Accademia degli Astrusi

Federico Ferri, musical director

The Accademia degli Astrusi, under the musical direction of Federico Ferri, has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and has become an outstanding ensemble on the international baroque scene. In 2013 it became a Sony artist. Many reviews, television and radio broadcasts – including the BBC and Rai Radio 3 – have acclaimed its successes at venues such as the Berlin Konzerthaus, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Grand Theatre de La Monnaie, Auditorio Nacional of Madrid, Auditorio Principe Felipe of Oviedo, Festival MiTo, Wigmore Hall, Festival Rota dos Monumentos, Muziekcentrum De Bijloke Gent, Amici della Musica of Florence, Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti of Rome, Monteverdi Festival in Cremona, Perugia Musica Classica, Stresa Festival, Unione Musicale of Turin and Rome’s Quirinale Concerts.

The Accademia degli Astrusi has been engaged on a project based on the rediscovery of the instrumental Giovanni Battista Martini’s opera omnia, mostly unpublished despite their musical importance. These minor masterpieces are being made available both in CD and in the critical edition curated by Federico Ferri and Daniele Proni, published by Suvini-Zerboni.

To date, the project has included three editions of the Martini Festival. In co-production with the Teatro Comunale, Bologna, the Astrusi presented two rare intermezzos by G.B. Martini, with soloists Laura Polverelli and Aldo Caputo: the scenery was based on some original drawings made specifically for the occasion by Nobel Laureate Dario Fo.

The Accademia degli Astrusi, conducted by Federico Ferri, worked with mezzosoprano Anna Bonitatibus on the recording of “Semiramide, la Signora Regale”, a double CD issued by Sony in June 2014, prized in London as best operatic album at the International Opera Awards. This project features a fascinating selection of music centring on Semiramis, the legendary queen of Babylon: fifteen rare opera arias and scenes from the18th to the early 19th century, by authors such as Caldara, Meyerbeer, Paisiello, Traetta, Rossini and many others, most of them never recorded before.

The Accademia’s projects include collaboration with soloists such as Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sara Mingardo, Stefano Montanari. Many productions have been broadcast by Sky Classica Tv, Rai Uno and Rai Tre. The recordings of the Accademia degli Astrusi have been broadcast through the EBU Network (Radio Catalunya, ERR Klassika, NRK, BR Klassik, Concertzender).

Recently, the Astrusi made a successful return to the Wigmore Hall, a very appreciated production of Dido & Aeneas at MiTo Festival and represented Bologna as musical ambassador at the Unesco Music Days held in Ghent.