Reviews | RH-001 | ALDO FERRARESI | the Gigli of the violin
July 2021 | Rob Cowan | GRAMOPHONE | Great Musicians from under the Radar : violinist Aldo Ferraresi 
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 22 May 2020 | Stephen Greenbank | MusicWeb International | Aldo Ferraresi - The Gigli of the Violin « [...] As is par for the course with Rhine Classics, presentation is top-drawer, from the well-constructed card box to the individual sleeves which hold the discs. The booklet runs to thirty-one pages, and offers the purchaser a detailed discography of the contents with track listings and dates of performances. What further impressed me were the seven pages of photographs offering a telling panorama of the artist’s life and career. Audio restorer Emilio Pessina has worked a miracle with his source material (radio masters, 78rpms, 33rpms and reel-to-reel tapes). No connoisseur of the art of violin playing would want to be without this remarkable collection. It will certainly take pride of place on my shelves.»
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| March 2019 | Rob Cowan | GRAMOPHONE (pg. 98-99) | Rhine gold: an archive treasure trove «Rob Cowan welcomes a historic label that has unearted some remarkable treasures. -- [...] But the really big news here is the violinist Aldo Ferraresi. He has a pleasingly seductive sound, its expressive manner an approximate cross between Merckel and Enescu, sweet centered (the odd spot of portamento compounds the effect) yet taut and with plenty of tension in faster music: in other words a virtuoso with the soul of a poet. [...] revelatory in the violin concertos by Elgar and Walton. [...] Any conoisseur of the instrument simply has to hear Aldo Ferraresi, and I cannot recommend this set highly enough. [...] » |
| 23 September 2018 | Gary Lemco | Audiophile Audition | The Music Treasury, broadcast | Aldo Ferraresi, Violinist This weeks featured artist on The Music Treasury is violinist Aldo Ferraresi, a significant performer as a soloist as well as in chamber ensembles and orchestras this past century. The show will air between 19:00 and 21:00 PDT, hosted by Dr Gary Lemco, on KZSU in the Bay Area, or live on the ‘Net at kzsu.stanford.edu. This evening’s program comes exclusively through the courtesy of the Rhine Classics label and its founder Emilio Pessina. The Concerto by Mario Guarino is the work of a composer who served as violinist of Teatro alla Scala until 1943, and afterwards dedicated himself to composing and managing public musical institutions. The concerto was written in 1935 dedicated to the centenary of Paganini’s death. It was world premiered by Aldo Ferraresi at La Scala on June 14,1948, under the baton of André Cluytens. The Paganini works are performed on Paganini’s own Guarnerius instrument.» |
 Les Clefs d'or 2017 | 11 December 2017 | Maciej Chizynski | ResMusica | Aldo Ferraresi - complete recordings «Si Aldo Ferraresi est de nos jours méconnu, il fut jadis considéré comme l’un des grands musiciens de son époque. Aujourd’hui, son héritage discographique nous est offert par un label nouvellement créé, Rhine Classics, dans le cadre de la série « L’Art du violon.» |
| 5☆☆☆☆☆ | 19 September 2017 | Riccardo Pini | ARCHI magazine No.67 Sett/Ott 2017 (p. 90-91) | Aldo Ferraresi «Dal felice incontro d'intenti tra Gianluca La Villa, uno dei massimi competenti italiani di storia del violino e dei violinisti e l'etichetta Rhine Classics ed Emilio Pessina, autentico artista del remastering di preziosi documenti sonori altrimenti compromessi dalle ingiurie del tempo, è stato di recente presentato il primo di una serie di cofanetti [...] Questa meritoria raccolta nel suo numero d'esordio riunisce in 18CD tutte le incisioni esistenti del grande virtuoso italiano Aldo Ferraresi [...] capace di porsi su di una linea nient'affatto subalterna rispetto agli archetipi interpretativi definiti da colossi come Heifetz ed Oistrakh.» |
