Verona • Italy
Orchestra:
L'Appassionata Orchestra (Italy)
Soloists:
Gibboni
violin (Italy)
Programme
W. A. Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
KV 525
Violin Concerto
in D Major No. 4 KV 218
Giuseppe Gibboni
Violin
Giuseppe Gibboni, regarded as one of the most extraordinary talents of his generation, is renowned for his prodigious technique, expressive depth, and remarkable interpretative maturity. In October 2021, he captured international attention by winning First Prize at the 56th “Premio Paganini” International Violin Competition in Genoa — earning, in addition to the audience award, two special prizes for the best interpretations of Paganini’s Caprices and Concerto. He was the first Italian violinist in 24 years to win this prestigious competition.
Born into a family of musicians, he began studying the violin at a very young age under the guidance of his father, Daniele Gibboni. He graduated with top honors from the “Giuseppe Martucci” Conservatory in Salerno under the mentorship of Maestro Maurizio Aiello, quickly standing out for his natural virtuosity. At the age of 14, he was admitted to the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, where he studied with Salvatore Accardo, and later continued his training at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, where he received the Diploma of Honor. He also completed advanced studies at the Perosi Academy in Biella with Pavel Berman and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Pierre Amoyal.
His victory at the Paganini Competition launched a career that rapidly took on an international dimension.
He has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Lorenzo Viotti, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with Jader Bignamini, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra with Zubin Mehta, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra. With the latter, he gave the Italian premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto, working closely with the composer under the baton of John Axelrod. His repertoire spans the great Romantic concertos as well as contemporary works, showcasing both his exceptional versatility and deep artistic curiosity. In the current season, he made his debut under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti at the opening concert of the Ravenna Festival. Other major engagements include debuts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala under Michele Mariotti, the Tokyo Philharmonic in Dubai, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and the Seoul Arts Center. He performed Busoni’s Violin Concerto in Trieste in celebration of the centenary of the composer’s death, and toured the United States with the Teatro Carlo Felice of Genoa, performing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 under the direction of Donato Renzetti, with whom he also performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in Milan with the “Pomeriggi Musicali” Orchestra.
A featured artist supported by the Nippon Foundation, Giuseppe Gibboni performs on the 1722 Stradivari “Jupiter,” on loan from the foundation, the 1734 Stradivari “Lam – Ex Scotland University,” kindly provided by the CCI Foundation of New York, and a modern instrument by Luiz Amorim, a copy of the famed 1734 Guarneri del Gesù “Stauffer.”
L'Appassionata Orchestra
Italy
L’Appassionata was founded in 2019 around the activities of the Gaspari Foundation as a group of outstanding young talents dedicated to the in-depth study of the chamber orchestra repertoire. Its members include some of the finest young professional musicians in Italy, trained at the most important musical institutions throughout Europe, who have already gained significant concert experience with some of Italy’s leading orchestras, including the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, the Mantua Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Teatro Regio of Turin, the Orchestra of the Arena di Verona Foundation, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, and the Orchestra Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
L’Appassionata has already given concerts and toured in Germany, Switzerland, France, and South Korea, as well as performing in some of Italy’s most prestigious venues, including the Sala Verdi in Milan, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona, the Teatro Bibiena in Mantua, and the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, within the framework of major festivals such as Serate Musicali di Milano, Emilia-Romagna Festival, Società dei Concerti di Parma, the Portogruaro Festival, the Galuppi Festival in Venice, and MantovaMusica. The ensemble has collaborated with internationally renowned artists and soloists, including Gil Shaham, Emmanuel Pahud, Leonora Armellini, Laura Marzadori, Anna Tifu, Enrico Dindo, Giuseppe Gibboni, Elio, and Andrea Battistoni.
In addition, L’Appassionata is the protagonist of two recording projects released in 2021: a monograph dedicated to Antonio Vivaldi, released for the first time by SONY Classical together with flutist Tommaso Benciolini, and a monograph on Johann Sebastian Bach with violinist Jaroslaw Nadrzycki, released by Hänssler Classics. Both recordings were met with great success from audiences and critics alike and were broadcast by outlets such as Rai Radio 3, BBC Radio, Radio Classica, Radio24, Venice Classic Radio, and Sky Classica HD.
In 2023, L’Appassionata made its debut in the United States, performing to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2024, the ensemble was invited to perform in the main hall of the Tonhalle Zurich, receiving unanimous acclaim from both audience and critics, and in the same year it was selected to perform on the occasion of the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Verona.