 1 for Solo Violin
Rorem: Day Music: Nos 1-2
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2 (1938)
Respighi: Violin Sonata in B Minor
Ghedini: Contrappunti for String Trio and Orchestra (w/Giuranna, Caramia)
