Format : 1 CD   Total Time : 65'10"
Label : MV Cremona
Catalog No.: MVC025 070
EAN : 8032632230700
Publishing Year : 2025

Booklet: Italiano/English

Recorded at:
Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi
Museo del Violino Cremona
Maggio 2021

SOUND ENGINEERING
Diego Cantalupi
DIGITAL EDITING
Giovanni Gnocchi
MIXING & MASTERING
Tommaso Cancellieri

COVER PHOTO
©Andrej Grilc

COVER
Javier G. Borbolla

Testo a cura di Fausto Cacciatori

At the beginning of the 18th century, Antonio Stradivari was a skilled and renowned maker with more than thirty years’experience in the construction of guitars, decorated instruments, viole da gamba, pochettes and harps in addition to violins, violas and cellos. We know of about 25 cellos constructed before 1700, made in a large size like the Mediceo once belonging to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and currently preserved in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. It was in 1700 that the Cremonese master decided to reduce the dimensions of his cellos, an intermediate step towards developing the model that today is identified and known as “B form” which he probably started to use from 1707.
The history of this cello has been reconstructed mainly from the Hill brothers’ documentation: though it is at times uncertain, it suddenly brightens up when it comes to Lisa Cristiani, a very young Parisian cellist who came into possession of the instrument binding her name to Stradivari’s and to the cello once and for all. In the light of this, the previous history of the instrument appears of less importance. Lisa died in 1853 at only 26 years of age, a transient star in the musical scene of her day: in just a few years she enthralled her audiences with her extraordinary instrument, and the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy dedicated the Romance without words op. 109 to her. After her death, the cello remained in France for a long time, then was brought to Germany and finally reached London in 1894 where it remained in the possession of W. E. Hill and Sons until it became the property of Mr. Lewis Bruce. The instrument, considered by Alfred Hill as one of the most beautiful examples among the works of the great master, passed from Mr. Bruce’s niece to Paolo Salvelli, president of the Centro di Musicologia “Walter Stauffer”, finally returning to the town where it was played for the first time.

 Text by Fausto Cacciatori

Giovanni Gnocchi

Dopo il debutto in un concerto per 2 violoncelli e orchestra assieme a Yo-Yo Ma, Giovanni Gnocchi é stato solista sotto la direzione di Gustavo Dudamel, Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, Christopher Hogwood, Alexander Lonquich, Alexander Shelley, Carlo Rizzi, dall’Arts Festival di Hong Kong alla Wiener Konzerthaus, Beethoven-Fest di Bonn, Liederhalle di Stuttgart, Mozart-Woche di Salzburg, con la Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, Filarmonica della Fenice di Venezia, Orchestra Rossini di Pesaro, Streicherakademie Bozen.
Ha recentemente suonato la Sinfonia Concertante di Prokofiev in Messico con l’Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco e José Luis Castilllo, il Triplo di Beethoven a Lugano con Marco Rizzi e Adrian Oetiker e con la North Czech Philharmonic alla Smetana Hall di Praga, e il Concerto in re di Haydn a Salisburgo con Elisabeth Fuchs e la Philharmonie Salzburg e di nuovo Prokofiev a Pesaro con Riccardo Bisatti. Appassionato camerista, si è esibito con Martha Argerich e Mischa Maisky, ha suonato con Leonidas Kavakos, Mario Brunello, con i membri del Quartetto Hagen, in duo con Andrea Lucchesini e Alexander Lonquich, con Ilya Gringolts, Alena Baeva, Vadym Kholodenko, Olli Mustonen, dal Lucerne Festival alla Ark-Nova Concert Hall in Giappone, al Casals Festival di Prades, Festival Radio-France di Montepellier, Verbier Festival, Delft Music Festival in Olanda, Järna Music Festival in Svezia, Ilumina Festival in Brasile, KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, Festival Musikdorf Ernen in Svizzera, Ljubljana Cello Fest in Slovenia. Ha tenuto concerti cameristici alla Esplanade di Singapore e un recital solistico alla Hong Kong City Hall per la Hong Kong International Cello Association.

Vincitore del 1° Premio al Concorso “F. J. Haydn” di Vienna, del Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship di Londra, Giovanni Gnocchi è laureato ai Concorsi violoncellistici Primavera di Praga, A. Janigro di Zagabria, e in duo con Mariangela Vacatello al Parkhouse Award alla Wigmore Hall di Londra.

Dal 2013 ricopre il ruolo di Univ. Professor presso l’Universität Mozarteum di Salisburgo.

Giovanni Gnocchi

After his debut in a concert for 2 cellos and orchestra with Yo- Yo Ma, Giovanni Gnocchi was soloist under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, Christopher Hogwood, Alexander Lonquich, Alexander Shelley, Carlo Rizzi, from the Hong Kong Arts Festival to the Wiener Konzerthaus, Beethoven-Fest in Bonn, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Mozart-Woche in Salzburg, with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, Filarmonica della Fenice di Venezia, Orchestra Rossini di Pesaro, Streicherakademie Bozen.

