Many of the works on this album, including the 'Pastorali' and 'Variazioni per cembalo', are world premiere recordings, with some manuscripts only recently coming to light.
Performer Biography
Marco Ruggeri, the organist, is a prize winner of international organ competitions and holds a degree in musicology from the University of Pavia.
Composer Biography
Before achieving national fame with his operas, Ponchielli worked for two decades in Cremona and Piacenza, serving as an organist and municipal bandleader.
Composer Biography
Amilcare Ponchielli, the composer, is primarily known for his operas, and is considered second only to Giuseppe Verdi in 19th-century Italian opera.
Composition History
The 'Variazioni per cembalo' is a virtuoso piece that a handwritten note claims Ponchielli wrote at the age of ten, though its complexity suggests this might refer only to the main melody.
Instruments
The organ used for tracks 1-16, located at Ca' de' Stefani, was inaugurated by Amilcare Ponchielli himself on June 29, 1856, and has been recently restored.
Composition History
Ponchielli's first organ composition, 'Sinfonia metà per organo e metà per pianoforte', was improvised on October 9, 1854, at a friend's home.
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