ANTONIO DE INNOCENTIS
Audio Samples
Leyenda (original key!)
Paganini 5th Caprice (live)
Antonio was born in Naples in 1961. In 1985 he was awarded ‘Summa cum Laude’ at the D. Cimarosa Conservatory in Avellino, Italy. From 1983 to 1990 he attended Master Classes by Eliot Fisk in Florence, at the Vienna Conservatory and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. He gave his first concert in 1980 and apart from playing all over Europe, he regularly holds tours in the USA. He has won first prize in several guitar competitions including Pesaro (2nd National Contest, 1981), Bardolino (4th International Contest, 1981) and Genoa (4th National Contest ‘P. Taraffo’, 1984). He was the first guitarist in the world to have performed the entire ‘24 Caprices’ by N. Paganini in one single concert (Avellino, Italy, 1992).
Mr. De Innocentis has premiered and published several works composed especially for him. Important composers who have dedicated their works to him include John W. Duarte, Larry Cooperman, John Bent, John Oster, Pasquale Bifulco from the USA, Jonatas Batista-Neto from Brazil, Luigi Arbolino and Marcello Parisi from Italy, Peter Stewart from Scotland and Neil Smith from England. In addition to performing actively, he gives Master Classes (Florence and Giugliano, Italy; Frensham Heights, England; Oatridge Festival, Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland; San Diego and Fresno, California, USA; Turner, Maine, USA) and teaches regularly at the “A. Ruggiero” School in Caserta, Italy. He has also been juryman in International Guitar Contests. His performances have been broadcast by several US TVs and Radio Stations in California, Maine, Iowa.
His first recording “Guitar Recital” (Fiammant Records, 1997), reviewed by Classical Guitar Magazine, UK, and New Millennium Guitar Magazine, USA, contains works by Scarlatti, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Dyens and others, including Asturias by Albeniz played in its original key of G minor. His second CD “Premiere!” (Fiammant Records, 2004) features the world premiere recording of the Twelve Studies op. 140 and Prelude, Canto and Toccata op. 38 by J. Duarte as well as Four Pieces by L. Arbolino and contains also Fauré’s Pavane op. 50, Scarlatti’s Three Sonatas and Joplin’s Two Ragtimes. He has published some of his transcriptions and revisions in Italy and the USA (California, Florida). In September 1998 and October 2000 Classical Guitar Magazine’s music supplement was dedicated to his transcriptions and, in March 2003, he was also interviewed by the prestigious magazine.
In October 1999, kindly invited by Mrs. Dorothy Duarte, he took part in John Duarte’s 80th birthday concert at the Bolivar Hall, Embassy of Venezuela, in London. Among his recent engagements have been several world premieres in presence of the composers: the Twelve Studies op. 140 by John Duarte, at the 6th Oatridge International Guitar Festival (Scotland, 2001), where was invited as guest artist; Bless Me, Ultima by Larry Cooperman, at the Guitar Foundation of America International Convention 2001, in La Jolla, California (please see www.newmillguitar.com); Povero Pietro! by Peter Stewart at St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh (2002); Passacaglia by Marcello Parisi as well as Luigi Arbolino’s To Reminisce and Return to Glenmore (July-August 2003) in Scotland again. He also regularly performs with the prestigious Edith Ferguson’s Ensemble in Glasgow and at Kellie Castle for the National Trust for Scotland, and appeared also at the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain (please see www.bestguitarfest.com), Wirral (Liverpool, 2001). Moreover, since 2000 he has toured the US five times, and, so far, he has performed in California, Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Maine. In November 2003 Antonio went again to Scotland to give the Scottish Premiere of Claude Bolling’s Picnic Suite (for guitar, flute and jazz trio) with members of the Heisenberg Ensemble at Kellie Castle, Fife. In July 2004 has been invited to play in Wales with the NYGE Orchestra under the conduction of the famous English composer Gerald Garcia and, always in July 2004, he played for the EGTA Annual Conference at Cambridge. In December 2004 he founded the “John Duarte Guitar Quintet”, the name approved by Mrs Dorothy Duarte.
He recently released a new recording devoted to Scottish traditional music. After many years performing with guitars by E. Piretti (Italy) and T. Humphrey (New York), now Mr. De Innocentis is performing a fine instrument made by Peter Oberg (California). Among next engagements there are concerts and master classes in the USA, in England and Scotland.
“Antonio De Innocentis is in all respects a remarkable artist, one who must be included in the upper echelon of today’s guitarists…” John Duarte
“He is a truly great virtuoso of the guitar… I find his interpretations stimulating and original…far more so than those of any better known players…and his level of virtuosity is at times really astounding.” Eliot Fisk
“This is a new level of guitar playing unapproached by all but a few.”
Larry Cooperman, New Millennium Guitar Magazine, USA, December 2000
“Antonio De Innocentis is a player whose dark-toned virtuosity ranks him highly amongst the new breed of players establishing identities around the world. His strong technique and unpretentious musicianship were perfect tools to deal with the Prelude, Canto and Toccata op. 38 by John Duarte…De Innocentis executed extremely difficult triplet passages with impressive strength and was the picture of professional composure.”
Tim Panting, Classical Guitar Magazine, UK, February 2000
“… The Paganini, of course, was thrilling. The powerful and sustained production of notes at the fingerboard in Caprice # 5 literally caused jaws to drop. It’s not over the top to say that Antonio’s playing hits one with the force of revelation. It is as though the guitar had yet been reserving some untapped potential in anticipation of the master who could unlock it. Antonio’s musicianship is enchanting, utterly wonderous. The sword has been pulled from the stone.”
Bill Heckman, Dover-Foxcroft Chamber Music Society, Milo, Maine, USA, October 2003
"Antonio is unbelievable, a unique artist who combines incredible passion, unrivalled technique, deep musicality and a powerful native intelligence. The result is performances that are not merely definitive, but revelatory."
John Jenab, President of the Kansas City Guitar Society, Missouri, USA, November 2003