World-renowned violinist Uto Ughi, who had performed in Malta a few decades ago, is returning to the island next month. This time he will be accompanied by the Filarmonici di Roma in a concert in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.
The performance, held under the patronage of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, will feature a repertoire of popular classical works by Haydn, Mozart and Paganini.
Ughi’s talent was evident since his childhood, having debuted at seven years of age with Bach’s Partita and the Capricci by Paganini. Critics then acclaimed him as a “concert artist who is technically mature”.
He studied under the guidance of Giorgiou Enescu, the same master who artistically produced the legendary Yehudi Menuhin, and has performed worldwide in the some of the most prominent cultural venues in all European capitals and beyond with a myriad symphony orchestras .
During his career, Ughi also founded international music festivals in Venice and Rome with the aim of funding the restoration of historic monuments and the safeguarding of cultural heritage, as well as the formation of young musicians. He records with BMG Ricordi and has published with Einaudi.
For Malta’s concert, Ughi will be playing a Guarnieri ‘del Gesù’, which dates back to 1744, as well as a ‘Kreutzer’ Stradivarius, so-called because Ludwig Van Beethoven dedicated his famous sonata to this instrument.
The Filarmonici di Roma have performed under the direction of Ughi in their various formations. The well-seasoned musicians hail from the Accademia Santa Cecilia of Rome which has launched many talented musicians. This group was originally assembled on the initiative of the academy’s president, Guido Casarano in 1976 and since its inception, it has delighted audiences worldwide with soloists such as Menuhin, Campanella, Asciolla, Vasary and Rostropovic and repertoires ranging from the baroque to the contemporary.
The Filarmonici di Roma have moreover given memorable commemorative performances in honour of Respighi and Rubenstein respectively in 1983 and 1986. They have played on various occasions in aid of Amnesty International, TheInternational Association for Cancer Research, The Mother Teresa Foundation, The Red Cross International and the FAO.
Among the various honours received, the Filarmonici di Roma have been awarded the President of Italy’s gold medal for high level cultural activity in Italy and abroad, as well as the European Parliament’s citation “for having raised to the highest levels the expression of Italian music in the world”.
The concert is being held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on December 2 at 7pm. Bookings can be made through the MCC website or by calling 2559 5750.