Plectendo et Flando

Massimo Mercelli flute

Nicoletta Sanzin harp

MUSICA IN PIAZZETTA

J. S. BACH (1685-1750)

Sonata in E-flat major BWV 1031

Allegro moderato, Siciliano, Allegro

C. P. E. BACH (1714-1788)

Hamburger sonate

Allegretto, Rondò, Presto

G. ROSSINI (1792-1868)

Variazioni su un tema da “Tancredi”

N. ROTA (1911-1979)

Sonata per flauto ed arpa

Allegro molto moderato, Andante sostenuto, Allegro vivace con spirito

Massimo Mercelli

Massimo Mercelli is widely recognised as the flautist with the greatest number of significant works composed specifically for him, as well as extensive collaborations with some of the world’s leading composers. He has premiered pieces by renowned figures such as Penderecki, Gubaidulina, Glass, Nyman, Bacalov, Galliano, Morricone, Sollima, Piovani, Carrara, and Gabriel Prokofiev. Initially self-taught, he later studied under the renowned flautists Maxence Larrieu and André Jaunet. By the age of nineteen, he had secured the position of principal flute at Teatro La Fenice in Venice. He has also won the “Premio Francesco Cilea,” the “Concorso Internazionale Giornate Musicali,” and triumphed twice at the “Concorso Internazionale di Stresa”. Mercelli plays regularly at major concert venues around the world. Some of the highlights of his career include the premiere performance of Philip Glass's Façades accompanied by the composer himself at the piano, the world premiere of Ennio Morricone's Vuoto d'anima piena conducted by Morricone himself, and a performance at the Warsaw Philharmonic during the festival celebrating Krzysztof Penderecki’s 75th birthday. In his discography, notable recordings include the CD Massimo Mercelli Performs Philip Glass, featuring Philip Glass’ complete flute music, released by Orange Mountain Records, the composer’s label. He has also recorded Bach’s Flute Sonatas and Bach’s Sanssouci with Ramin Bahrami for DECCA. Additionally, RAI5 broadcast a series of five documentaries dedicated to their interpretations of Bach’s sonatas. He recently premiered Jade, a concert Richard Galliano has dedicated to him, at the Izmir Festival with the presence of the composer on stage. In November 2018, he was the only Italian invited to the Festival celebrating Krysztof Penderecki’s 85th birthday at the Philharmonic in Warsaw. In 2019, for his birthday, he performed Concerto no 2 by Michael Nyman at the Teatro della Scala in Milan, and in 2020, he performed Notturno Passacaglia by Ennio Morricone also at the Scala. In 2021, he performed on stage with John Malkovich at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan. In 2022, he was the soloist in the “Dante Concerto,” composed for him by Gabriel Prokofiev, and in 2023, he gave the premiere performance of 3 concertos for flute and orchestra – dedicated to him and written by Oscar-winner Nicola Piovani – alongside I Solisti Veneti.

Nicoletta Sanzin

She graduated with honours from the J. Tomadini Conservatoire in Udine, studying under Professor P. Tassini. She then completed her studies in the United States with E. Malone at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York, and S. McDonald at Indiana University, Bloomington. In Italy, she studied with E. Zaniboni at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, where she graduated with honours and was awarded a scholarship by the SIAE. In 2006, she was awarded a Master’s Degree in Musical Disciplines, specialising in harp performance, with honours, from the A. Buzzolla Conservatoire in Adria. Sanzin won the E. Porrino International Competition in 1991 and has since received numerous awards in national and international competitions. After winning an international competition, she served as principal harpist with the Slovenska Filharmonija in Ljubljana from 1995 to 2001. During this time, she frequently performed as a soloist and played under the baton of renowned conductors such as S. Baudo, G. Pehlivanian, C. Kleiber, M. Letonja, M. Horvat, and C. Harding, L. Hager, H. Haenchen, P. Fourniellier, and J. Cura. Since 1983, she has maintained an active concert schedule, performing as a soloist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician at major festivals both in Italy and abroad. Sanzin regularly records for Italian and international radio and television stations. Her extensive discography includes the recent album Viaggio Italiano for violin and harp, released by AlfaMusic, as well as a contribution to the Nino Rota Chamber Works, published by DECCA Moreover, she is very active in contemporary music, having premiered works composed specifically for her. She regularly collaborates with the Slowind Quintet in Ljubljana and the ExNovo Ensemble in Venice. She is Chair Professor in harp at the G. Tartini Conservatoire in Trieste and collaborates with the S. Cecilia Music Institution in Portogruaro, Italy. Sanzin is often invited to be part of competition juries, gives masterclasses, contributes to the harp magazine In Chordis, and is the Italian correspondent for the World Harp Congress Review. In July 2011, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress, representing Italy in this global harp organisation. Since 2014, she has been part of the Comitato Artistico dell’Associazione Italiana dell’Arpa (Artistic Committee of the Italian Harp Association).