“Intimate Sketches” Project US and Canada Premiere

Emanuele Torquati is going to perform the Premiere of his new project “Intimate Sketches – Visions on Leos Janacek“ on 25th February in San Francisco, at the Italian Institute of Culture. The project, sponsored by CEMAT Rome, will be also presented in avant-premiere at The Banff Centre, where Torquati will be artist in residence from 15th until 23rd February.
Beside Janacek’s major works, 1-X-1905 and In the mist, a wide selection of his recently published sketches is related to 4 new commissions.
Australian leading composer Brett Dean and Canadian Inouk Demers will take part in this effort, together with Italians Riccardo Vaglini and Paolo Aralla.

Emanuele Torquati presentera’ in prima assoluta il suo nuovo progetto “Appunti Intimi – Visioni su Leos Janacek“ il 25 febbraio prossimo a San Francisco, presso l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Il progetto, sostenuto dalla Federazione CEMAT nell’ambito del Progetto Sonora, verra’ preparato e presentato in anteprima al Banff Centre, dove Torquati sara’ artist in residence dal 15 al 23 febbraio. Accanto ai due maggiori lavori pianistici del compositore ceco, la Sonata 1-X-1905 ed il ciclo Nella nebbia, un’ampia scelta dei suoi schizzi, recentemente pubblicati, sara’ messa in relazione a 4 nuove opere commissionate per l’occasione. L’australiano Brett Dean e il canadese Inouk Demers affiancati dagli italiani Riccardo Vaglini e Paolo Aralla in questo sforzo creativo.

Recital at Galicia Jewish Museum Krakow

Emanuele Torquati will perform on next 27th January in Krakow, at Galicia Jewish Museum. The event is organized by the Italian Institute of Culture and the Galicia Jewish Museum in occasion of the Holocaust Memorial Day and the 65th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Patrons are the Jagiellonian University Krakow and the EUNIC. The project “Degenerate Music revealed”, already presented in Vancouver, Lyon and Chicago, includes significant works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Aldo Finzi, Alexander Zemlinsky and Olivier Messiaen.

Emanuele Torquati presentera’ il suo progetto “Alla riscoperta della Musica Degenerata” il 27 gennaio prossimo a Cracovia, presso il Museo ebraico della citta’ polacca. L’evento, organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano di Cultura e dal Galicia Jewish Museum, si tiene in occasione della Giornata della Memoria e del 65esimo Anniversario della liberazione dei campi di concentramento di Auschwitz-Birkenau. Il programma dedicato a compositori ebrei e non perseguitati dal nazifascismo, comprende musiche di Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Finzi, Zemlinsky e Messiaen.

Duo Dillon-Torquati on demand at limenmusic.com

A new video featuring Duo Dillon-Torquati is now available on demand at www.limenmusic.com! The program includes Schumann’s Kinderszenen op. 15 transcribed by F. W. Gruetzmacher, Britten’s Sonata op. 65, and pieces by A. von Zemlinsky and Rachmaninov.

Il nuovo video del Duo Dillon-Torquati e’ disponibile on demand sul sito www.limenmusic.com! Il programma include musiche di Schumann, Britten, Zemlinksy e Rachmaninov.

Teatro Comunale di Firenze

Emanuele Torquati will perform on the 29th November, 9 pm, at Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Giancarlo Cardini’s main work “I Prati del Paradiso”. The performance will be 4 hands with the composer himself, accompanied by Contempoartensemble and with the participation of actress Consuelo Ciatti.

Emanuele Torquati eseguira’ a quattro mani con Giancarlo Cardini il melologo “I Prati del Paradiso”, dello stesso Cardini, presso il Teatro Comunale di Firenze, domenica 29 novembre alle 21. Il concerto, in occasione della Festa della Toscana 2009, vedra’ la partecipazione dell’attrice Consuelo Ciatti e del Contempoartensemble sotto la direzione di Mauro Ceccanti.

Solo Recital at Columbia University, NYC

Emanuele Torquati has been invited to give a solo recital for the Italian Academy at Columbia University, New York. The invitation has followed the recent success of June’s US Tour, in New York, NEC Boston and Chicago’s Holocaust Museum.

The dazzling program will feature Quattro Illustrazioni sulle metamorfosi di Visnu’ by Giacinto Scelsi, Leos Janacek’s In the Mist, along with a new piece by emerging Italian composer Silvia Borzelli, Stalagma (in memoriam Anna Politkovskaja). The second part includes Wolfgang Rihm’s Klavierstuck 7 and couples the last piece from Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux Le courlis cendre’ with Jonathan Harvey’s Tombeau de Messiaen for piano and soundtrack.

