He has just returned to Italy on Great Italian Duocomposed by the violinist Mauro Tortorelli and the pianist Angela Melusofresh from the debut in Indonesiawhere he held several concerts in Jakarta And Yogyakarta at the invitation of Maria Battaglia, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Jakarta, and of the Embassy of Italy. The Duo also held a seminar-concert on the “Musical rediscoveries of the Neapolitan twentieth century for violin and piano“And one master class of violin, piano and chamber music at theUniversitas Negeri Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni from Yogyakarta.
An extraordinary opportunity, for the two artists, which literally saw the triumph of Italian music of the ‘900, and in particular that of Neapolitan, in world premiere in Indonesia. In fact, on 26 August last year Great Italian Duo had the honor of representing Italy in “Rapsody of the Archipelago” Festivalorganized on the occasion of the Indonesian presidency of the G20 he was born in 77th Anniversary of Indonesian Independencein the sumptuous setting of the Taman Mini a Jakartain the presence of President of the Republic of Indonesiaof Ministers and Ambassadors.
The seminar-concert held at theUniversity of Music to Yogyakarta, which saw the participation of numerous students, curious and enthusiastic to know the Italian music rediscovered and documented by the Duo and which involved the attentive audience of young Indonesian musicians at the first listening, amidst thunderous applause and excited smiles. An intense and productive one follows master class which made possible a precious contact and a fruitful comparison with young instrumentalists, respectful and eager to listen and apply the advice of the Masters Tortorelli And Meluso. At the end of the master classsome of them expressed a desire to continue their studies in Italy to continue learning the performance practice of Western musical interpretation.
The fascinating experience a Yogyakarta ended the next day with the concert of Great Italian Duoheld at the Concert Hall of the University packed with a young and enthusiastic audience. The program performed honored many of the Neapolitan composers who have been the subject of research, study and world premier recordings, such as Gaetano Fusella, Francesco Santoliquido, Alfredo D’Ambrosio and Emilia Gubitosi. These composers undoubtedly represent the testimony of the great Neapolitan school which in the early 1900s had great difficulty in establishing itself in the music scene, despite the indisputable artistic depth and the particular importance it holds in the musicological field.
The Neapolitan composer is a clear example of this Francesco Santoliquido (San Giorgio a Cremano, 1883 – Anacapri, 1971) who, after studying in Rome, moved to Tunisia from 1912 to 1921 where he founded a Concert Society and in 1927 a Music School which later became the Conservatory. In 2022 the Great Italian Duotogether with the young cellist Federica Del Bagnohe records his works for violin and piano, cello and piano, trio and solo piano for the Brilliant Classics label. Emilia Gubitosi (Naples, 1887-1972), Neapolitan pianist and composer, student of Beniamino Cesi, Camillo De Nardis and Nicola D’Arienzo at the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory in Naples, she was the first Italian woman to obtain a diploma in composition in 1906 following a special authorization from the Minister. Among other things, she was the co-founder of the Alessandro Scarlatti Association of Naples.
Gaetano Fusella (1876-1973), Neapolitan violinist and composer, he taught violin at the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory in Naples, replacing the important didactic role of his Master Eusebio Dworzak. In 2010 the Duo rediscovered, cataloged and recorded the manuscripts of the Neapolitan Maestro G. Fusella in a monographic Cd for the Tactus record label, always obtaining great success with audiences and critics in radio broadcasts (Rai Radio3 Suite, Primo Movimento Rai Radio3, Radio Malta, Radio France, Vatican Radio) and 5-star reviews in specialized magazines: Musica, Amadeus, Fanfare, Harmonia Mundi, Gramophone, Diapason. The box set consisting of 3 CDs dedicated to the 44 pieces for violin and piano (complete for violin and piano) by Alfredo D’Ambrosio (Naples, 1871 – Nice, 1914), who studied composition under the guidance of Enrico Bossi at the “San Pietro a Majella” in Naples and later in Madrid with Pablo De Sarasate ea London with August Wilhelmj. He then settled down permanently at Nicewhere he composed most of his works and devoted himself to teaching.
Back from Yogyakartathe Great Italian Duo concluded in the capital Jakarta his Indonesian tour with a concert at the splendid Soehanna Hallin the presence of an audience enchanted by the beauty of the music performed, who were granted two encores, the first of which represented a real exciting surprise for everyone, namely the performance of “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa”One of the most representative Indonesian melodies of a culture rich in history and charm, which makes the motto“ united in diversity ”its purpose for the present and for the future. As a second encore the Duo performed the Variations by Nicolò Paganini on the anonymous topic “O mum, dear mum”Of the Venice Carnival, one of the best known Italian melodies in the world, which further sealed the musical twinning between the two countries. In short, a professional and human experience, for the Italian Grand Duo, absolutely surprising as it is imbued with great spirituality. The foundations have been laid for future opportunities for cultural exchange where necessity meets the opportunity to grow together.