ITALIAN VILLAGE OF 2000 HAS 400 VIOLIN PLAYERS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 11

ITALIAN VILLAGE OF 2000 HAS 400 VIOLIN PLAYERS

“How would you like to live in a village where 400 of the people were violin players?” That question by Giannino Carpi, the violinist of a chamber music trio from Italy, remained unanswered when the trio was being interviewed in Christchurch yesterday. Nunzio Montanari, the pianist, and Sante Amadori, the cellist, smilingly added: “It is hardly to be believed. But true,” almost in unison.

Mr Carpi said there were about 2000 people in the little town where he lived as a youth and 400 of them were violin players. There were 27 members of the Carpi family among them, cousins and brothers. He said his daughter, aged 19, was a very good pianist, and won first prize in the Italian national concourse last year. His son was not a musician. He was studying the classics at a university at present.

The Trio di Bolzano are all teachers at the state conservatorium of music there. Bolzano is in the Italian Tyrol. They will be back there on November 1 to resume their duties. While they are on tour their places are taken by other teachers, usually former students. This trio has been together for 11 years.

They said it was necessary for a chamber music group to play a long time together. When they first began as a trio they practised together every day. Now they still had to practise a lot and rehearse thoroughly for a concert. “We study a new trio work for about a year before we play it,” said Mr Amadori.

Mr Carpi said that as a trio they had made the most recordings of any trio. “We have made 38 trio recordings,” he said. “The new series we have done should be available here in about a month."

Mr Carpi plays a Guanieri violin made in Venice in 1747. He bought it in Austria 15 yeans ago and it was worth about £3OOO. “It is not insured but I carry it always with me,” he said. Mr Amadori values his cello at about £l5OO. He said it was built by Fiorini a century ago. The maker was then blind and made it by touch. Mir Montanari is the composer of several works for orchestra and piano and has edited a great deal of old music. The trio gave two concerts

in Australia before coming to Christchlrch on Tuesday evening. They will return to Australia after their tour of New Zealand on which they will give 19 concerts.