Roberto Carnevale (born 15 June 1966) is an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic teacher.

Biography and career

Born in

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the

University of Catania The University of Catania () is a university located in Catania, Sicily. Founded in 1434, it is the oldest university in Sicily, the 13th oldest in Italy, and the 29th oldest in the world. With over 38,000 enrolled students, it is the largest uni ...

and he attended the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. He studied under Roberto Bianco (piano), Franco Donatoni (composition), Salvatore Enrico Failla (musicology) and Ferdinand Leitner (conducting). He is Professor of History of Music and Assistant Headmaster at the , and Headmaster at the CEU. In 1988 he was awarded the international prize "Council of Europe". His composition have been played all over the world by famous musicians and orchestras ( Claudia Antonelli, Giovanni Sollima, Marco Betta, Tonino Battista, Riccardo Risaliti, Aldo Bennici, Vera Beths, Henk Guittart, Maurizio Ben Omar,

Gidon Kremer Gidon Kremer (; born 27 February 1947) is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica. Life and career Gidon Kremer was born in Riga. His father was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust. His mother had ...

Graziella Concas Graziella Concas (born 7 January 1970) is an Italian pianist and composer. Biography and career She started studying piano at the age of five. Later she studied piano under Franca Zinghinì-Spinnicchia at the Catania Musical Institute ‘Vi ...

Marina Leonardi Marina Leonardi (born 1970) is an Italian pianist and composer. Leonardi was born in Catania, Italy and studied piano with Oria Dell’Angelo, and composition with Alexander Mullenbach Alexander Mullenbach (born 1949) is a Luxembourgish pianist ...

, Giorgio Magnanensi,

Daniel Schweitzer Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the activi ...

, Logos Ensemble, Octandre Ensemble,

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of contemporary composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countri ...

, Klami Ensemble,

Calamus Ensemble Calamus may refer to: Botany and zoology * ''Calamus'' (fish), a genus of fish in the family Sparidae * ''Calamus'' (palm), a genus of rattan palms * Calamus, the hollow shaft of a feather, also known as the quill * ''Acorus calamus'', the swee ...

, Keldisc Group, L'Offerta Musicale Ensemble, Soloists of Santa Cecilia Academy, Soloists of

Teatro La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix (mythology), Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especial ...

, Soloists of ORT, London Chamber Group, Ensemble Foriani, Ensemble Belliniano,

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

Orchestra,

Amadeus Chamber Orchestra Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name), a given name and list of people and fictional characters with the name * Amadeus (presenter), Italian television and radio presenter Amedeo Umberto Rita Sebastiani (born 1962) ...

, Ploesti Philharmonic, Vilnius State Orchestra, etc.). He is known for his use of multiple styles or techniques of music, sometimes within the same composition, and is seen as a postmodern characteristic. He explores a number of different areas of style and tone alongside the glittering, intricate, sonically alluring idiom that announced itself so strikingly in the I miei orologi (1995) for trio, an example of his flair for an openly mediterranean approach to instrumental sonority, articulated in cascading figuration and complex metres. His music of the 1990s continued to emphasize complex mechanical rhythms, often in a less densely chromatic idiom (tending to favor displaced major and minor triads and polymodal structures); his scores make huge technical demands on performers; sometimes, as in the case of ''Huaco'' for orchestra, creating parts that are so detailed they are likely impossible to realize completely. He views compositions as reification and formal structures of abstract ideas; but «he realizes in a use of isolated sonorities, extended playing techniques, frequent silences and ironic quotation of previous music». Carnevale’s actual compositional approach, rejects serialism and other generative methods of composing; he prefers instead to use systems only to create material and formal constraints. Carnevale's music combines the influences of serialism and American minimalism. His harmonic writing eschews the consonant modality of much minimalism, preferring post war European dissonance, often crystallised into large blocks of sound. Carnevale's music is published by LIM (

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

), Verlag Neue Musik (Berlin),

Suvini Zerboni Suvini Zerboni (ESZ) Italian music publishing house founded in 1907 in Milan, taking its name from the theater society of the same name. The ESZ catalogue included, besides operetta favourites, the best of Italian contemporary music, such compose ...

(

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

), TEM-Taukay Edizioni Musicali (

Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...