He recently played Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante in Mexico with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco and José Luis Castilllo, Beethoven's Triple in Lugano with Marco Rizzi and Adrian Oetiker and with the North Czech Philharmonic at Prague's Smetana Hall, and Haydn's Concerto in D in Salzburg with Elisabeth Fuchs and the Philharmonie Salzburg, Elgar in Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari and CPE Bach and Weinberg at Stradivari Festival in Cremona. A passionate chamber musician, he has performed with Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky, with Leonidas Kavakos, with members of the Hagen Quartet, in duo with Andrea Lucchesini and Alexander Lonquich, with Ilya Gringolts, Alena Baeva, Vadym Kholodenko, Olli Mustonen, Jens-Peter Maintz, Mario Brunello, at Lucerne Festival, Ark-Nova Concert Hall in Japan, Casals Festival in Prades, Festival Radio- France in Montepellier, Verbier Festival, Delft Music Festival, Järna Music Festival in Sweden, Ilumina Festival in Brazil, KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, Festival Musikdorf Ernen in Switzerland, Ljubljana Cello Fest in Slovenia. He has given chamber concerts at the Esplanade in Singapore and a solo recital at the Hong Kong City Hall for the Hong Kong International Cello Association.

Winner of the 1st Prize at the F. J. Haydn Competition in Vienna, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in London, Giovanni Gnocchi graduated at the Prague Spring Cellist Competition, A. Janigro in Zagreb, and in duo with Mariangela Vacatello at the Parkhouse Award at the Wigmore Hall in London.

Since 2013 he has been Univ. Professor at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Alessandro Stella

Alessandro Stella è un pianista e produttore italiano. Si è esibito nelle principali città italiane, europee e dell'America Latina, in importanti festival internazionali, dal “Progetto Martha Argerich” di Lugano al Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germania, e in sale come la Herkulessaal di Monaco di Baviera, Salle Rameau di Lione, Teatro Coliseo di Buenos Aires,Teatro dei Rozzi di Siena, Teatro El Círculo di Rosario), Zentrum Paul Klee di Berna.
In Italia ha suonato per l’Accademia Chigiana, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Amici della Musica di Palermo, Associazione Alessandro Scarlatti, la IUC di Roma, l’Unione Musicale di Torino.
Nel 2020 ha fondato l'etichetta discografica Extended Place e dal 2023 è membro della Recording Academy e della Latin Recording Academy. Le sue numerose registrazioni, pubblicate da Extended Place, Artalinna, Kha, Stradivarius e Warner Classics, hanno ricevuto unanimi apprezzamenti e riconoscimenti dalla critica internazionale (Melómano de oro, 5 Diapason, 5 Stelle di Classica, 5 Stelle di Musica, Gramophone Editor's Choice, Echo Klassik Award).
Suoi concerti ed incisioni sono stati trasmessi dalla BBC, Bayerischer Rundfunk, ORT, RSI, Radio France, RAI.
La sua innata curiosità lo ha spesso portato a ideare progetti originali e fuori dai terreni più battuti. Illustri compositori contemporanei, come Carlo Boccadoro, Nicola Campogrande, Giya Kancheli e
Valentin Silvestrov, hanno scritto, arrangiato o a lui dedicato loro importanti opere, da lui spesso eseguite e registrate in prima mondiale.
A quella solistica, Alessandro Stella affianca un’intensa attività cameristica, collaborando regolarmente con Gemma Bertagnolli, Giovanni Gnocchi, Marcos Madrigal, Tai Murray, Pietro Roffi, Nurit Stark, Nino Surguladze ed è membro fondatore del trio pianistico ‘The Pianos Trio’ con Giorgia Tomassi e Carlo Maria Griguoli.
Alessandro Stella ha studiato con Raffaella d’Esposito, Franco Scala e Marco Di Bari, perfezionandosi, inoltre, con Bruno Canino, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Alexis Weissenberg e Christian Zacharias.

Alessandro Stella

Alessandro Stella is an Italian pianist and producer. He has performed in all the major venues in Italy, Europe and Latin America, and in international festivals, such as the "Martha Argerich Project" in Lugano and the "Klavier-Festival Ruhr” in Germany. He has been guest in concert halls like the Herkulessaal (Munich), Salle Rameau (Lyon), Teatro Coliseo (Buenos Aires), tTeatro dei Rozzi (Siena), Teatro del Libertador (Córdoba), Teatro El Círculo (Rosario), Zentrum Paul Klee (Bern).
In Italy he has played for the Accademia Chigiana, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Amici della Musica di Palermo, Associazione Alessandro Scarlatti, IUC in Roma,
Unione Musicale in Torino.
In 2020, he founded the label Extended Place and since 2023, he is member of the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy. His recordings, released by Artalinna, Extended Place, Kha, Stradivarius and Warner Classics, have received unanimous appreciation from international critics, including various awards (Melómano de oro, 5 Diapason, 5 Stars of Classica, 5 Stars of Musica, Gramophone Editor's Choice, Echo Klassik Award).
His concerts and recordings have been broadcast by the BBC, Bayerischer Rundfunk, ORT, RSI, Radio France, RAI.
His innate curiosity has often led him to come up with original, off-the-beaten-path projects. Notable contemporary composers such as Carlo Boccadoro, Nicola Campogrande, Giya Kancheli and Valentin Silvestrov have written or arranged important works for him, which he then performed and recorded as world premieres. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he is also intensely involved with chamber
music, regularly playing with Gemma Bertagnolli, Giovanni Gnocchi, Marcos Madrigal, Tai Murray, Pietro Roffi, Nurit Stark, Nino Surguladze.
He is founder member of the three pianos ensemble 'The Pianos Trio' with Giorgia Tomassi and Carlo Maria Griguoli.
Alessandro Stella studied with Raffaella d’Esposito, Franco Scala and Marco Di Bari. He has also attended master classes with Bruno Canino, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Alexis Weissenberg and Christian Zacharias.