CMRC Seminar (Semester 1 week 6): Marco Fusi (violinist/violist and researcher)
Event details
This presentation focuses on the investigation of Salvatore Sciarrino's Sei capricci for violin, composed in 1975/76. These capricci, originally written for virtuoso violinist Salvatore Accardo, exhibit a strong connection to Paganini's celebrated 24 capricci. Sciarrino not only draws from but innovatively transforms Paganini's techniques, forging a unique vocabulary of instrumental gestures and musical figures. The central emphasis of this presentation lies in the exploration of how Sciarrino's compositional techniques have been interpreted and evolved over time, as violinists from diverse backgrounds have approached his score.
These Sei capricci have attracted a diverse range of performers, from new music specialists to traditional repertoire soloists. The presentation analyses these performances, scrutinising how interpreters navigate and adapt Sciarrino's compositional techniques, which delve deeply into both traditional and innovative violin methods. The findings have broader implications, extending to encompass most of Sciarrino's opus for violin and viola, and contributing to a comprehensive understanding of his body of work, ultimately presenting a significant case study in the ongoing philosophical and artistic debate about the relationship between composers, their scores, and the act of interpretation.
Join this seminar online via Zoom
About the speaker
Marco Fusi
Marco Fusi is a violinist/violist, a researcher in music performance, and a passionate advocate for the music of our time. Among many collaborations with emerging and established composers, he has premiered works by Jessie Marino, Giacinto Scelsi, Yu Kuwabara, Salvatore Sciarrino and Kristine Tjøgersen, among others. Marco has performed with Pierre Boulez, Elena Schwarz, Lorin Maazel, Susanna Mälkki, Alan Gilbert, and frequently plays with leading contemporary ensembles including Klangforum Wien, MusikFabrik, Meitar Ensemble, Mivos Quartet, Ensemble Linea. He has recorded several solo albums, published by Kairos, Stradivarius, Col Legno, Da Vinci, Geiger Grammofon, New Focus Recordings. Marco also plays viola d’amore, commissioning new pieces and collaborating with composers to promote and expand existing repertoire for the instrument.
After his Masters in Violin and Composition at the Conservatory of Milan, Marco’s received his PhD from the University of Antwerp / docARTES program with a dissertation on the performance practice of Giacinto Scelsi’s works for string instruments. He is currently Professor of Violin at the Conservatory of Alessandria and Fellow Researcher at the Orpheus Instituut of Gent.