Giovine Orchestra Genovese (also known as GOG) is an Italian music organization, concert society and cultural association, founded in 1912 in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

by Giovanni Semeria. A

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, it organizes and produces classical and chamber music concerts and promotes musical education for students. The current President is Nicola Costa while Pietro Borgonovo leads the artistic direction. Nowadays, Giovine Orchestra Genovese concert seasons are some of the most attended in Italy, with almost 1.000 subscribers and an average attendance of 40.000 customers per year.

History

Among the oldest concert societies in Italy, Giovine Orchestra Genovese was founded in 1912 in

by Giovanni Semeria, a priest, writer and public speaker, one of the greatest Italian catholic personalities of the 20th century.
The origin of Giovine Orchestra Genovese is linked to the birth and the increase of concert societies and musical associations in Italy. By the end of the 19th century

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, previously ignored or underperformed there, partly due to

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

long-time domination, saw a considerable audience boost. During these years Genoa, one of the most industrialized cities in Italy, refined its cultural citylife. The main location of musical performances was the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fr ...

, built in 1824, but a city permanent orchestra had yet to be founded. The actual purpose of Giovanni Semeria and the composer Mario Barbieri, Giuseppe Martucci's pupil, was to create a permanent orchestra and a musical society at the same time. That was to be formed both by professional players and "active members", the latter being culture high-profile personalities, chamber music lovers and concert regular attenders who would gave their financial support, in spite of directly joining the orchestra. The original statute established Giovine Orchestra Genovese as a "''musical culture association''" and set up its purpose: "''playing instrumental music and promoting or encouraging every valid project being able to spread musical culture''".

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

became the

Honorary President A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

in 1921.

During the 20s the association hosted many internationally renowned artists such as Mieczyslaw Horszowski,

Wilhelm Backhaus Wilhelm Backhaus ('Bachaus' on some record labels) (26 March 1884 – 5 July 1969) was a German pianist and pedagogue. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. He was also much ...

, Vladimir Horowitz, Walter Gieseking,

Nathan Milstein Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist. Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and ...

and

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

, progressively turning into a society specialised in producing and organizing concerts rather than a proper orchestra with its own players. The orchestra itself would ultimately break off after World War II. Concert programs in the 30s grew up both musically and artistically, thus beginning to offer some richer repertoires played by even more prestigious performers. However, Italy's entrance into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

caused a serious decrease of these activities: frequent allied bombings on Genoa led the association to transfer its events to Rapallo until 1944, before completely stopping them all. Giovine Orchestra Genovese was successfully revived by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli's piano recital in 1945 and quickly became one of the most recognized international music societies.

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

, Andrés Segovia,

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

, Dinu Lipatti, Sviatoslav Richter and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

were only some of the "big" performers playing in Genoa during the post War period. Arturo_Toscanini_-_de_Augostini_bw

One of the great contributions of the association has been the "talent scouting" of new talented artists, many of whom had previously won several international competitions:

Maurizio Pollini Maurizio Pollini (born 5 January 1942) is an Italian pianist. He is known for performances of compositions by Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, among others. He has also championed and performed works by contemporary composers such as Pierre Boulez ...

, Martha Argerich,

Uto Ughi Bruto Diodato "Uto" Ughi (; born 21 January 1944) is an Italian violinist and conductor. He was the music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia between 1987 and 1992. He is considered one of Italy's greatest living ...

Salvatore Accardo Salvatore Accardo (; Knight Grand Cross born 26 September 1941 in Turin, northern Italy) is an Italian violinist and conductor, who is known for his interpretations of the works of Niccolò Paganini. Accardo owns one Stradivarius violin, the "Ha ...

and many others. Still today, the association continues to give hospitality to the winners of the major music competitions, especially from the International Chopin Piano Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition:

Grigory Sokolov Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov (russian: Григо́рий Ли́пманович Соколо́в; born April 18, 1950) is a Russian pianist naturalized Spain, Spanish. He is among the most esteemed of living pianists, his repertoire spanning compo ...