Duo Dillon-Torquati @ MITO Settembremusica

Duo Dillon-Torquati has been invited to play on next 14th September for one of the major Italian Festivals, MITO Settembremusica. The Duo will come back in Milan after the Debut of two years ago at the National State Conservatory, with a brand new program, featuring Zemlinsky’s Sonata as well as Brahms op. 99, including also Webern’s op. 11 and Melancolia 1 by leading composer Salvatore Sciarrino. Dillon has recently released his Cello Variations with Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI within the label KAIROS, and the recording was awarded with CHOC du Monde de la Musique.

Dopo il debutto di due anni fa presso il Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, il Duo Dillon-Torquati tornera’ ad esibirsi il 14 settembre prossimo al Festival MITO Settembremusica, presso il Museo diocesano di Milano. Il programma accosta alla Sonata op. 99 di Brahms la rara Sonata di Alexander von Zemlinsky, i Tre pezzi op. 11 di Webern, nonche’ Melancolia 1 di Salvatore Sciarrino, brano incluso nel recentissimo tour americano del Duo.

LISTEN Duo Dillon-Torquati playing Webern’s op. 11

US Tour reviews

The Boston concerts of Duo Dillon-Torquati at Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, were highly praised, both from the audience and the critics. In the article “Elusive music”, Mrs. Marshall wrote this about the first evening, which included various works by leading composers Giacinto Scelsi, Salvatore Sciarrino and Alessandro Solbiati: “the Duo played with minimal, slowly developing materials and a beautiful control of silence and sound”.

The second concert, devoted to Jonathan Harvey, SICPP composer in residence, was reviewed by The Boston Musical Intelligencer: “Cellist Francesco Dillon held every bit of attention with his playing. He brought absolute involvement and reverence to the demanding instrumental techniques and strange sonic stances called for in Harvey’s scores. A surprising, weird whistling came out of his amplified instrument in Curve with Plateaux. Pianist Emanuele Torquati brought unflagging commitment to Harvey’s Tombeau de Messiaen, whose surface was sparsely sprinkled with Messiaen’s very personal musical language. Advaya had moments where Dillon and Torquati tangentially emoted; some of these moments were mysteriously reminiscent of expression found in traditional folk music from the Middle East”.

Masterclass on Kurtag’s Piano music

Emanuele Torquati has been invited to hold a Masterclass on Kurtag’s Piano Music for G.A.M.O. The course will take place from 5th until 10th September at the Academy of Music, Florence and will include performances and lectures and analysis from visiting artists such as Alessandro Solbiati. Kurtàg will be awarded with prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at 53rd International Festival of Contemporary Music in Venice on 27th September.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TORQUATI’S LIVE PERFORMANCE OF KURTAG’S PIANO PIECES

Emanuele Torquati terrà una Masterclass sulla musica pianistica di Gyorgy Kurtag dal 5 al 10 settembre prossimi, presso l’Accademia musicale di Firenze. Il corso, organizzato dal Gruppo Aperto Musica Oggi (G.A.M.O.), sarà finalizzato all’approfondimento dell’opera pianistica e non solo del grande compositore ungherese, anche attraverso una serie d’incontri collaterali con compositori e musicologi.

Solo Recital in Chicago on 25th June

Emanuele Torquati is going to perform the project Degenerate Music revealed at the Illinois Holocaust Museum on next 25th June. This solo Recital will feature music by Alexander von Zemlinksy, Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco as well as Hot Music by Erwin Schulhoff and some transcriptions from Kurt Weill’s Songs.

Emanuele Torquati eseguirà un programma interamente dedicato alla musica colta ebraica il prossimo 25 giugno presso il Museo per l’Olocausto di Chicago. Il concerto “Alla riscoperta della Musica Degenerata” sarà realizzato in collaborazione con l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago e comprenderà musiche di Zemlinksy, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Schulhoff, così come alcune trascrizioni di canzoni di Kurt Weill, tra cui la nuovissima versione di September’s Song elaborata da Giancarlo Cardini.

NY and Boston Concerts in June

Duo Dillon-Torquati has been invited in New York and Boston for a project devoted to European New Music. The tour is sponsored by Federazione Cemat Rome and the venues will be prestigious, like The Issue Project Room in NY and the New England Conservatory in Boston. In New York on the 15th will be performed “Simple Space: New Music from Old Europe”, with music by Scelsi, Sciarrino, Silvestrov, Srnka, Harvey and Van der Aa. In Boston on the 16th, there will be first an Italian evening, with music by Solbiati, Sciarrino and Scelsi, while on the 17th is going to be performed music by Jonathan Harvey, composer in residence at SICPP Festival.

Il Duo formato da Francesco Dillon ed Emanuele Torquati sarà protagonista di un tour americano che lo porterà a New York e al NEC Boston il 15-16 e 17 giugno prossimi. Il progetto, sostenuto nell’ambito del Progetto Sonora del Cemat, comprenderà sia musica italiana che non, con particolare risalto alla figura di Jonathan Harvey. Il programma comprenderà inoltre il brano di Alessandro Solbiati “Manet”, espressamente dedicato al Duo ed eseguito l’anno scorso a Monaco di Baviera in prima assoluta.