Gaetano Giuffrè

Gaetano Giuffrè (b. in Corfu, 14 September 1918 – d. 8 January 2018) was an Italian-Greek-Swiss composer and maestro whose father was Giovanni Giuffrè, also a composer and maestro born in Corfu, Greece.

Biography

Born into a musical family, Giuffrè began playing violin and piano with his father at the age of 4 until he became an adult at the age of 18.

In 1936, he moved to Athens to study composition with George Sklavos and Dimitri Mitropulos, focusing on fugues and counterpoints. In 1939, he moved to Rome and studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia where he was one of the students of renown composer, Alfredo Casella. There he acquires formation in choir studies with Elena Mangione and from choir director and influential composer, Goffredo Petrassi.

From 1957 - 1972 he becomes an artistic director for Radio Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. During this period he receives an award by the 8th International Competition G.B. Viotti in Vercelli, Italy for his work, Tema con Variazioni, for one piano. During this period he conducted and performed piano recitals throughout Europe.

In 1957 - 1961, he was commissioned by the Italian State to direct his work, Aeroporto. The first showing of this work was in 1961 in Bergamo, Italy in collaboration with writer and playwright, Achille Campanile.

1961 - 1970 Continues to give concerts throughout Europe and in parallel composes some big works one of which, Hiroshima, was commissioned by the state of Japan.

1972 - 1975 The Congress of Soviet Composers invites Giuffrè to Moscow for a concert held at the Kremlin where he meets the milieu of contemporary Soviet composers: Dmitri Shostakovitch, Aram Khachatourian and Dmitri Kabalevsky. Soon after, he travels to South Africa to study African percussion.

In 1976 he is awarded a bursary by the Swiss Confederation to write a symphonic study of the sculptural compositions of the late Alberto Giacometti. The composition, Giacometti Introspekt, was written for 52 instruments, mixed choir and percussion.

1981 Giuffrè leaves Europe for Canada where he establishes himself in Vancouver, British Columbia.

1984, he directs Papal visit to Vancouver where he is responsible for preparations and direction of music and artists.

1997, the Foundation Gaetano Giuffrè is created by the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne where his works can be found in manuscript (more than 150 titles).

External links

• List of compositions