Giacomo Calderoni
Biografia
HIS STUDIES
Giacomo Calderoni was born in Lugo di Romagna. His father Antonio, was a guitar player, and lover of folkloristic music: he used to live with his family in Massa Lombarda (RA). Since he was a fine connoisseur of classical authors of 1700/1800, he introduced his son to the first knowledge of music from his early childhood, and he initiated him into piano studying.
When he was 11 years old, ha had his first concerts, performing virtuoso pieces, obtaining enthusiastic approval.
At 15 years old, fascinated by the sound of the Oboe, he entered the class of M° Martino Lorè (prestigious school of Riccardo Scozzi) at Conservatorio G.B. Martini, in Bologna: under his guide, in 1962 he graduated with full marks.
In the same Conservatorio, he also started studying Composition with M° Grandi and Score Reading with M° Brunelli.
Interested in new musical tendencies, he studied Electronic Music with Maestros Paccagnini and Fugazza, and Musica D’Uso with M° Ballotta.
He was esteemed as Jazz Percussionist in various important Italian groups. He decided to begin classical studies, and he entered the Percussion Instruments school of M° Bruno Vincenzi, who led him to graduation in 1969.
At Coservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Milan, he carried on his Composition studies (high-school), with M° A. Soresina, A. Ferrero and D. Lorenzini, and Score Reading studies with M° Filus.
He studied Conduction with M° Gian Luigi Gelmetti, and followed Specilization courses with M° Franco Ferrara.
HIS ORCHESTRA CAREER
In 1962, just graduated, he was invited by the supervisor of the Municipal Theatre of Bologna, doc. C.A. Cappelli to hold the position of First Oboe in the orchestra, in various lyric-symphonic productions.
The M° Hermann Scherchen writes about him:
“Young Calderoni is a truly talented and sensitive musician, an the sound of his instruments in uncommonly beautiful.”
He worked with the Orchestra of Teatro Regio in Turin, and with the RAI Orchestra in the same city. In 1966 he won the National Contest of Second Oboe, advertised by the Municipal Theatre in Bologna.
Afterwards, ha started studying in details English Horn, the sound of which he found more suggestive, melancholy, closer to his nature, more suitable to find shades of sound and colours. Later, this characteristics, together with his love for French music, would became a true passion, and also a reason for didactic research.
In 1972, he was winner of International English Horn Solo Contest, advertised by Teatro alla Scala. With this role he also took part in many lyric-symphonic recordings for the most famous record companies, such as Decca – Philips – Deutsche Grammophon.
He took part in many concerts, recorded by RAI and Mediaset.
He was on worldwide tours with the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, and he worked with the most famous contemporary conductors, such as Carlos Kleiber, Leonard Berstein, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, George Prètre, Carlo Maria Giulini, George Solti, Wolfgan Sawalli, Valery Gergiev, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Myung-Whun Chun, Zubin Meta, Riccardo Muti.
The estimation held by these musicians can be also found in some sentences written to him by M° Carlos Kleiber in his letters:
I’d like to thank you for the wonderful Enlish Horn Solo you played in the IV act of Othello.
Lots of people I talked with, for example the supervisor of London Covent Garden sir John Tolsej was dumbfounded.
I always remember of your splendid Tristano.”
from his awful imitator”.
THE CONDUCTOR CAREER
Beside his activity in the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala and Filarmonica della Scala, and his didactic roles, he devotes himself to orchestra conduction in Italy in various concerts.
In Milan, in Sala Verdi with the Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra, and at Teatro Angelicum.
the sound and its expressive components, as the ground and emotional foundation of musical speech.He is fascinated by the phenomenological aspect of the sound source compared with the acoustic answer, its colour, its expression and the magic of its fusion in the orchestra tissue.
Regarding to this subject, the advices from M° Sergiù Celibidache have been fundamental and involving: he would care to give them to young Giacomo Calderoni when he played solo parts in the concerts he conducted with the Orchestra of the Municipal Theatre in Bologna.
HIS DIDACTIC CAREER
In 1973, M° Antonio Beltrami, headmaster of Conservatorio G. Verdi, Milan, charged him the job of Oboe teaching: he would keep this teaching until 2001, since he then became a permanent state teacher.
M° Marcello Abbado, who later became headmaster of the same Conservatorio in Milan, in many occasions recognized his credits in teaching, most of all for the artistic results his pupils got in national and international ambit.
He received from the Minister of Public Education the request to take the role of Oboe member of the committee for the “Contest for the teacher’s diploma exam of Italian Conservatorios”: he couldn’t fulfil his task because of previous artistic commitments.
He taught in the High-Improvement Academy of Filarmonica del Teatro alla Scala, and in the Arts and Trades Academy in the same theatre.
He was also teacher of the Winds Department of the Youngsters Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala academy.
At Conservatorio, his didactic activity was surely very fruitful, his students stood out as winners in many large international competitions, such as:
First Oboe at Teatro alla Scala
English Horn Solo “ex aequo” at Teatro alla Scala
First Oboe at Milan’s Pomeriggi musicali
First Oboe of Teatro Massimo, in Palermo
English Horn with Second Oboe at Symphonic Orchestra in Lugano (Switzerland)
First Oboe of Symphonic Orchestra in Cagliari
First Oboe of Symphonic Orchestra in Porto (Portugal)
There were three winners of the audition for First Oboe role at Teatro alla Scala, for forward contracts.
Various students are now components of Orchestra da camera named “I Solisti Veneti”.
With forward contracts for English Horn in orchestras, such as: Maggio Fiorentino, Teatro Regio (Turin), Symphonic Orchestra of Santa Cecilia Academy (Rome).
Some of his students had been active members of the youngsters Orchestra of the European Community, conducted by Claudio Abbado.
Some of his students teaching in music Conservatorios in Italy:
Three state chairs at Conservatorio G. Verdi, Milan
One state chair at Conservatorio Giuseppe Niccolini, Piacenza
One state chair at Conservatorio Antonio Vivaldi, Alessandria
Right now, he is actively supporting with his own experience, young people aiming to begin their careers in lyric-symphonic orchestras.