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

Viktoria Mullova Viktoria Yurievna Mullova ( rus, Виктория Юрьевна Муллова, , vʲɪˈktorʲɪɪ̯ə ˈmuɫəvə; born 27 November 1959) is a Russian-born British violinist. She is best known for her performances and recordings of a number ...

, Krystian Zimerman and many other globally renowned musicians. Starting from the 60s, Giovine Orchestra Genovese has begun to explore specific themes, sounds and concepts, as well as new composers' repertoires, resulting in peculiar differences and creative distinctions among seasonal programs: many concerts have been dedicated, for example, to Jazz music, American and oriental music, percussions, choral, avant-garde, electronic, experimental and even rock music, but also to particular chamber music formations such as violin and piano, cello and piano, trios, quartets (

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

's, Bartók's,

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's and Schubert's) and quintets. Notable performers of these genres have been

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

Adriano Guarnieri Adriano Guarnieri (18 November 1914 – 5 June 1983) was an Italian alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and ...

Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as ' ...

and

Richard Galliano Richard Galliano (born 12 December 1950, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. Allmusic biography/ref> Biography He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father ...

. The genoese violin tradition, undoubtedly linked to violinist Niccolò Paganini, has always had a great influence on the majority of Giovine Orchestra Genovese programs, resulting in several concerts dedicated to virtuoso performers and to the winners of the

Paganini Competition The Paganini Competition (aka Premio Paganini or Paganini Concore) is an international violin competition named after the famed virtuoso and founder of contemporary violin technique Niccolò Paganini. Created in 1954 it has been carried out ever s ...

: Salvatore Accardo, Gidon Kremer,

Leonidas Kavakos Leonidas Kavakos ( el, Λεωνίδας Καβάκος; born 30 October 1967) is a Greek violinist and conductor. As a violinist, he has won prizes at several international violin competitions, including the Sibelius, Paganini, Naumburg, and In ...

Isabelle Faust Isabelle Faust (born 19 March 1972) is a German violinist who has worked internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She received multiple awards. Life and career Faust was born in Esslingen on 12 March 1972. She received her first vio ...

and the current 1st prize In Mo Yang. Since 1991 Giovine Orchestra Genovese has been organizing its main concerts at

. Other locations are Genoa Cathedral, Chiesa del Gesù, Conservatorio "Niccolò Paganini" and the Palazzi dei Rolli. Aside from these ones, the association hosts its theatre shows and musical performances for children and students (named as ''Rassegne di Teatro Musicale per Ragazzi'') at Teatro della Tosse. In 1997 Giovine Orchestra Genovese was awarded the ''Premio Franco Abbiati della critica musicale italiana''.

100th anniversary celebrations

2012 marked the centennial anniversary of Giovine Orchestra Genovese and was celebrated within two concert seasons. Many artists, musicians and cultural and political personalities such as Salvatore Accardo,

Annamaria Cancellieri Annamaria Cancellieri (born 22 October 1943) is an Italian official and prefect who served as Minister of Interior in the Monti Cabinet and Minister of Justice in the Letta Cabinet. Early life and education Cancellieri was born in Rome on 22 Oct ...

Bruno Canino Bruno Canino (born 30 December 1935) is an Italian classical pianist, harpsichordist and composer. Early life Bruno Canino was born in Naples, Italy in 1935, where he studied piano with Vincenzo Vitale. He continued his musical education in ...

, Riccardo Muti,

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (20 ...

and

Fabio Vacchi Fabio Vacchi (; born February 19, 1949), is an Italian composer. Biography Training and debut Fabio Vacchi studied at the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini of Bologna with Giacomo Manzoni and Tito Gotti. In 1974 he participated in the cou ...

joined a special Honorary Committee of the Centennial, created on that occasion. During both the concert seasons Giovine Orchestra Genovese had organized some conferences and meetings to recount the first hundred years of its own life and released a commemorative book, "''GOG 100. Un secolo di Giovine Orchestra Genovese''", including some historical manuscripts, letters, concert posters, documents, acts and photos, which also contains the original Statute, the Orchestra rule book and the list of all Presidents and Artistic Directors since 1912.
The main event of the 100th anniversary has been the concert of the Orchestra Mozart, conducted by Claudio Abbado, on December 8, 2012.

