WHO: Arturo Delmoni, internationally-acclaimed violin soloist and recording artist. Dr. Delmoni is Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the New York City Ballet. His musical collaborator for this recital is Stephen T. Martorella, Minister of Music of the First Baptist Church.
WHAT: Tomaso Vitali: Chaconne; and Ludwig van Beethoven: “Spring” and “Kreutzer” violin/piano sonatas.
WHEN: Sunday, November 5, 2023, 2:00 PM sharp.
Free and open to the public.
WHERE: The First Baptist Church in America, 75 North Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island, at the foot of College Hill (between Waterman and Angell Streets), near the RIPTA bus tunnel. (The First Baptist Church in America is a nine-minute walk from the Providence AMTRAK station.)
The First Baptist Church in America is delighted to present an afternoon recital featuring two of Beethoven’s most famous masterworks for piano and violin. The recital will take place in the acoustically splendid Auditorium of the Church’s Meeting House, a National Register of Historic Places landmark that was built between 1774 and 1775. (The recital is free and open to the public. Voluntary contributions may be made after the end of the recital.)
Violinist Arturo Delmoni is one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. Formerly a student of Jascha Heifetz’s, his remarkably distinctive playing embodies the romantic warmth that was the special province of the great virtuosi of the Golden Age of violin playing. Yo-Yo Ma describes Delmoni as “an enormously gifted musician and an impeccable violinist. His playing style is unique, and his gorgeous sound is reminiscent of that of great violinists from a bygone era.”. Glenn Dicterow, long time Concertmaster of the NY Philharmonic, says, “Delmoni’s playing always goes right to the heart, and his charisma is irresistible.”
Delmoni’s stylish, elegant interpretations of classical masterpieces have earned him critical acclaim in the US and abroad. Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe wrote, “It’s hard to imagine how the violin could be much better played than Delmoni did—he plays with astonishing speed, lightness, fluency and sweetness of tone.” “Spellbinding!”, raved the Globe’s Bob Ryan. And a recent performance of the Beethoven Concerto with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Jim Lowe from the Times Argus of Vermont wrote, “In this day of cookie-cutter playing—all flash but little substance—Delmoni’s performance was a ray of sunshine—a personal and beautiful statement, expertly executed, of history’s greatest violin concerto.” Alan Heatherington of The American Record Guide wrote, “The growing discography of Arturo Delmoni testifies to a musician who must possess an artistic soul of exceptional beauty.”
Pianist Stephen Martorella’s teacher Nadia Reisenberg (1904 – 1983) was a student of Josef Hofmann’s. Hofmann (1876 – 1957) was the only-ever private student of the Nineteenth-Century superstar piano virtuoso Anton Rubinstein (1829 – 1894). Anton Rubinstein founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862, thereby also founding the Russian School of piano playing. Furthermore, as attested in Madame Reisenberg’s New York Times obituary, Rachmaninoff knew Mme. Reisenberg, and publicly praised her technique. Mr. Martorella’s teacher Nadia Reisenberg was not only a student of Josef Hofmann’s. Later, she was Hofmann’s teaching assistant at the Curtis Institute.
Therefore, Stephen Martorella is only “two handshakes away from” the founding of the Russian School of pianism in 1862. Other piano students of Mme. Reisenberg’s include the legendary Beethoven specialist Richard Goode, John Williams (the film-score composer), and conductor Myung-whun Chung. (Stephen Martorella was also taught by Josef Raieff, Artur Balsam, and Murray Perahia.)
A resident of Rhode Island since 1975, Stephen Martorella has made frequent appearances with such groups as the Rhode Island Civic Chorale; the Rhode Island State Ballet; the Providence New Music Ensemble; Music on the Hill; the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music Series; Swanhurst Chorale; and the American Band.
The Providence Journal-Bulletin wrote, Stephen Martorella is “a performer of the most refined musical tastes and abilities.”
The recital will last approximately one hour, and will proceed without an intermission. The Auditorium is handicap-accessible. Print and broadcast interview opportunities upon request.
YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZvz6qILfE
Contacts: Stephen T. Martorella (The First Baptist Church in America)
(401) 454-3418 [email protected]
John Marks, (401) 433-8999 [email protected]
