The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago and the National Music Museum of Vermillion present Musical Journey through 17th-Century Europe, a harpsichord concert by Maestro Michele Benuzzi.
The concert will be entirely performed on an original Italian harpsicord dating from around the mid-1600s, when these instruments were widely spread across Europe. The program aims to be a journey through the countries and national styles of various European nations. Starting point: Italy, with compositions by L. Luzzaschi and G. Frescobaldi, followed by Spain, France, and Germany, before crossing the English Channel and concluding with some pieces from the refined Elizabethan literature.
Free and open to the public.
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