Ruggiero Ricci
Encyclopedia
Ruggiero Ricci is an Italian-American violin
ist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini
. He was born in San Bruno, California
. Ricci's brother was cellist
George Ricci (1923–2010) and his sister Emma played violin with the New York Metropolitan Opera.
He is the son of Italian immigrants. His father first taught him to play the violin. At age seven, Ricci studied with Louis Persinger
and Elizabeth Lackey. Persinger would become his piano accompanist for many recitals and recordings.
Ricci gave his first public performance in 1928 at the age of 10 in San Francisco where he played works by Henryk Wieniawski
and Henri Vieuxtemps
. He gained a reputation for being a child prodigy. At the age of 11, he gave his first orchestral performance, playing the Mendelssohn
concerto
, and soon after he had his highly successful debut at Carnegie Hall
.
In the 1930s Ricci studied in Berlin with Georg Kulenkampff
, where he learned a "German style" of playing in the tradition of Adolf Busch
. He also studied with Michel Piastro and Paul Stassevich.
He served in the US Army from 1942 until 1945, where he was an "Entertainment Specialist".
In 1947 Ricci was the first violinist to record the complete 24 Caprices
, Op. 1 by Paganini, on the Shellac recording label (he has since made three other recordings of the caprices). After his time in the military, he uncovered many pieces by 19th-century composers that he would perform solo. He has also performed the world premieres of pieces by many contemporary composers.
Aside from performing over 6,000 concerts in 65 countries during his 70-year solo career, Ricci has also made over 500 recordings on every major label. He has taught violin at Indiana University
, the Juilliard School
and the University of Michigan
. He also taught at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg
, Austria
. Ricci has held master classes in the United States and Europe. He also wrote a book Left Hand Technique published by G. Schirmer
.
Ricci has owned many precious instruments, including the Guarneri
Del Gesù violin known as the ex-Bronisław Huberman of 1734, a fine Storioni
, a Bellini, a Curtin
& Alf
, a Bague and a couple of Regazzi
. He played his fourth recording of the Paganini Caprices on Paganini's own Guarneri on loan to him by the City of Genoa
, Italy.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
. He was born in San Bruno, California
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
. Ricci's brother was cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
George Ricci (1923–2010) and his sister Emma played violin with the New York Metropolitan Opera.
He is the son of Italian immigrants. His father first taught him to play the violin. At age seven, Ricci studied with Louis Persinger
Louis Persinger
Louis Persinger was an American violinist and pianist.Louis Persinger trained at the Leipzig Conservatory, before finishing with Eugène Ysaÿe in Brussels. He became leader of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra and the Royal Opera Orchestra in Brussels. In 1915 he was appointed leader and assistant...
and Elizabeth Lackey. Persinger would become his piano accompanist for many recitals and recordings.
Ricci gave his first public performance in 1928 at the age of 10 in San Francisco where he played works by Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer.-Biography:Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka, had converted to Catholicism. His talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he entered the Paris...
and Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century....
. He gained a reputation for being a child prodigy. At the age of 11, he gave his first orchestral performance, playing the Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
concerto
Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is his last large orchestral work. It forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time...
, and soon after he had his highly successful debut at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
.
In the 1930s Ricci studied in Berlin with Georg Kulenkampff
Georg Kulenkampff
Georg Kulenkampff was one of the world's most prominent concert violinists, one of the best-known German virtuosi of the 1930s and 1940s. Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Kulenkampff was known for his interpretations of works from the Romantic period...
, where he learned a "German style" of playing in the tradition of Adolf Busch
Adolf Busch
Adolf Georg Wilhelm Busch was a German-born violinist and composer.Busch was born in Siegen in Westphalia. He studied at the Cologne Conservatory with Willy Hess and Bram Eldering...
. He also studied with Michel Piastro and Paul Stassevich.
He served in the US Army from 1942 until 1945, where he was an "Entertainment Specialist".
In 1947 Ricci was the first violinist to record the complete 24 Caprices
24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)
The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 was written by Niccolò Paganini between 1802 and 1817 and published in 1819. They are also designated as M.S. 25 in Maria Rosa Moretti and Anna Sorrento's Catalogo tematico delle musiche di Niccolò Paganini, which was published in 1982...
, Op. 1 by Paganini, on the Shellac recording label (he has since made three other recordings of the caprices). After his time in the military, he uncovered many pieces by 19th-century composers that he would perform solo. He has also performed the world premieres of pieces by many contemporary composers.
Aside from performing over 6,000 concerts in 65 countries during his 70-year solo career, Ricci has also made over 500 recordings on every major label. He has taught violin at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He also taught at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Ricci has held master classes in the United States and Europe. He also wrote a book Left Hand Technique published by G. Schirmer
G. Schirmer
G. Schirmer Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. It publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-known European music publishers in North America, such as the Italian Ricordi, Music Sales Affiliates ChesterNovello,...
.
Ricci has owned many precious instruments, including the Guarneri
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line...
Del Gesù violin known as the ex-Bronisław Huberman of 1734, a fine Storioni
Lorenzo Storioni
Lorenzo Storioni is considered one of the last of the classic Cremonese master violin makers/ Luthiers of the 18th century....
, a Bellini, a Curtin
Joseph Curtin
Joseph Curtin is a contemporary violinmaker.Established in Ann Arbor, co-founder with Gregg Alf of the firm Curtin & Alf.He was a 2005 recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant". He has also directed workshops on violin design through the Violin Society of America, a group of...
& Alf
Gregg Alf
Gregg T. Alf is a prominent contemporary American violin maker based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Alf made his first violin in 1975...
, a Bague and a couple of Regazzi
Roberto Regazzi
Roberto Regazzi is a notable contemporary violin maker and scholar who received his initiation in the craft from Otello Bignami...
. He played his fourth recording of the Paganini Caprices on Paganini's own Guarneri on loan to him by the City of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy.