c u r r i c u l u m

BIOGRAPHY

Emanuele Arciuli has established himself as one of the most original and interesting performers on today's classical music scene. His repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary music, with a strong affinity for composers from the United States.

Having gained the respect of distinguished composers such as Helmut Lachenmann and George Crumb, Emanuele Arciuli has had many new works written for him, including piano concertos by Michael Nyman, Lorenzo Ferrero, Filippo Del Corno, Michele dall'Ongaro, Carlo Boccadoro, and Louis W. Ballard, whose Indiana Concerto he premiered in 2008 with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Emanuele Arciuli continuously develops new projects and is in constant pursuit of new ideas and innovative programmes. 'Round Midnight Variations, a group of 16 compositions that were written expressively for Arciuli by composers such as Babbitt, Rzewski, Torke, Daugherty, Bolcom, and Harbison, has recently sparked the interest of international critics and is considered by some to be one of the most significant contemporary American piano collections. The variations, which were released by Stradivarius on CD under the title 'Round Midnight - Hommage to Thelonious Monk in May 2011, have been celebrated by the international press.

His special interest in Native American cultures has impacted Emanuele Arciuli's career, and resulted in him commissioning works from a number of native American composers. His most recent project is called Indian Gallery and will feature new works inspired by Native American visual art by composers such as John Luther Adams, Michael Daugherty, and Huang Ruo.

His numerous recordings include Gates to Everywhere, with music by Carla Bley, Fred Hersch, and Chick Corea, the complete piano works of Berg and Webern, and the world premiere of Bruno Maderna's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. His CD dedicated to George Crumb (Bridge) was nominated for a Grammy Award, and his CD with works by Adams and Rzewski (Stradivarius) received the Italian critics' award for Best Record in 2006.

Emanuele Arciuli regularly performs at major concert halls and festivals, such as the Berliner Festwochen, Miller Theater New York, Miami Piano Festival, La Scala Milano, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, La Fenice Venice, and the Brescia and Bergamo International Festival. He has collaborated with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Indianapolis Symphony, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and the RAI National Symphony. Conductors with whom he has worked include Yoel Levi, James MacMillan, Kazushi Ono, Zoltan Pesko, Arturo Tamayo, and Mario Venzago.

Also a writer and musicologist, Emanuele Arciuli published Rifugio intermedio, a book about contemporary piano music in Italy and the United States, in 2006. His newest comprehensive book on American piano music, Musica per pianoforte negli Stati Uniti, was recently published in Italy and presented at the MiTo Settembre Musica Festival in Torino by Enzo Restagno.

In May 2011, Emanuele Arciuli was awarded with the most important Italian critic's prize, the Premio Franco Abbiati. In winnig this prize, Emanuele Arciuli follows in the footsteps of Maurizio Pollini, Radu Lupu, and Zubin Metha. The jury stated, "This pianist from Bari has been an authoritative figure on the multifaced horizon of all things modern for years, all the while preserving a connection to tradition".

He is a professor at the Conservatory in Bari and a frequent guest professor at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and other American universities.



They talk about him:


Many Thanks to Emanuele Arciuli for a most beautiful performance of my Processional. You are a great artist and my music has never been more wonderfully performed.
George Crumb, Cincinnati OH, june 1999


In the hands of the ardent Emanuele Arciuli everything has been conceived not as your conveniently neutral pitch-generator and theory tester but for the piano as its glorious self.
Richard Buell - The Boston Globe, 20 june 2000


As for your performance of my piece (China Gates), it's really a marvel. You captured exactly the mood and emotion of the music. You certainly understand the piece perfectly and did me a great honor by performing it with such sensitivity. I am obviously now a "fan".
John Adams, Los Angeles, april 2000
     

Mr. Arciuli addressed what proved a hefty program with an ironclad technique as well as unflagging energy and imagination.
Allan Kozinn - The New York Times, november 2002


A Pianist who leaves an Indelible Impression.
Jeremy Eichler – The New York Times, november 2004