Emanuele Cardi and Gianfranco Nicoletti

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

Concerto grosso in G minor Op. 6 n. 8 (for Christmas Eve)

Appropriato all’organo da Thomas Billington (1754-1832)

Vivace, Grave

Allegro

Adagio, allegro, adagio

Vivace

Allegro

Pastorale

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)

Sonata in C Major for two organs

[no tempo]

Rondò

John Stanley (1712-1786)

Voluntary Op. 5 n. 8

Allegro

Adagio

Allegro

Pedro José Blanco (1750-1811)  

Concerto for two organs No. 2

Allegro ma non troppo

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) 

Sonata for two organs

[no tempo]

Emanuele Cardi was born in Naples in 1973. He graduated with honors in Organ and Organ Composition after four years of studying with Wijnand van de Pol at the F. Morlacchi Conservatory of Perugia where he also obtained, with honors, the Academic Diploma of 2nd level. Later he graduated in Choral Music and Conducting Choir, Piano and Harpsichord.

Interested in the difficulties of restoration of ancient organs and performance practice, he has been running specific studies on Neapolitan music and organ-making for several years. He writes articles for specialized magazines on several occasions, participates in conferences as a speaker and carries out consultancy work in the field of the recovery of historical organs and the creation of new instruments. He also holds summer courses and masterclasses on Renaissance and Baroque organ music, and is often a member of the jury in international organ competitions.

Guest of some of the most prestigious musical institutions in the world, he carries out an intense concert activity in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France Germany, England Ireland, Norway, Holland, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Russia, United States, Brazil and Uruguay, playing some of the best known instruments including those of St. Thomas in New York, San Francisco (USA), Passau cathedrals, Friborg, Fulda, Munich, Bonn (Germany) Lausanne (Switzerland) London, Edinburgh, Brussels, Copenhagen, Turku (Finland), Lund (Sweden), Oliwa (Poland) and Moscow. Guest lecturer at the University of Kansas (USA) and at the Moscow and St. Petersburg conservatories, he has played in the main Russian concert institutions including the St. Petersburg, Ufa, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo philharmonics , up to Irkutsk. He has also played numerous inaugural concerts, including that of the great organ of the Clonard Monastery in Belfast and of the First Unitarian Church in Worcester (MA) in the United States. He is professor of Organ and Organ Composition at the “S. Giacomantonio” Conservatory in Cosenza. He regularly records for the record companies “La Bottega Discantica” (Milan), ” Priory Records” (London) and “Brilliant Classics” (Holland) whose recent recording, Neapolitan Organ Music, was awarded 5 stars by “Music” magazine.

Gianfranco Nicoletti

Passionate about music from the age of five, he brilliantly obtained a diploma in Piano, Organ and Organ Composition at the “V. Bellini” Conservatory in Palermo, where he also studied harpsichord. He has participated in organ courses held by A. Heiller, L. Celeghin, A. Sacchetti, H. Vogel, L.F. Tagliavini, vocality and choral conducting held by B. Zagni, M. Rizzo and G. Mazzucato and Gregorian chant by N. Albarosa.

In addition to designing new instruments, he deals with the safeguarding and enhancement of ancient Sicilian organs as an honorary inspector at the Sicilian Region and by collaborating with organ builders and the Sicilian Superintendencies. He has carried out cataloging works with the Superintendence of Messina, with the Centre for Southern Italy Music Studies, with the Società Meridionale di Studi Musicali and with the Sicilian Music Initiatives Center (CIMS).

Former member of the Commission for Sacred Music of the Diocese of Caltagirone, he is now organist at the Sanctuary of S. Filippo Apostolo in Aidone – EN (organ with mechanical transmission G. Zanin, 1992).

Several times member of the jury in competitions, organ professor at the diocesan institute of sacred music “A. Leonardi ”of Acireale, carries out his didactic work of organ practice and Gregorian chant at the“ A. Corelli” Conservatory of Messina, of which he has been Headmaster since the academic year 2010/2011.

Together with other authors, he has published musicological essays and essays on the Sicilian organ-building craftsmanship and has recorded CDs as organist and choir master; he recently recorded for Brilliant Classics (Holland).

He has collaborated several times with the Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra (EAOSS) and with the Sinopoli Chamber Orchestra, with which he participated in the Sinopoli Festival, 2007 and 2008 editions, for Taormina Arte (performances recorded live and broadcast by RadioTre).