Activity

Nowadays, Giovine Orchestra Genovese, a non-profitable organization since 2004, has established itself as one of the finest cultural centres in Italy and shares, along with the Teatro Carlo Felice own

and symphonic seasons, the greatest musical offering in Genoa. Concert programs include piano recitals, chamber music formations, orchestras, choirs and vocal performers. The association also works closely with the main cultural, didactical and formative institutions in Genoa, in order to improve its offering:

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...

, Teatro della Tosse, Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola,

University of Genoa The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...

, Conservatorio "Niccolò Paganini". Thanks to the active collaboration with the city high schools, the Conservatorio "Niccolò Paganini" and the University of Genoa, Giovine Orchestra Genovese supports young talented musicians by organizing lessons, concerts, listening sessions, conferences and meetings with famous musicians such as Uto Ughi and Maurizio Pollini. Similar activities have been successfully offered to penal institutions inmates.

Artistic direction

From 1986 to 1995 pianist

was the Artistic Director of Giovine Orchestra Genovese. Conductor and oboist Pietro Borgonovo has been leading the artistic direction since 2000.

List of Giovine Orchestra Genovese Presidents

List of Giovine Orchestra Genovese Artistic Directors

Notable performers

* Claudio Abbado *

* Martha Argerich * Claudio Arrau *

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

* Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli * Alfred Brendel *

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

* Walter Gieseking * Vladimir Horowitz * Mieczyslaw Horszowski * Gidon Kremer *

Wilhelm Kempff Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff (25 November 1895 – 23 May 1991) was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertoire included Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well known for his interpretations ...

* Evgeny Kissin *

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael Koopman (; born 2 October 1944), known professionally as Ton Koopman, is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orches ...

Lang Lang Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...

* Dinu Lipatti * Radu Lupu *

Nikita Magaloff Nikita Magaloff (russian: Никита Магалов; 26 December 1992) was a Georgian-Russian pianist. He was born in Saint Petersburg to a Georgian noble family named Maghalashvili. Magaloff and his family left Russia in 1918 for Finland. Hi ...

* Mischa Maisky *

Mnozil Brass Mnozil Brass is an Austrian brass septet. They play classical, jazz and other styles of music using traditional brass instruments and more unusual instruments such as the customized rotary valved trumpet and bass trumpet. Music is presented with ...

Murray Perahia Murray David Perahia () (born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Kno ...

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

Maria João Pires Maria João Alexandre Barbosa Pires (; born 23 July 1944) is a Portuguese classical pianist, widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. Early life and education Pires was born in Lisbon, Portugal, a posthu ...

* Sviatoslav Richter *

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

Jordi Savall Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...

András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Musi ...

* Andrés Segovia *

* The King's Singers * Daniil Trifonov *

Mitsuko Uchida is a classical pianist and conductor, born in Japan and naturalised in Britain, particularly noted for her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert. She has appeared with many notable orchestras, recorded a wide repertory with several labels, w ...

Maxim Vengerov Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov (russian: Максим Александрович Венгеров, , mɐkˈsʲim ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ vʲɪnˈɡʲerəf; he, מקסים ונגרוב; born 20 August 1974) is a Russian-born Israeli violinist, v ...

Arcadi Volodos Arcadi Arcadievich Volodos (russian: Аркадий Аркадьевич Володось, links=no, ''Arkadij Arkadjevich Volodos''; born 24 February 1972) is a Russian pianist and composer. His first name is sometimes transliterated Arcady or Ar ...

* Krystian Zimerman * Pinchas Zukerman

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Michele Mannucci, ''Genova a concerto. 75 anni della Giovine Orchestra Genovese'', 1987, Giovine Orchestra Genovese, Genoa * Giovine Orchestra Genovese, ''GOG 100. Un secolo di Giovine Orchestra Genovese'', 2012, De Ferrari Editore, Genoa

External links

gog.it
(Giovine Orchestra Genovese official website) Music organisations based in Italy 1912 establishments in Italy Genoa