Matteo Messori (born 23 April 1976) is an Italian keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, composer and teacher. He performs on period instruments including the

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance music, Renaissance, Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical eras. Historically, it was most ...

and

pedal piano The pedal piano (also known as the piano-pédalier or simply 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 pian ...

. 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 ...

Biography

Messori was born in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

where he initially studied piano under the

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (; 5 January 1920 – 12 June 1995) was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. According to ''The New York Times'', he was perhaps the most reclusive, ...

's 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 music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

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 s ...

. Messori's extensive discography includes also several works by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

: 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'' (), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Johann Georg Schü ...

'', 8 Preludes and Fugues, the Canonical Variations, '' Die Kunst der Fuge'' 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 ...

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

Thomaskirche The St. Thomas Church () is a Lutheran church in Leipzig, Germany, located at the western part of the inner city ring road in Leipzig's central district. Martin Luther preached in the church in 1539. It is associated with several well-known ...

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 organ builder Gottfried Silberma ...

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 and organ composition at the

Venice Conservatory The Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia, also known as the Venice Conservatory, is a conservatory in Venice, Italy, named after composer Benedetto Marcello and established in 1876. History The conservatory was established in 18 ...

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 and published choral works, songs for voice and piano, chamber music and solo keyboard pieces, written several musicological articles and edited critical editions.

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 Academic staff of the Bergamo Conservatory Academic staff of the Genoa Conservatory Italian classical musicians Male organists Italian harpsichordists Italian performers of early music Clavichordists 21st-century Italian organists 21st-century Italian male musicians