Giovanni Albini, faculty

soundSCAPE composition studies

Giovanni Albini (b. 1982) studied composition with Paul Glass at the Conservatory of Lugano, and took his composition diploma at the Conservatory "G. Verdi" of Milan under Mario Garuti. He also took part in masters classes and lectures by H. Lachenmann, E. Brusa, G. Manca, A. Smirnov, G. Giuliano, J. Casken and J. Weir.

Albini's compositions and soundtracks have won national and international prizes (University of Aberdeen Music Prize 2007: one of five finalists from a field of over 400; 6th International Composition Prize "Euritmia": 1st prize CAT.B; 2nd prize CAT.D; International Compostion Prize "Oreste Sindici": 3rd prize and special prize for culture; International Composition Prize "Città di Seveso": 3rd prize), and were performed and broadcast in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Lithuania, Scotland, Canada and Austrailia by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, BBC SSO String Quartet, Orchestra Verdi di Milano, Vancouver Miniaturist Ensemble, Concordia C(h)ordis, Giulio Tampalini, Antonella Gianese, Barrie Webb, Duo Bonfanti, among others.

Multi-media and short movies with his soundtracks have been played in more than 40 galleries all around Europe, like ARCO - Madrid and Galleria Permanente - Milano. More than forty thousand multimedia CDs with his soundtracks have been sold. He was featured alongside composers Pierre Boulez and Steve Piccolo in biographical program broadcast on the Italian radio channel "Radio CLASSica". His third string quartet ("Snowing L.A.") has been recently recorded by the BBC.

Albini graduated in guitar with Maurizio Preda, and studied with Betho Davezac and Roberto Pinciroli. A lecture about his guitar compositions was presented at the "Darwin Guitar Festival 2005". Upon completion of his Master of Science degree in Mathematics (thesis: combinatorial music problems and on extensions of neo-riemannian triadic models), his current theoretical research focus is on Mathematical Music Theory and its applications to Composition. He has given several lectures in conservatories, high schools and universities. He is on the Board of Directors of the Conservatory "G. Verdi" of Milan.

The most remarkable aspect of his style and "unique and full of character" sound (Alan Cooper, The Herald's reviewer) is the use of techno and pop-rock techniques and clichés embedded in a refined contemporary language. His instrumental idiomatic writing lets the music ideas naturally flow from the instruments, often looking for mass effects forced by uniform instrumentations, "without forgiving the real fufillment of the musical expectation to which all of us tend" (Marco & Stefano Bonfanti). A meticulous and sometimes obsessive care over the page gives a real Italian tinge to his scores. His compostions are often a part of long cycles in which the same basic ideas get developed and transfigured through different instrumentations.