Event Contact: National Music Museum
Contact Email: nmm@usd.edu
Contact Phone: 605-658-3450
Event URL: https://www.nmmusd.org/events/cb44eab7-f021-4a17-963b-5331476145d6
Event Locator: 2025-ACCSNR
The NMM welcomes Michele Benuzzi to play an unattributed Italian harpsichord, made about 1700, which is possibly the only surviving instrument of its kind in the United States. Built in the 3×8 configuration, this is the second time the instrument will be played publicly since its restoration by NMM graduate Susana Caldeira.
Specializing in historic performance, Benuzzi will present a Musical Journey through 17th-Century Europe. The program offers a survey through the countries and national styles of various European nations. Starting point in Italy, with compositions by L. Luzzaschi and G. Frescobaldi, followed by Spain, France, and Germany, before crossing the English Channel to conclude with works from the refined Elizabethan literature.
Michele Benuzzi studied the harpsichord with Ottavio Dantone and obtained a harpsichord Performing Diploma at the Royal College of Music, London. He also studied musicology at the University of Pavia. In 2003, he won third prize at the seventeenth Yamanashi International Harpsichord Competition in Japan. He regularly performs in major festivals in Europe, Australia and Asia. He promoted and played the opera omnia of Domenico Scarlatti's Sonatas, which were performed from 1995 to 2002 in France. He founded Arcomelo, a group performing seventeenth and eighteenth-century music, examining baroque music – especially problems concerning execution on historic instruments. With Arcomelo, he recorded the harpsichord concertos by C. Ph. E. Bach for “La Bottega Discantica,” receiving excellent reviews. In 2007, he recorded the harpsichord concertos and symphonias by W. F. Bach. In collaboration with Japanese recorder player Mitsuko Ota, he recorded all of Vivaldi’s Flautino and Flauto Concertos, receiving a nomination in the Japanese “The record Geijutsu magazine” (May 2013).
As a soloist, he recorded Scarlatti's Sonatas using the 1764 Hass instrument in the Russell Collection in Edinburgh. For London Independent Records, he released "Hamburg 1705," featuring music by Händel, Graupner and Mattheson, using the 1730 Dulcken harpsichord in the Barnes Collection. For Brilliant Classics, he recorded works by J. W. Hässler on a 1773 Falkener harpsichord in the Russell Collection. All his solo recordings were acclaimed by international magazines, and the Hässler CD received 5 stars from “Musica” (July, August 2012).
In 2011, he recorded with Arcomelo the chamber music and solo harpsichord music by J. A. Benda in a 6 CD box. In 2014, the complete Ch. Nichelmann Sonatas in a 2 CD set and in 2015 the Sonatas by J. Galles.
He has begun recording the complete keyboard works of J. W. Hässler, the first volume of which received 5 stars from “Musica” (March 2018). For these recordings he used a harpsichord, Silbermann piano, clavichord and an original Broadwood square piano dated 1798.
Recently he recorded the complete harpsichord music by J. L. Krebs in 5 CDs. Benuzzi's next project will be recording the six harpsichord sonatas by J. E. Altenburg, the complete Sonatas by Ch. S. Binder, and the “Certamen Musicum” by J. P. Kellner.
FREE ADMISSION!
A live stream of this concert will be available to watch for free on our website here.
