“Intense and passionate”  The Strad              

“A great spirit”   Gramophone 

“The sound of the cello piccolo, which oscillates between violin and cello, is sung out by Mario Brunello with apparent lightness, expressiveness and always highly virtuosic”  Highresaudio.com      

Mario Brunello is one of the most multifaceted and sought-after artists of his generation. A soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and a pioneer of cello piccolo, he is the first European ever to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986. Brunello is a cellist of extraordinary talent who balances performing a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary.

Brunello’s authentic and passionate performance style allowed him to collaborate with the most renowned conductors of our generation such as Antonio Pappano, Myung-whung Chung, Yuri Temirkanov, Zubin Mehta, Ton Koopman, Manfred Honeck, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Chailly e Claudio Abbado.

Mario Brunello has collaborated with many of the world’s leading ensembles including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Liverpool Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, NHK Symphony Tokyo, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Filarmonica della Scala and Munich Philharmonic, to name just a few.

Mario Brunello’s concert activity is very intense both in Italy and abroad. Among his recent commitments are concerts at Wigmore Hall in London, the Gstaad Festival, Fundaçao Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Bachcelona Festival in Barcelona, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Kioi Hall in Tokyo, Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, Berliner Philharmonie, Vredenburg in Utrecht, Istanbul Sanat Concert Hall, La Chaux de Fonds, Sala Verdi in Milan, Auditorium Lingotto in Turin, and Parco della Musica in Rome.

Brunello plays a precious Maggini from the early 17th century, to which he has added in recent years the four-string piccolo cello. This instrument was widely used in the Baroque era, particularly by J.S. Bach, who included it in about ten cantatas. Brunello’s instrument, inspired by an Amati model exhibited in London and now housed in Cremona, is tuned in the typical violin tuning (E, A, D, G), but an octave lower, thus retaining the depth and darker shades characteristic of the cello. These particularities have led Brunello to explore the musical masterpieces of the violin repertoire by Bach, Vivaldi, Tartini, and their contemporaries.

The complete set of JS Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for piccolo cello was Mario Brunello’s groundbreaking first recording for ARCANA in 2019, receiving critical acclaim. The potential of the piccolo cello was further highlighted in a second album, ‘Sonar in Ottava,’ featuring Giuliano Carmignola, the Accademia dell’Annunciata, and Riccardo Doni, awarded Best Concert Recording of 2020 by BBC Music Magazine. The third album dedicated to Giuseppe Tartini for the 250th anniversary of his death was honored with the Diapason d’Or.

The album featuring JS Bach’s ‘Sei Suonate a cembalo certato e violino solo’ enriches the BRUNELLO BACH SERIES trilogy for Arcana/OUTHERE, completed in January 2023 with the final CD titled ‘Bach Transcriptions,’ dedicated to Bach’s Concertos transcribed for various instruments, with Mario Brunello on piccolo cello once again accompanied by the Accademia dell’Annunciata and Riccardo Doni.

From a close collaboration with the Kremerata Baltica and Gidon Kremer, two exceptional recordings emerged: ‘The Protecting Veil’ by Tavener, recorded at the Lockenhaus Festival, and ‘Searching for Ludwig’ (November 2020) – a tribute to Beethoven, featuring two Beethoven quartets in versions for string orchestra alongside contemporary pieces inspired by Beethoven from Léo Ferré and Giovanni Sollima.

Mario Brunello’s next recording project will be dedicated to the music of Weinberg, featuring the 4 Sonatas for solo cello. The release is scheduled for spring 2024.

Mario Brunello is Artistic director of Arte Sella and I Suoni delle Dolomiti Festival. In October 2020 he has been appointed as the new Artistic Director of Stresa Festival, taking over from Gianandrea Noseda.

March 2024