Known for offering listeners new sound sensations by playing classical music transcribed by modern composers, the Ensemble Belliniano will present classical pieces from Italian composers of opera at a concert at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at the Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The concert, part of the college’s Guest Artist & Faculty Recital Series, is free and open to the public.
The Ensemble, chamber group of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, includes musicians Angelo Valastro on bassoon, and Maria Grazia Scarlata and Corrado Ratto performing piano duos, and will play works from Italian composers Rossini, Verdi, Martucci, and of course Bellini. The use of two pianos or piano four-hand is intended to present songs in the classical tradition with a new sound.
According to a critic in the British Sunday Times: “According to a critic in the British Sunday Times: “ According to a critic in the British Sunday Times: “”The Ensemble Belliniano” according to a critic in the British Sunday Times, ” According to a critic in the British Sunday Times: “has a clear, bright tone with a wide palette of colors.The performance of all the players, without exception, is perfectly pitched both when called upon to give solo contributions and when playing with the other instruments. The performance of all the players, without exception, is perfectly pitched both when called upon to give contributions and when playing with the other instruments.”