Biography
The Symhonic Chorus Giuseppe Verdi of Milano was created on Autumn 1998 under the musical direction of Romano Gandolfi. It's made of one hundred singers that are able to perform a wide range of works, including opera and symphonic, chamber and polyphonic music, from the baroque to the twentieth century. Whilst working closely with the Symphonic Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi of Milano, it also performs alongside other international Symphonic groups.
Its first concert, on October the 8th 1998, was highly successful, attracting a large audience and critical acclaim with the Quattro Pezzi Sacri by Giuseppe Verdi that Riccardo Chailly conducted. The Chorus went on to perform some of the most challenging pieces from opera and from concert repertoire, such as Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten conducted by Adam Fischer, and Die Schöpfung, also by Haydn, conducted by Claus Peter Flor, who then conducted the Chorus for the performance of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem and Beethoven's Ninth Simphony.
The Chorus subsequently tackled Shostakovich Symphony No. 2 directed by Oleg Caetani and Dallapiccola's Volo di Notte conducted by Kazushi Ono. At the Auditorium di Milano, with Riccardo Chailly, it has performed works such as Mahler's Second and Third Symphonies, Stravinskij's Oedipus rex, Bach's Johannespassion and Matthauspassion, Puccini's Suor Angelica (in concert form), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Verdi's Requiem Mass.
Under Romano Gandolfi's baton the Chorus has tackled numerous works, including Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Mozart's Requiem Mass and Mass in C minor, Stravinskij's Les Noces, Prokofiev's Aleksander Nevskij, Borodin's Polovesian Dances, Orff's Carmina Burana, Poulenc's Gloria, Puccini's Messa di Gloria, Brahms' Nänie, Schicksalslied, Rhapsodies and Perosi's Transitus Animae.In 2001 in Ferrara, Parma and Bolzano, the Verdi Symphonic Chorus went on stage in Giuseppe Verdi's Simon Boccanegra conducted by Claudio Abbado. In 2002 the Verdi Symphonic Chorus went on stage in a opera production of Verdi's Macbeth conducted by Riccardo Frizza, Verdi's Requiem Mass conducted by Riccardo Chailly, and in the concluding concert of the last night of the festival in the city's Piazza Duomo, shown on Eurovision, with Stravinskij's Symphony of Psalms and with Puccini's Messa di Gloria, under the conduction of Richard Hickox.
In 2004 it took part the “Festival di Città di Castello”, which was broadcast live on Radio 3, performing Rossini's Petite Messe Solemnelle with Romano Gandolfi. In the same year in "Bergamo and Brescia Festival" the Chours sang Verdi's Requiem Mass conducted by Chailly.
The Chorus presented also in 2005 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Stéphane Dénève at the “Festival di Cortona”. Furthermore, it was invited by Leipzig Opera to sing Verdi's Requiem Mass jointly with the Choir of Leipzig Opera and the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly.
The Chorus presented also in 2005 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Stéphane Dénève at the “Festival di Cortona”. Furthermore, it was invited by Leipzig Opera to sing Verdi's Requiem Mass jointly with the Choir of Leipzig Opera and the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly.
Between 2003 and 2005 the Chorus, together with the Verdi Orchestra, has performed on tours in Italy and abroad, including Verdi's Requiem Mass directed by Riccardo Chailly at the NHK Hall in Tokyo, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the National Concert Hall in Budapest and at the Sala Rondò in Pontresina (Switzerland) for the Festival St. Moritz, with Romano Gandolfi.
Furthermore, the Chorus travelled to the Canary Islands (Las Palmas, Tenerife) for the festival and performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Rossini's Stabat Mater conducted by Chailly.
On September 2006 it sang Prokofief's Aleksandr Nevskij and it was conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.
On November 2006, the Verdi Choir has been invited by the National Orchestra of Malta to perform the Messa of Requiem written by Paolino Vassallo, in its first night performance, conducted by Muscat into the Cathedral of Saint John, La Valletta.
On February 2007, Aldo Ceccato conducted at the Auditorium of Milano, Chorus and Orchestra of La Verdi in G. Verdi's Requiem, and on March 2007 the same Chorus and Orchestra have been invited at the Auditorium of the Lingotto in Turin and performed the complete version of the Oedipus in Colono that F. Mendelssohn Bartoldy composed, conducted by G.G. Rath; in cooperation with the Theatre of the Opera of Frankfurt, the Musical Union and the teatro Stabile of Turin Foundation.On June 2007 the 16th, La Verdi Chorus, conducted by Ennio Morricone, had a great concert in Monza, at the Villa Reale Garden, before 7000 people. In November, under the direction of the famous English conductor Sir Neville Marriner, it has performed Haendel's Messiah with a great pubblic success. On December, the Chorus wished the public happy new year with Beethoven's IX Symphony, under Slatkin's baton; there was a full house every four nights for the concerts.
On February 2008 the Chorus and the Orchestra of Milan Giuseppe Verdi for the second time faced up to Mahler's Symphony n.2 Resurrezione conducted masterfully by Thomas Dausgaard. It was a big success of public and music criticism, like the first time on October 1999 for the inauguration of the Auditorium di Milano.
With the symphonic Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi of Milano, the Chorus has recorded Verdi's Messa Solenne conducted by Riccardo Chailly, which contains five first world première recordings of Verdi's sacred compositions. In 2004 it recorded Puccini Discoveries with Riccardo Chailly.
On 2006 it records Dimitri Šostakovič's Sinfonie nn.3 and 13 and it was conducted by Oleg Caetani.
The Chorus took part in other recordings including Rossini Arias and Una furtiva lagrima with Juan Diego Flórez, Sacred Songs - a recital with Plácido Domingo for Deutsche Grammophon, Sempre libera - a recital with Anna Netrebko and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado for Deutsche Grammophon.
24th April 2008 Chours performed in Sala Nervi In Vaticano in a concert dedicated to Pope Benedetto XVI offered by President of Italian Repubblic Giorgio Napolitanio.
Symphonic Chorus and Symphonic Orchestra “Giuseppe Verdi” of Milano performed 2nd June in Duomo square for an audience of 80.000 people with Andrea Bocelli, Baritone Gianfranco Montresor, Soprano Adriana Damato and Eugene Kohn as conductor. The concert included music by Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Mascagni and Bixio.
25th October 2008 the Choir performed in Bologna at the Paladozza with Berlioz's Te Deum . The concert, under the patronage of President of the Republic, was conducted by Claudio Abbado.
In February 2009 the Choir with the Orchestra was on tour in Lucca, Udine and Treviso. On this occasion the choir was a huge success with the public and critics singing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Christian Arming. On 30 April 2009 for the Fourth Anniversary of the Pontificate of His Holiness Benedict XVI the Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, led by Erina Gambarini and the Music Director Xian Zhang, has performed Vivaldi's Magnificat and Mozart's Ave Verum.
26th and 27th March 2010 at Palamediolanum Assago (MI) the Choir was invited to sing some excerpts from the soundtrack of the movie "Star Wars" by John Williams, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London Live conducted by Dirk Brosse.
The choir recorded with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, the CD-Verdi Messa Solenne containing first five mondial recordings about sacred works by Giuseppe Verdi; dates back to 2004, the recording of Puccini Discoveries, with the direction of Riccardo Chailly. In 2006, the choir recorded the Symphonies nos. 3 and 13 of Dimitri Šostakovič directed by Oleg Caetani.
He participated to recording Rossini Arias and Una furtiva lagrima by Juan Diego Flórez, Sacred Songs, a concert of Plácido Domingo for Deutsche Grammophon, for Always free, a recital by Anna Netrebko, with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado for Deutsche Grammophon.
In 2008 is released on Cielo e Mar CD for Deutsche Grammophon recorded with the tenor Rolando Villazón, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi and the master Daniela Callegari and Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano on Universal Music engraved with the soprano Daniela Dessì, the tenor Fabio Armiliato, baritone Carlo Guelfi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi and the maestro Vjekoslav Sutej.
Verdissimo arie da opere by Giuseppe Verdi has released For DEAG Classics label, works with the soprano Lucia Aliberti, director Oleg Caetani.
On 1st February 2010 the CD "Verismo Arias", edited by Decca, won the prestigious "Grammy Award” for best classical vocal performance. The American soprano Renée Fleming and tenor Jonas Kaufmann, with the Coro sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi prepared by Erina Gambarini and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verdi conducted by Marco Armiliato, played pages of Italian composers of the early twentieth century.