), NEN (

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

), CULC (

). His recordings appear on the Edizioni Carrara (

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

), Pongo Records (Paris),

(

), CIMS (

), Pagano Editore (

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

), Union-Records (New York), NEN-CD Classica (

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

), etc.

Works

*''Elena o L’enigma della bellezza'' for

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, percussion, keyboard (1986), *''Herr Dr. Doppler. Studio divertimento'' for

, guitar, cello,

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 ...

(1987), *''Due Movimenti'' for piano (1987), *''Pedale'' for

, violin, cello (1986), *''Cordialmente Suo… (I)'' for violin,

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

, cello,

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

, piano (1988), *''Istanze su Movil I (Omaggio ad Harold Gramatges)'' only to read (1989), *''Cordialmente Suo... (II) '' for piano 4 hands (1989), *''Hagamos un trato con Falla'' for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

, violin, cello (1990), *''Huaco (Omaggio a

Paolo Renosto Paolo Renosto (10 October 1935 – 10 February 1988) was an Italian composer, conductor and pianist. Born in Florence, Renosto was educated at the conservatory of his hometown, where he studied piano and composition under Roberto Lupi, who inf ...

)'' for orchestra (1990), *''Prit. Pif. Le piace Boulez?'' for

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

, piano (1990), *''Zona rimozione'' for

, piano (1990), *''Ludo-Ismi. Invenzioni e Cantabile appassionato'' for

, piano (1990), *''BachGoldbergVariationen. I Serie: Variationes 11, 15, 16, 14, 10'' for piano foreword by Franco Donatoni (1991–1992), *''BachGoldbergVariationen. I Serie: Aria, Variationes 5 & 7'' for piano (1991–92), *''Lectura BGV'' for

, piano (1992), *''Strumenti (introduzione)'' for orchestra (1991), *''O1f9n7v5m'' for

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

, woodblocks, cello (1991), *''Apra prima'' for

, guitar,

(1992), *''Lectura 1992'' for

, piano (1992), *''Linae. Prima stanza'' for 18 instruments (1992), *''The Right Hand'' for S.,

alto, piano, percussion (1992), *''È sempre la stessa cosa…'' for 2 violins,

, cello, piano (1992), *''Accademia 90.91.92.93'' for piano (1994), *''Aspanti… dr. (from Op. 47)'' for piano (1994), *''Come Inizio Molte Storie (from ''Variatio VII'')'' for piano (1994), *''If*Alla (from ''Variatio VII'')'' for piano (1994), *''Linae. Seconda stanza (con vista…)'' for ensemble (1993), *''È gradita un’Offerta'' for

, piano (1994), *''Linae. Terza stanza (con aria condizionata) '' for

alto,

, cello (1994), *''Notturno-Diurno'' for piano (1995), *''Linae. IV stanza (con doppi servizi…)'' for

alto, piano,

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, drums (1994), *''Linae interne'' for 2

s, piano (1994–1995), *''Athenaeum'' for

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, violin, guitar,

, piano, percussion (1995), *''I miei orologi'' for

, piano 4 hands (1995), *''

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...

Cinque pezzi facili'' arr. for

, piano 4 hands (1995), *''Progression-Form (frattaglie!)'' for

, piano (1995), *''Duetto. Omaggio a Denissow'' for guitar, piano (1996), *''Quartuccio'' for

, violin,

, cello (1995), *''Toccata-Parodia'' for

(1995), *''Domina Stella'' lyrics by Francesco Tei for speaker, 2

s, 2

(1996), *''Exhortatio n. 1'' for

, piano (1996), *''Quintuccio'' for

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

(1997), *''Quintuccio'' for

(II vers. 2001), *''Linae VI stanza (con filodiffusione)'' for

, (also electric guitar),

, piano 4 hands (1997), *''Seiflautidolci'' for 6 recorders (1998), *''Traditional Jewish: Kolyn – Freylacher Bulgar – Rebn’s Waltz – Bay a Glezele Mashke'' arr. for

, piano (1998), *''Duepertre'' for piano 6 hands (1997), *''Duepersei'' for 2 piano 12 hands (1997), *''Quattro variazioni ancora sul tema di…'' for 2 piano, percussion (1998), *''Sei tavole per Corrado'' for piano (1998), *''La mia Sonata'' for piano (1999), *''Cadenze for the Piano Concert K.467 by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(1999), *''Carnascialesca n. 1'' for piano,

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, video, tape (2000), *'' Weill: I’m a stranger here myself'' arr. for S,

, violin, cello,

, piano (2000), *'' Bernstein – Story n. 1'' arr. for S,

, violin, cello,

, piano (2000), *'' Bernstein – Story n. 2'' arr. for S,

, violin, cello,

, piano (2000), *''

Moussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as " The Five." He was an innovator of Russian music in the Romantic period and strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate ...

