Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini"

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Gioachino Rossini, whose legacy led to the founding of the conservatory

The Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" is a

music conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. Founded in 1869 with a legacy from the composer Gioachino Rossini, the conservatory officially opened in 1882 with 67 students and was then known as the Liceo musicale Rossini. By 2010 it had an enrollment of approximately 850 students studying for higher diplomas in singing, instrumental performance, composition, musicology, choral conducting, jazz or electronic music. The conservatory also trains music teachers for secondary schools and holds regular master classes. Its seat is the 18th century Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli on the Piazza Oliveri in Pesaro. Amongst its past Directors are the composers Carlo Pedrotti, Pietro Mascagni, Riccardo Zandonai and Franco Alfano. Mascagni's opera Zanetto
had its world premiere at the conservatory in 1896.

History

Carlo Pedrotti, the first Director of the conservatory

In his will, Rossini left virtually his entire estate to Pesaro, his native city, for the establishment of a free music school there with the provision that the legacy would only come to the city upon the death of his widow, Olympe Pélissier.[1] In 1869, the year following Rossini's death, the city set up the association which would eventually become the "Liceo musicale Rossini". Olympe Pélissier died in 1878. Four years later, on 5 November 1882, the school opened the doors of its temporary home in the former Convent and Church of San Filippo Neri to the first cohort of 67 students, of whom 25 were enrolled in the choral school.[2] Following the terms of Rossini's will, the school emphasised operatic and choral singing as well as composition. Its first Director, Carlo Pedrotti, was the composer of 17 operas and had previously been the Director of Turin's opera house, the Teatro Regio. He was also a noted voice teacher. Amongst his pupils were the tenors Francesco Tamagno and Alessandro Bonci. During Pedrotti's tenure, the conservatory moved to its permanent home in the Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli and an auditorium was added which now bears his name. Following Pedrotti's retirement in 1893, the conservatory was without a director until the appointment two years later, of another opera composer, Pietro Mascagni.

Pietro Mascagni in 1902, his final year as Director of the conservatory

Mascagni took up his post in December 1895. Thanks to Rossini's large legacy, the school was well endowed financially. Mascagni's annual salary was 12,000

sacred music.[4]
Within four years, the faculty had grown and the enrollment had doubled, as had the number of diplomas awarded.

However, by 1900 Mascagni's relationship with the governing board of the school had begun to sour, partly due to his frequent absences for conducting tours and the preparations for the premiere of his opera Le maschere, and partly due to his abrasive treatment of local dignitaries. He had also run up fairly large deficits in the previous two years, and the board had taken over the financial management of the conservatory. Budget cuts in 1902 led to a student rebellion in support of Mascagni. In turn, the board closed the conservatory for the remainder of the year and sent the students home. On 20 January 1903, Mascagni was officially dismissed from his post.[5] It was another two years before a new director was appointed. In a 1903 address, the president of the governing board recommended that the next director not be an opera composer because an opera composer "in addition to being steeped in liberties, has his mind always focused on his own compositions and all of the interests that flow from them."[6]

In 1905,

Il Signor Bruschino, Francesca da Rimini, and Dido and Aeneas
.

In 1999 the school was designated by the Italian government as an "Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali" (Higher Institute of Musical Studies) with university status, one which it holds to the present day.[8][9]

The 21st century conservatory

Following a vote by the faculty, the pianist Ludovico Bramanti became the new director of the conservatory in 2014, succeeding another pianist, Maurizio Tarsetti, who had held the post since 2008.[10] In the academic year 2009/2010, the conservatory had an enrollment of approximately 850 students. Of those, 821 were Italian with the remainder from 26 other countries as far afield as Peru, Nepal and Kazakhstan.[11] The conservatory offers bachelor and master diplomas in singing, instrumental performance, composition, musicology, choral conducting, jazz and electronic music. It also trains music teachers for secondary schools and holds regular master classes and seminars. Admission to the diploma courses is based on an entrance examination with five 1000 scholarships awarded annually by the Fondazione Rossini.

Fresco by Gianandrea Lazzarini in the Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli

The conservatory has three specialised research laboratories: 20th Century and Contemporary Music; Early Music; and Electronic and Experimental Music (LEMS), which was established in 1971 by the Italian composer Aldo Clementi. There are several permanent ensembles in which both students and faculty participate, including the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, Saxophone Ensemble, and Gregorian Choir. The ensembles and soloists perform a variety of public concerts in Pesaro and the surrounding region during the year, including those celebrating Christmas, Easter, Ferragosto, May Day, Festa della Repubblica, and Saint Cecilia's Day. The conservatory also co-produces Progetto Orfeo, an international university festival of opera and musical theatre,[12] and runs two national music competitions, Harpsichord (established in 1991) and Bassoon (established in 2004).

Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli

The Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli on the Piazza Olivieri is home to both the conservatory and the Fondazione Rossini, a centre for Rossini scholarship which organizes the annual

Biblioteca Oliveriana and its collections, and gradually adapted by 1892 for use as a music conservatory, including an extension to accommodate an 800-seat concert hall, now known as the Sala Pedrotti. Rectangular in shape with a raised stage, stalls and two tiers of balconies, the Sala Pedrotti is one of the few "shoebox" concert halls in Italy and is known for its good acoustics.[15]
It was inaugurated on 29 February 1892 with a concert conducted by Carlo Pedrotti to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rossini's birth.

In addition to the concert hall, teaching rooms, and offices, the palazzo houses the conservatory's collection of antique and exotic musical instruments and its library. The conservatory library, with 45,000 volumes as well as rare manuscripts and documents dating back to 1500, is one of the largest music libraries in Italy.

Teatro San Carlo in Naples: Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, Otello, Armida, La donna del lago, Maometto II, and Adina. A large bronze statue of Rossini by Carlo Marochetti is situated in the building's main internal courtyard.[17]

Faculty members and alumni

Composer Franco Alfano, Director of the conservatory from 1947 to 1950

Faculty

Alumni

Alumnus Marco Ambrosini with his nyckelharpa

This list includes both graduates and musicians who are known to have studied for a time at the conservatory.

Notes and references

  1. ^ Senici (2004) p. 24
  2. ^ The church, once the tallest building in Pesaro, and the attached convent on 44 Via Petrucci were closed in the mid-19th century and had been purchased by the City of Pesaro in 1862.
  3. ^ a b c Mallach (2002) p. 108
  4. ^ a b Mallach (2002) p. 109
  5. ^ Mallach (2002) p. 158
  6. ^ Tullio Cinotti, a local soap manufacturer and President of the governing board of the conservatory, quoted in Mallach (2002) p. 149
  7. ^ Waterhouse
  8. ^ Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini", Presentazione e storia Archived 2010-10-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  9. ^ Angelucci (March 2004)
  10. ^ Bartolucci (14 March 2008)
  11. ^ Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" Archived 2010-11-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  12. ^ Programme: Progetto Orfeo Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, 2009 (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  13. ^ Tourism office of Pesaro.
  14. ^ Peri
  15. ^ Fausti, Farina, and Pompoli (1995) pp. 453–456
  16. ^ Sistema Bibliotecario Unificato di Pesaro e Urbino, Biblioteca Conservatorio "G. Rossini" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  17. ^ Touring club italiano (2002) pp. 38–39
  18. ^ The years of office for all Directors of the conservatory on this list are sourced from Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini", I Direttori Archived 2010-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  19. ^ Pironti and Costa
  20. ^ Nello Vetro, Gaspare (ed), "Zanella, Amilcare, compositore" Archived 2010-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, Dizionario della musica e dei musicisti dei territori del Ducato di Parma e Piacenza (online version), Istituzione Casa della Musica. See also it:Amilcare Zanella

Sources

  • Angelucci, Alberto, "Il Conservatorio di Pesaro: L'Università della musica", Lo Specchio della Città, March 2004 (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  • Bartolucci, Patrizia, "Maurizio Tarsetti batte 5 candidati: il Conservatorio ha un nuovo direttore", Il Resto del Carlino, 14 March 2008 (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  • Fausti, P., Farina, A., and Pompoli, R., "The acoustics and restoration of "Salone Pedrotti" in Pesaro", Proceedings of the International Commission for Acoustics Congress, Trondheim, 26–30 June 1995, Vol.II, pp. 453–456
  • Mallach, Alan, Pietro Mascagni and his operas, Northeastern University Press, 2002.
  • Peri, Nino, Dipinto murale di Gianandrea Lazzarini in palazzo Machirelli Olivieri di Pesaro, Fondazione Scavolini. (in Italian). Accessed 19 October 2010.
  • Pironti, Alberto & Costa, Roberta (2001). "Veretti, Antonio". In .
  • Senici, Emanuele, The Cambridge Companion to Rossini, Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  • Touring club italiano, Pesaro e Urbino e provincia: Gabicce, Fano e la costa Gradara e il Montefeltro, Touring Editore, 2002.
  • Waterhouse, John C. G. (2001). "Zanella, (Castore) Amilcare". In .

External links