Francesco D'Orazio (I)

website

Francesco D’Orazio was born in Bari and was taught violin and viola by his father. Later he studied with Denes Zsigmondy at the Salzburg Mozarteum and Yair Kless at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv.

In 2010, the Italian National Music Critics Association awarded Francesco with the Premio Abbiati as “Best Soloist” of the year.

As soloist Mr. D’Orazio has performed in concerts in all Europe, North and South America, Mexico, Australia, China and Japan. He has recorded for Decca, Hyperion, Opus 111/Naive, Stradivarius and Amadeus.

Mr. D’Orazio has performed at such major concert venues as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Berliner Philarmonie, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, New York University, the South Bank Center in London, the Centre de la Musique Baroque in Versailles, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, Buenos Aires, Instanbul, MiTo, Montpellier, Potsdam, Ravenna, Ravello, Urbino, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Stresa, Tanglewood, Venice Biennale.

Mr. D’Orazio’s large repertoire includes works from early music, as violinist in the original instrument ensemble L’Astrée of Turin, to classic, romantic and contemporary music. Indeed, he is a favourite of many composers: he premiered violin and orchestra works by the composers Terry Riley, Brett Dean, Ivan Fedele, Michael Nyman, Michele dall’Ongaro, Vito Palumbo, Maury Buchala, Marcello Panni, Fabio Vacchi, Gilberto Bosco, Marco Betta, Fabian Panisello and Valerio Sannicandro and also many chamber works. Luis De Pablo wrote for D’Orazio his last violin work, “Per Violino”. For many years he worked with Luciano Berio, whose Divertimento for string trio he premiered at the Festival of Strasbourg, performing Sequenza VIII at the Festivals of Salzbourg and Tanglewood and Corale for violin and orchestra at the Citè de la Musique in Paris and the Auditorium Nacional de Musica in Madrid conducted by the composer.

Mr D’Orazio has performed the UK premiere of “Electric Preludes” for electric 6 strings violin and orchestra by the Australian composer Brett Dean at the Proms in London and the Italian premiere of the violin concertos by John Adams (“The Dharma at Big Sur” for electric 6 strings violin), Kaija Saariaho, Unsuk Chin, Luis De Pablo, Michael Daugherty, Aaron jay Kernis and Michael Nyman (Violin Concerto n.1).

Mr. D’Orazio has concertized with the London Symphony, Teatro alla Scala Philarmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orchestre National Il de France, the Shangai Philarmonic, the Berliner Symphoniker, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philarmonic, the Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Comunale Orchestra in Bologna, the Saarlandischer Rundfunk, the Timishoara Philharmonic, the Teatro Petruzzelli Symphony Orchestra, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, the Accademia Bizantina, the Academia Montis Regalis, Plural Ensemble in Madrid, Ensemble Court-Circuite in Paris, the Reina Sofia Chamber Orchestra of Madrid conducted by Lorin Maazel, Hubert Soudant, Pascal Rophé, Luciano Berio, Ingo Metzmacher, Sakari Oramo, Steven Mercurio, Daniel Kawka, Zuohang Chen, Aaron Jay Kernis, Ottavio Dantone, Arturo Tamayo and Hansjorg Schellenberger.

Mr D’Orazio plays a violin by Giuseppe Guarneri, “Comte de Cabriac”, Cremona 1711 and a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume made in Paris in 1863.