Meeting with Claudio Ambrosini
MEETING WITH CLAUDIO AMBROSINI
Around his last recording, 'Plurimo' (Stradivarius, 2017), his career and the Ex Novo Ensemble news
Claudio Ambrosini, Venetian composer. Besides studying Electronic Music and Ancient Instruments at Venice Conservatory and graduating at Venice (Music) and Milan (Linguistics) Universities, Claudio Ambrosini often enjoyed significant Venetian encounters with Bruno Maderna and Luigi Nono, who included him among his favourite composers.
Ambrosini has composed vocal, instrumental, electronic works, oratorios, operas and ballets, all characterized by his extensive instrumental research and by his personal style. He also had many experiences in multimedia (video, photography, installations) in museums or art galleries.
Ambrosini has received various prizes and has taken part in international festivals such as the Festival of Contemporary Music of the Venice Biennale; of that of Avignon, Strasbourg, Brussels, Helsinki, Huddersfield, Stockholm, Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sidney, Ludwigsburg; as well as series of concerts at the IRCAM in Paris, at La Scala in Milan, at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and the Gaudeamus in Amsterdam, at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, the Musical Autumn in Warsaw, the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the season of the Munich Philharmonic, Radio France's series "Perspectives du XX siècle", GRAME etc.
Ambrosini has received several commissions, principally from the Venice Biennale, the Italian Radio (RAI), the West German Radio (WDR), the French Ministry of Culture, the Festival of Nations, L'Itineraire, Grame, Milano Musica and several other institutions and theatres, like Teatro La Fenice.
His music has been conducted, among the others, by R. Abbado, F. Luisi, D. Masson, R. Muti, G. Nowak, S.-A. Reck, Ed Spanjaard, J. Störgards, P.-A. Valade.
In 1977 Ambrosini began to take an interest in computer music at the Padua Center for Computational Sonology (CSC).
Since 1979 Ambrosini has led the Ex Novo Ensemble, and since 1983 also the CIRS, International Center for Instrumental Research, both of which he founded in Venice. In 2007 he founded the vocal ensemble Vox Secreta.
He has also given lectures, courses and masterclasses in several conservatories and universities, including the Sorbonne (Paris) and the Normale of Pisa.
In 1985 Ambrosini was the first Italian composer to receive the Prix de Rome from France and to stay at Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome. In the same year he was chosen to represent Italy over the European Year of Music. In 1986 he was chosen to represent Italy at the UNESCO Paris Rostrum.
Recent awards:
2006: his own libretto for his opera Il canto della pelle - Sex Unlimited was awarded by the Association Beaumarchais.
2007: he was awarded the Golden Lion for Music by the Venice Biennale.
2008: Music Theatre Now Prize (Berlin) for his opera Il Canto della pelle - Sex Unlimited.
2010: Italian Critics Award (Premio Abbiati) for his opera Il killer di parole (The Wordkiller) premiered at Teatro La Fenice, in Venice. This work closes an operatic cycle also including Big Bang Circus (2002), Il Canto della Pelle (Sex Unlimited (2005), Apocalypsis cum figuris (2012) and Il Giudizio Universale (1996).
2015: Play.it! Award, for his lifetime contribution to music.