-Quadri-Frammenti n. 1'' for wind orchestra (2000), *'' Shostakovic: Valzer'' arr. for ensemble (2000), *''Sinfonia 2001: Odissea nello…'' for 23 wind orchestra (2001), *''Ve lo ricordate?'' for

, 2 pianos (2001), *''Il mio quartetto'' for 2 violins,

, cello (2001), *''Bellini-Fest'' lyrics by Riccardo Insolia for speaker, 8

, 2 piano, percussion (2001), *''Movimentato n. 1'' for 5

s (2001), *''L’elefante e la pulce'' lyrics by Gianni Rigamonti for speaker,

, violin, trumpet,

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

, piano 4 hands, percussion (2001), *''Finale per uno studio quasi da concerto'' for piano (2001), *''Belliniana n.1'' for wind quintet, piano 4 hands (2001), *''Belliniana n. 2'' for wind quintet, piano 4 hands (2002), *''Sogno d’una notte di…'' lyrics by Riccardo Insolia for speaker and orchestra (2002), *''Solo'' for cello, 3

(2002), *''Natale lunare'' for ensemble (2002), *''Mediterraneo'' for piano (2003), *''Eco d’un battito d’ali'' (from ''Farfalle'' by

Francesco Pennisi Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is one of the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation) ...

) for 2 pianos,

(2003), *''Gli animali di Carnevale'' for

, 2 violins,

, cello, cb, 2 piano, perc.(2003), *''Volo'' for 2 violins (2004), *''Vocalizzo'' for voice and piano (2004), *''Non l’avete già udito?'' for 2 pianos (2004), *''Arietta S-Canzonata'' (from ''L’elefante e la Pulce'') for voice and piano (2004), *''Da-Solo'' for voice and piano (2004), *''Da-Mediterraneo'' for voice and piano (2004), *''Ennese'' for

, piano, percussion (2004), *''

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

: Corale Wer nur den lieben Gott laebt walten (BWV691)'' arr. for piano (2004).

Bibliography

*''Enciclopedia Italiana dei Compositori Contemporanei'', edit by Renzo Cresti, Pagano editore, 1997, IIt., pp. 126–127 (sub voce), . *AA.VV., ''«Archivio – Musiche del XX secolo»'', edit by Dario Oliveri, pref. Paolo Emilio Carapezza, CIMS, 1995, IV, pp. 68–75. *''Il clavicembalo nella musica contemporanea italiana'', edit by D. Saviola e M.P. Jacoboni, pref.

Mario Baroni Mario Baroni (11 March 1927 – 1 August 1994) was an Italian racing cyclist. He won stage 14 of the 1957 Giro d'Italia. Major results ;1956 :1st Stage 1 Ronde van Nederland :6th Milan–San Remo ;1957 :1st Stage 12 Vuelta a España :1st St ...

, catalogo e ricerca a cura della Associazione Clavicembalistica Bolognese sotto l’alto patrocinio del Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali.

External links

Federazione CEMAT Italia

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110715083410/http://www.pianosociety.com/cms/index.php?section=832. Carnevale at American Piano Society
GAUDEAMUS – Music Center Netherlands

Verlag Neue Musik

Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali ''Vincenzo Bellini''

Classical Composers Database

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnevale, Roberto 1966 births Living people Musicians from Catania Italian male classical composers 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers 21st-century Italian classical composers Italian male classical pianists Italian male pianists Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music Contemporary classical music performers Accademia Musicale Chigiana alumni Composers from Sicily Italian male conductors (music) 21st-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 21st-century Italian classical pianists 20th-century Italian male musicians 21st-century Italian male musicians Italian male composers