We’re receiving reports of the death of Piero Bellugi, music director of the RAI orchestra from 1967 and, until his death, artistic director of the opera in Palermo, Sicily. He was 87.
Here’s a biography from his website:
Piero Bellugi was born in Florence, Italy, where he received a degree in violin and viola at the National Conservatory “Luigi Cherubini” of Florence. He also studied composition with Luigi Dallapiccola and conducting with Igor Markevitch.
Bellugi then pursued his conducting studies in the USA with Rafael Kubelik and Leonard Bernstein. He was then appointed conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra in Davenport (Iowa), the Oakland Symphony (California) and the Portland Symphony (Oregon).
His European début took place in Milan at La Scala Theater in 1960 where he was enthusiastically received.
Since then Bellugi has been a regular guest of major orchestras conducting concerts and operas in Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, Brussels, Tel-Aviv, Prague, Madrid, Riga, South Africa, North and South America, Russia, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and, of course, Italy as well. He has performed with many of the world’s greatest instrumental soloists: Accardo, Ashkenazy, Fournier, Francescatti, Oistrakh, Perahia, Rampal, Rostropovitch, Ricci, Rubinstein, Stern, Szeryng etc. and has accompanied remarkable singers such as Caballé, Christoff, Barbieri, Dorow, Forrester, Freni, Kraus, Ricciarelli, Tebaldi.
His repertory spans from the music of Monteverdi, to that of avant-guard composers, and has premiered many works by composers such as Berio, Bussotti, Milhaud, Messiaen, Nono, Penderecki etc.
He has been permanent conductor of the Italian Radio Orchestra in Turin (RAI), the Toscanini Orchestra of Parma and the Italian Youth Orchestra.
Bellugi has taught Master Classes in conducting at the New England Conservatory in Boston, at the University of California, at the Siena Academy, at the Italian Conservatories of Florence, Rome and Turin.
In this period of his life Bellugi has found, more than ever, an immense satisfaction in passing on his lifetime experience as a conductor and musician to the younger generation of conductors by giving seminars and workshops in interpretation and conducting techniques in many countries.
Bellugi is an honorary member of the National Accademy Santa Cecilia of Rome.
Here’s a rehearsal video:
It is indeed a sad passing. Piero reminded me much of one of my mentors who passed away not too long ago: Georg Tintner, a conductor known not only for his Bruckner and opera, but for his humanity and health. White haired in old age with a sculpted face, like Piero, he gave all his students, myself included, inspiration and warmth. Piero did the same for many. Most of all, Piero was nurtured by the great Italian orchestras (and who continue to support the great conductors of today), and his passing is a loss to Italy’s culture. If I may speak for my colleagues at RAI in Turin and Toscanini in Parma, who I have had the pleasure to conduct regularly, may I say that my thoughts are with them and the family of Piero Bellugi. Bravo Piero. You made great music.
Yes, John. This is a name, along with Tintner, I have not heard in years. I hope their names will be remembered by many whose lives they touched as audiences and conductors.
In my early days in the profession of music organisation, as a junior production assistant, back in the late seventies, I had the pleasure and the honour of working rather close to Maestro Piero Bellugi for some time, when he was the chief conductor of the Toscanini Orchestra of Parma (actually the official name of the orchestra at that time was “OSER – Orchestra Stabile dell’Emilia Romagna”, as the name “Toscanini” was adopted some years later…). He was not only an outstanding musician, but mostly a true old-fashioned gentleman, as noble, charming, witty, warm, sincere and outspoken as a genuine florentine can be. I will never forget that he always had a simple, gentle and nice word of encouragement for me as a beginner in the business… And his way of smiling was so special… Strange coincidence: just a few days ago, in Vienna, I met Piero Bellugi’s son, Duccio, a very good actor who since twenty years works in Ariane Mnouchkine’s company, and we briefly spoke about his father and about my old-time connection with him… Fare thee well dear Maestro Piero! R.I.P.