NovoTono
Sounds and silence, regarded as the main elements of a probing and exploring route, just the very essence of a journey, through which personal emotions are expressed, spring up to life and so lead the way to most creative moments. The fullest attention, the place where the event takes place, along with the time it happens and its production are just one whole thing: they are building up the creative act altogether.
Composing and improvising are two elements of the sound. They are different but same time complement each other: in this way they contribute to giving structure and life to different musical identities, informal structures and scores become just supporting elements to the sound as this is set within a fixed context at that very moment. Trough improvising - Either open or on structures -
The way of expression turns to be a non-repeatable creative moment, being born and dying at the same very moment it happens.
Adalberto Ferrari: Composition, clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax
Born in 1964, he started studying clarinet at 10 and soon after the initial technical basics, ha first approached performance and then composition techniques of contemporary music. Quite interested in a number of musical instruments he concentrated on clarinet and saxophone family and nearer and nearer to what would then become his art landmark- the great composers of the classical age, the artists of jazz as well as the musicians operating in the probe and experimental areas, including O. Coleman, R.Mitchell, A.Braxton, O.Lake, L.Ochs.
He graduated in clarinet at the Verona Conservatory. Ever since he has concentrated on going deep into contemporary music, improvisation and composition, by attending courses workshop, seminars and master classes held by prominent teachers, including: G.Trovesi, C.Fasoli, M.Pedron, C.Scarponi, E.Negri, A.Cavicchi, B.Cesselli, F.Petretti, T.Tracanna, L.Bragalini, B.Tommaso, E.Prevost.
He played in important theatres, such as Morlacchi in Perugia, Filodrammatici in Milan, San Carlo in Naples, Albert Hall in London with different groups, and was invited wirh his Q.M. to perform several concerts inStrasburg, Lubbock (Texas), Budapest, Peking and Ostende.
In 1996, with three other musicians he put together the "Quartet Project", with a view to widening his knowledge and experience within the improvised contemporary music, and took part in a number of musical events and concerts. Among these, the "Metropoli jazz" and "Hesperides Garden" festivals. With the above musical group he composed the music for "Scirocco", A musical theatre performance featuring the musicians on the stage.
He made a number of recordings for RAI 3, RAI cinema, Radio Saarbruken, Radio of the Suisse Romande, with different groups.
He also recorded on CD's Ennio Morricone's Trio for clarinet, french horn and cello, the "Four clrinets" album, "Divertimenti e Notturni", "Oltre", "Esercizi di stile", "Wanderung", "On war".
Furthermore, he composed quite a number of pieces for theatre performances, music for video-art and video-computer, music for school groups.
He took an interest in creating a complet art language, a link among the different expression of art, and to do this worked both with his brother, Andrea Ferrari. Together they established "NOVOTONO" and with theatre directorMichele Losi, whose cooperation resulted in different sorts of shows and "Artistic Kermesse".
To the same purpose he co-operated with artist Gioia Aloisi, for whom he composed the music for the "Opera totale" show "TARAHUMARA" and "Suoni mai visti".
He performed at Orvieto "MUSICALCINEMA" festival where he staged a concert dedicated to Massimo Troisi.
Now he constantly co-operates with the "Officina Sonora" ensemble as well as with a quartet of the same group, which includes the musicans Alessandro Sironi, Marco Mistrangelo, Gianni Branca, and moreover he works with the "Musicamorfosi" ensemble and with the "Scarlattine Teatro" company.
He has recently co-operated also with the musician Giovanni Falzone for the production of "Visioni Parziali".
At Milan Bicocca University he stages workshops on the creativity and on non-verbal languages-
These are special courses which are held at the faculty of educational science.
He teaches clarinet at Milan secondary music school "Maffucci-Pavoni".
Collaborations: Just to name a few Carlo Nicita, Giovanni Falzone, Cristian Calcagnile, Gianni Mimmo, Angelo Contini, Marco Mistrangelo, Alessandro Sironi, Gianni Branca, Antony Pay, Gloria Banditelli, Sergio Foresti, Marinella Pennicchi.
Andrea Ferrari: Clarinet, contralto clarinet, baritone sax
He was initiated in academical musical education when young, and had no yet graduated in clarinet when he started both co-operation with several chamber music groups and probing into the repertoire of clarinet quartet.
In this connection, from 1988 up to now he has been, an still is, a member of Quartetto Martesana: this group was the only ensemble to represent Italy at Strasbourg Congress Hall in 1993, on the occasion of the European Clarinet days, in Frankfurt at the time of the Congress held within the musikmesse, as well as in the Clarinet festivals organised by the International Clarinet Association in Lubbock (Texas, Usa), Oostende (Belgium), Budapest (Hungary) and Peking (China). Not to mention his several co-operation with Italian theaters, the recordings he made for the main European broadcasting system and the many national and international prizes he was awarded.
When he came in touch with the "Art Ensemble of Chicago" and their artistic expression, he was so affected that he decided to widen his own knowledge and go deeper into jazz. At the same time he also resolved to include additional musical instruments to the range he had till then used (saxophones and clarinets).
He attended courses, seminars and masterclasses dealing with improvisation, jazz harmony, analysis with A. Cavicchi, B. Cesselli, F. Petretti, T. Tracanna, G. Azzali, L. Bragalini. Later on he got nearer and nearer to the world of contemporary music, which does use improvisation, with an ever-increasing interest.
The main artists he held as an example, as to sensibility and musical poetry, are Tony Scott, Roscoe Mitchell, Hamiet Bluiett, Jan Garbarek.
In addition to his teaching activity, he concentrates on musical routes which cover different fields and styles (classical music, jazz, creative music, ....), by making use of the wide range of clarinets and saxophones, he can now so skilfully master.
In 1996, with three other musicians of different education, he set up the Quartet Project to deal with contemporary music and improvisation, and took part in several musical events and concerts among which the following are to be mentioned: the " Metropoli jazz" an the musical and theatre festival "Il giardino delle esperidi" ( Hesperides' garden).
With the above musical group he composed the music for "Scirocco", a musical theatre performance featuring the musicians on the stage.
He has offered his co-operation in several artistic areas (Theater, Videoart, Painting, Poetry). Let's just mention"Scarlattine Teatro", Michele Losi, Gioia Aloisi, with whom he carried out a comprehensive activity of probe and multiple performances.
As a clarinet and sax player he co- operated with composer-singer Roberto Sironi and with Alessandro Sironi's "Officina Sonora" ensemble. With this group he was on show mainly in France and Germany, and made some recordings, too. He also recorded for radio Rai3 and for Radio Saarbruchen (Germany).
For a number of years he has devoted himself to composition and probe into contemporary jazz music, together Adalberto Ferrari, with whom he has formed the NovoTono duet. At present he is a permanent teacher of clarinet at the "Leonardo da Vinci" school at Brugherio (Milan). There is also developing interaction activity and workshops between music and theatre "word, music, gesture" within the primary school of the first level.
He has co-operated with the "Musicamorfosi" association for the production of concerts as well as of didactic shows.
With the "Musicamorfosi" he took part, among many others, also in the "Roll over Beethoven" and "Visioni Parziali" show. In the latter show he did work with composer and jazz trumpeter Giovanni Falzone.
Collaborations: Carlo Nicita, Giovanni Falzone, Cristian Calcagnile, Gianni Mimmo, Angelo Contini, Alessandro Sironi, Roberto Sironi, Antony Pay, Gloria Banditelli, Sergio Foresti, Marinella Pennicchi.