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FRANCO DONATONI
Verona, 9-6-1927, Milan, 17-8-2000. Franco Donatoni was one of the must important composers of the XXth. Century's second half.
He studied with Ettore Desderi at the "G. Verdi" Conservatory of Milan and Lino Liviabella at the "G.B. Martini" Conservatory of Bologna. Between 1949 and 1951 he completed his degree in composition and band orchestration and he took a second degree in Choral music and a final degree in composition.
In 1953 he graduated from Ildebrando Pizzetti's advanced composition course at the Accademia Nazionale of S. Cecilia in Rome. He attended the Darmstadt Ferienkurse in 1954, 1956, 1958 and 1961.
Two of his more important musical influences were Goffredo Petrassi and Bruno Maderna; thanks to Maderna Donatoni focused his attention on the music of Webern and in the more advanced avant- garde composition techniques and composers of those years.
From 1953 to 1978, Donatoni taught at the conservatories of Bologna, Turin and Milan and he held the chair in advanced composition at the Accademia Nazionale of S. Cecilia in Rome. Since 1970 to 1999 he has also taught advanced composition at the Chigiana Academy in Siena and from 1971 to 1985 he held a teaching appointment at the DAMS course under the aegis of the Department of Literature at the university of Bologna.
Donatoni was highly respected as a teacher and is considered as a teacher of many teachers. He attracted students from all over the world, including Pascal Dusapin, Armando Gentilucci, Sandro Gorli, Magnus Lindberg, Ivan Fedele, Luca Mosca, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Javier Torres Maldonado, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Alessandro Solbiati and Fausto Romitelli among them.
Donatoni is the autor of Questo published by Adelphy (Milan, 1970), Antecedente X (id.1980), Il sigaro di Armando published by Spirali Edizioni (Milan, 1982) and In-oltre published by Edizioni L'obliquo (Brescia, 1988). To him was devoted the volume of "Settembre Musica" edited by Enzo Restagno (Turin, EDT 1990).
WORKS BY SOME PUPILS OF DONATONI:
Sandro Gorli: from Requiem, "Bambino, quando morirò", video from "You Tube".
Pascal Dusapin: Live performance of Dusapin..s piano etude no. 6, video from "You Tube".
Javier Torres Maldonado: AD IMITATIONEM MODULI, for string trio. Inspired on the Sonata K. 18 in D minor of Domenico Scarlatti. From the film: "Un gioco ardito", 12 variazioni tematiche su D. Scarlatti, a film by Francesco Leprino, Al Gran Sole production, http://www.gransole.net/
Video from You Tube.
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Ken Hamao plays Esa-Pekka Salonen's Lachen verlernt, video from "You Tube".
