Baggiani (left) and Cassone

Cassone discusses the Haydn Concerto

During the masterclass

Gabriele Cassone, invited by founder Giorgio Baggiani, visited the Italian Trumpet Academy in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, and gave a masterclass on April 30. Cassone covered a range of different trumpet techniques and gave a “special breathing” technical session for the numerous trumpet students. “I consider Gabriele Cassone one of the best trumpet players in the world today,” said Baggiani, “and we are very honored by his visit to our Academy”. His enormous knowledge of the instrument is very impressive and his masterclass gave a good “practice motivation” for the trumpet students. Cassone explained the history of the trumpet and gave many examples concerning baroque literature and the fine art of playing the natural trumpet.

Gabriele Cassone received his conservatory diploma in trumpet following studies with Mario Catena, and in composition having studied with Luciano Chailly. He is world-renowned not only as a historical artist performing on original instruments (baroque natural trumpet, classical keyed trumpet, rotary valve trumpet and piston cornet), but enjoys equal fame as a contemporary musician. Luciano Berio selected Gabriele Cassone to première his works for solo trumpet: Sequenza X for solo trumpet, and Kol-Od, performed with L'Ensemble Intercontemporain under the direction of Pierre Boulez.

He has also shared the stage with celebrated trombonist Christian Lindberg in performances of Berio's opera Cronaca del Luogo, commissioned by the Salzburg Festival. Famous international conductors have requested Gabriele Cassone for performances of the most demanding trumpet repertoire; Sir John Eliot Gardiner named him principal trumpet in the English Baroque Soloists for the entire cycle of J.S. Bach's Cantatas, and for the Second Brandenburg Concerto, and Ton Koopman, director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, requested him as principal trumpet for the ensemble's recording of Cantata BWV 51 by J.S. Bach.

He has a duo with Antonio Frigé, with whom he was co-founder of the baroque music Ensemble Pian&Forte. Gabriele Cassone has given solo concerts in major international theatres including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Cité de la Musique in Paris, La Scala in Milan, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, New York's Carnegie Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and the Vienna Konzerthaus. He is featured on over twenty acclaimed compact disc recordings in repertoire spanning the centuries from the baroque through the contemporary era.

Gabriele Cassone is a professor at the Conservatory of Novara in Italy, and holds regular international masterclasses as guest professor at the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. He is frequently featured as guest lecturer and teacher at masterclasses throughout Europe and in the United States, and is a regular jury member at prestigious international competitions throughout the world.

Italian Trumpet Academy and Giorgio Baggiani

For background information on Baggiani and his Italian Trumpet Academy please see the earlier ITG News story listed below.

Links:
Gabriele Cassone
Istituzione Scuola Civica di Musica Di Cagliari (in Italian)

Previous ITG News story:
Fabrizio Bosso Masterclass at the Italian Trumpet Academy, Sardinia