The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago and the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University present a harpsichord concert featuring Maestro Michele Benuzzi and Maestro Stephen Alltop.
The program offers an overview of the literature for two harpsichords from the Baroque period. In addition to the refined Four Duets by C.P.E. Bach, the splendid Concerto in C Major by J.S. Bach and a transcription of Boccherini’s Fandango will be performed. These monumental works will be interspersed with solo pieces by J.P. Rameau and A. Forqueray.
Free concert. Registration details will be announced at a later date.
Michele Benuzzi studied the harpsichord with Ottavio Dantone and obtained the harpsichord Performing Diploma at the Royal College of Music in London. He also studied musicology at the University of Pavia. In 2003 he won the third prize at the seventeenth Yamanashi International Harpsichord Competition in Japan. He performs in the mayor Festival in Europe, Australia and Asia. He promoted, and played the opera omnia of Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonatas, which were performed from 1995 to 2002 in France. He has founded Arcomelo, a group performing seventeenth and eighteenth-century music, and examining baroque music – especially problems concerning execution on ancient instruments. With Arcomelo he has recorded the harpsichord concertos by C.Ph.E.Bach for “La Bottega Discantica” and the CD had excellent reviews. In 2007 he recorded the harpsichord concertos and symphonias by W.F.Bach. Recently has be released a CD with all the Vivaldi’s Flautino and Flauto Concertos with Japanese recorder player Mitsuko Ota. The CD had a nomination in the Japanese “The record Geijutsu magazine” (May 2013). As soloist he had recorded Scarlatti’s Sonatas using the 1764 Hass instrument in the Russell Collection in Edinburgh. For “London Independent Records” a Cd “Hamburg 1705” with music by Händel, Graupner and Mattheson recorded using the harpsichord made by Daniel Dulcken around 1730 in the Barnes Collection. For Brilliant Classics he had recorded J.W.Hässler with an harpsichord by Robert Falkener London 1773 by kind permission of the Russell Collection. All his solo recording where acclaimed by international magazine, and Hässler’s Cd won the 5 stars price in “Musica” (July, August 2012) In 2011 he recorded with Arcomelo the Six Collection of chamber music and solo harpsichord music by J.A.Benda in a 6 Cd box. In 2014 the complete Ch.Nichelmann Sonatas in two Cd set and in 2015 the Sonatas by J.Galles. He started to record the complete J.W.Hassler keyboard music, the first volume with four Cd’s has been released and won again the 5 stars price in “Musica” (March 2018). For these recordings he had used harpsichord, Silbermann piano, clavichord and an original Broadwood square piano dated 1798. Recently he recorded the complete harpsichord music by J.L.Krebs in 5 Cd’s. Next project will be the recording of the six harpsichord Sonatas by J.E.Altenburg, the complete Sonatas by Ch.S.Binder, and the “Certamen Musicum” by J.P.Kellner.
Stephen Alltop is a versatile conductor, harpsichordist, and organist, celebrated for his leadership in orchestral and choral music. He has served as Music Director of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago for 26 years, expanding its collaborations to include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He also directs the Elmhurst and Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestras, earning the 2022 Conductor of the Year award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras. A specialist in oratorio and historical performance, Alltop is a faculty member at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, conducting the Alice Millar Chapel Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble. During the pandemic, he co-created Orfeo Remote, a Monteverdi opera film project, and is currently preparing the world premiere recording of Stacy Garrop’s Terra Nostra. Alltop has guest-conducted across the U.S., Italy, and South Korea and performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Music of the Baroque. He has premiered works by notable composers like Eric Whitacre and John Luther Adams and debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2007. A champion of diversity in music, Alltop highlights underrepresented composers and regularly lectures for organizations like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
On Monday, February 24th Maestro Benuzzi will lead a workshop for a group of selected students at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.