Di Gesu, Massimo (1970- )

Di Gesu studied composition within the school of Bruno Bettinelli, gaining the relative Diploma at the Milan Conservatory in 1995, where three years before he had already attained the Diploma in Piano with Anita Porrini, one of Cortot's and Benedetti Michelangeli's favourite pupils. Besides attending a perfecting course in piano with Valerio Premuroso, he gained further academic experience as a composer at the Petrassi Academy (Parma), at the University of Central England (Birmingham), and at the University of Leeds.

Independent from any classified stream or fashion, Di Gesu has always founded his approach to composition on the pursuit of a narrative drive stemming from the "magnetic, necessary relation" linking the elements of a whole on a perceptual level, even within the explicitly atonal syntax of his harmonic language.

So far, inestimable collaborators in this research have been such artists as Peter Bradley-Fulgoni (St Martin in the Fields - London, Salle Cortot - Paris, Skrjabin Museum and Richter Memorial Apartment - Moscow), Wiener Virtuosen [musicians of the Wiener Philharmoniker], Ensemble Strumentale Scaligero [musicians of La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra], Maurizio Simeoli, Mariangela Vacatello (Carnegie Hall - New York), Arcturus, Duo Favalessa-Semeraro (Società Filarmonica di Trento, Circolo Filologico of Milan), Maurizio Zanini (Festival Mozart - Rovereto), Trio Dansi (Bocconi University - Milan), I Virtuosi Italiani (Newbury Spring Festival).
Among his most inspirational artistic partners, La Scala String Quartet (regarded by Riccardo Muti as an "ensemble of rare musical excellence") commissioned from Di Gesu a work to honour Verdi's anniversary (première: La Scala Theatre, May 2013).

An author of various publications as a musicologist, alongside a keen commitment to teaching, Di Gesu cultivates also an eager interest in poetry and computer-based drawing, as seen in the cover of the CD “PianOLYPHONY” (Foxglove Audio) and in the 'graphic titles' for "Geometria di un diletto" (edition db).

From a letter by Peter Johnson (musicologist, Professor at Birmingham City University): "Di Gesu imposes upon himself the very highest standards of discipline. His breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and insight enable him to produce compositions which can be highly intricate yet always effective and accurately heard. In particular, his harmonic sense within a genuinely contemporary idiom is impressive".
From a letter by Bruno Bettinelli (composer): "For a long time I have known and esteemed M° Massimo Di Gesu whom I consider musician of high level and person of great cultural commitment".
In the liner notes to the CD “PianOLYPHONY”, Peter Bradley-Fulgoni (pianist) wrote: “Di Gesu's music stands out in the doldrums of our present musical and cultural malaise”.

Please note - Eurasian Editions is the main publisher of Massimo Di Gesu's music with over 25 of his original works on their catalogue.

 

Massimo Di Gesu

Compositions in catalogue

Catalogue no.

Price £

  
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Composer/arranger
 
 
 

Chamber Music series
 
 
 
 
 

Mixed ensemble
 
 
Geometria di un diletto (fl, cl, vc)
0703007
11.00
  
Massimo Di Gesu