| 15 June 2017 | Norbert Hornig | Deutschlandfunk (German Radio), broadcast | Historische Aufnahmen | Belcanto und virtuoses Feuer | Der Geiger Aldo Ferraresi «Man nannte ihn den „Gigli der Violine“, dennoch ist der Name Aldo Ferraresi heute kaum mehr ein Begriff. Ferraresi, 1902 in Ferrara geboren, gehörte zu den bedeutendsten italienischen Geigern des 20. Jahrhunderts. Auf Empfehlung von Jan Kubelik studierte er noch bei Eugène Ysaye, der ihn als einen seiner besten Schüler bezeichnete. Ferraresi profilierte sich als Konzertmeister, Kammermusiker und Solist. Er konzertierte in vielen Ländern Europas, in Russland und den USA mit namhaften Dirigenten wie Hermann Scherchen, Hans Knappertsbusch, Artur Rodzinski und Carlo Maria Giulini. Auch als Violinpädagoge machte sich Ferraresi einen Namen, in späteren Jahren unterrichtete er am Konservatorium Niccolò Piccinni in Bari, das von Nino Rota geleitet wurde. Erst jetzt wird das diskografische Vermächtnis des Geigers wiederentdeckt.» |
 Les Clefs du mois | 25 May 2017 | Maciej Chizynski | ResMusica | À emporter, CD | Aldo Ferraresi, maitre oublié du violon «Si Aldo Ferraresi est de nos jours méconnu, il fut jadis considéré comme l’un des grands musiciens de son époque. Son héritage discographique nous est offert par un label nouvellement créé, Rhine Classics, dans le cadre de la série "L’Art du violon". C’est celle-ci, ainsi qu’une légèreté d’archet extraordinaire, qui planent sur les interprétations du violoniste: Ferraresi fait chanter son instrument comme peu d’autres. C’est pourquoi, d’ailleurs, on l’appelle le "Gigli du violon", comparant ainsi son art à celui de Beniamino Gigli, qui possédait une des plus belles voix jamais entendues, avec une maîtrise totale du style et de la technique belcantistes.» |
| January 2017 | Jonathan Woolf | MusicWeb International | Aldo Ferraresi «This new box does Ferraresi’s memory proud. - A splendid and attractive conventional box. There is a 32-page booklet in which one can find full discographic information, an excellent biographical portrait and some splendidly reproduced photographs. A further piece of good news is that advances in restoration have taken place so that the tapes and LP transfers sound better now, in a number of cases, than in their first appearance [...] the recorded sound varies [...] but Emilio Pessina has done a fine job on all these matters. Ferraresi was a rather fascinating character and these performances, invariably show spontaneity and excitement. Full marks to all concerned for revisiting and enlarging and improving the already substantial earlier edition.» |
| 16|23 January 2017 | Victor Eskenasy | Suplimentul de Cultura | Italian musical heritage: Aldo Ferraresi - talking with Emilio Pessina: No.550 - Part I | No.551 - Part II «An admirable set of 18 CD, published by label Rhine Classics. - The box, that puts together ALDO FERRARESI 's 1929-1973 recordings, is the first from a very promising series named "The Art of Violin". Born in 1902, Ferraresi, recommended to Ysaye [...] made further an admirable carrier, especially in Italy, playing under great conductors, not the last Celibidache. An American critic wrote that there are many tapes with Ferraresi, and he urged to be published. Today is done, result of the collaboration between professionist of the violin, Gianluca La Villa and audio restoration engineer and producer Emilio Pessina, that gave us an exclusive interview.» |
| November 2016 | Jean-Michel Molkhou (critique musical pour Diapason) «Aldo Ferraresi - Un splendide coffret qui répare une injustice de l'histoire. Belle présentation, renseignements discographiques précis, nombreuses photographies, biographie détaillée. Je vais écouter cela avec la plus grande attention. Bravo.» |
| November 2016 | Cheniston K. Roland (violin historian) «Magnificent Aldo Ferraresi box set. What can I say the set is a masterpiece, beautifully presented and a real work of art. I was delighted. Let me once again thank you for your magnum opus, the Ferraresi Box, which I shall treasure and am proud to add to my collection. Your grateful friend.» |