Matteo Messori (born 23 April 1976, in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, Italy) is an Italian keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, composer and teacher. He performs on period instruments including the

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid to compositi ...

and

pedal piano The pedal piano (or piano-pédalier or pédalier,) is a kind of piano that includes a pedalboard, enabling bass register notes to be played with the feet, as is standard on the organ. There are two broad types of pedal pianos: either the pedal ...

. He founded the early music ensemble

Cappella Augustana Cappella may refer to: * Cappella (band), Italian electronic music group * a cappella, unaccompanied singing People with the surname * Felix Cappella (1930-2011), Canadian race walker * Scipione Cappella (fl. 18th century), Italian painter See ...

Biography

Matteo Messori was born in Bologna where he initially studied piano under the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli pupil Franca Fogli and later organ and counterpoint with Umberto Pineschi, graduating cum laude. He studied harpsichord with Sergio Vartolo at the conservatories of Mantua and Venice, graduating again cum laude. He studied also musicology at the University of Bologna. From 1990 he started to work as a continuo player with the ensemble "I Filomusi". At the same time he undertook a soloist career in Europe and America. In 1998 he won the First Prize at the National Harpsichord Competition "Gianni Gambi" in Pesaro. He won also other prizes, including the Medaglia Campiani in Mantua. In 2000 he founded an early music ensemble

with which he is recording the complete works by

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

for the Dutch label

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also sp ...

. Messori's extensive discography includes also several works by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

: the third part of Clavierübung, the ''

Schübler Chorales ' ( 'six chorales of diverse kinds, to be played on an organ with two manuals and pedal'), commonly known as the ''Schübler Chorales'' (german: Schübler-Choräle), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastia ...

'', 8 Preludes and Fugues, the Canonical Variations, ''

Die Kunst der Fuge ''The Art of Fugue'', or ''The Art of the Fugue'' (german: Die Kunst der Fuge, links=no), BWV 1080, is an incomplete musical work of unspecified instrumentation by Johann Sebastian Bach. Written in the last decade of his life, ''The Art of Fug ...

'' and '' Ein musikalisches Opfer'' (with his ensemble Cappella Augustana). He also recorded the first tribute to the sacred music composed by

Vincenzo Albrici Vincenzo Albrici (26 June 1631 in Rome - 7 September 1687 in Prague) was an Italian composer, brother of Bartolomeo and nephew of Fabio and Alessandro Costantini. Albrici was born as the son of singer who settled from Marche in Rome. In 1641 he ...

, who was ''Kapellmeister'' in Dresden and organist at the

Thomaskirche , native_name_lang = , image = Leipzig Thomaskirche.jpg , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt ...

in Leipzig, Besides his work with the ensemble Cappella Augustana, he is in frequent demand as organist, harpsichordist and guest conductor. In 2010 his study on the 16' harpsichord with pedal harpsichord built by

Zacharias Hildebrandt Zacharias Hildebrandt (1688, Münsterberg, Silesia – 11 October 1757, Dresden, Saxony) was a German organ builder. In 1714 his father Heinrich Hildebrandt, a cartwright master, apprenticed him to the famous organbuilder Gottfried Silberman ...

for the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig was published in the ''

Bach-Jahrbuch The ''Bach-Jahrbuch'' ("Bach yearbook" or according to the publication's website "Bach Annals") is an Periodical literature, annual publication related to the composer Bach. It is published in German by the Neue Bachgesellschaft in Leipzig. It is t ...

''. He teaches organ at the Genoa Conservatory and harpsichord at the Bergamo Conservatory. In November 2011 the German magazine FonoForum wrote: "The complete recording of Bach's late works is a statement with which the still young Italian harpsichordist and organist has come to play in the Champions League of the international Bach interpreters".Arnd Richter, "Gross und bedeutend", FonoForum, 11/2011, p. 82 He has composed choral works, songs for voice and piano, chamber music and solo keyboard pieces.

Selected discography

* "Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler Chorales, 8 Preludes and Fugues" 2 CDs (Brilliant Classics, 94380). 2011 * "Johann Sebastian Bach - Die Kunst der Fuge, Musikalisches Opfer, Einige canonische Veraenderungen" 3CDs (Brilliant Classics, 94061). 2010 * "Johann Sebastian Bach - Dritter Theil der Clavierübung" 2 SuperAudio CDs (Brilliant Classics, 92769). 2008 * "Heinrich Schütz Edition Vol. 4" 5 CDs (Brilliant Classics, 93972). With Cappella Augustana. 2008 * "Heinrich Schütz Edition Vol. 3" 4 CDs (Brilliant Classics, 92795). With Cappella Augustana. 2005 * "Heinrich Schütz Edition Vol. 2" 5 CDs (Brilliant Classics, 92440). With Cappella Augustana. 2004 * "Heinrich Schütz Edition Vol. 1" 5 CDs (Brilliant Classics, 92196). With Cappella Augustana. 2003 * "Heinrich Schütz - Symphoniae sacrae" SuperAudio CD (Brilliant Classics, 92196). With Cappella Augustana. 2004 * "Vincenzo Albrici - Concerti sacri" (Mvsica Rediviva, MRCD008). With Cappella Augustana. 2002 * "Love - Simone Kermes" (Sony International). With La Magnifica Comunità as continuo player, arranger and composer.

External links

Matteo Messori official website

Cappella Augustana official website
*

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Messori, Matteo 1976 births Living people Italian classical musicians Italian organists Male organists Italian harpsichordists Italian performers of early music Clavichordists 21st-century organists 21st-century Italian male musicians