Description

ATTILIO RANZATO (MILAN, 8 DECEMBER, 1904 – MILAN, 25 AUGUST, 1980)

 

 

 

 

Attilio Ranzato was an Italian cellist active from the interwar period into the postwar years, distinguished as a performer, pedagogue, and composer–arranger for his instrument. He was the son of the celebrated Italian violinist Virgilio Ranzato, a background that placed him within a prominent musical family and helped shape his early musical training.

In the 1930s, Ranzato performed as part of chamber ensembles, including the Trio Italiano, founded by Enrica Cavallo and featuring Virgilio Ranzato and Attilio himself, reflecting his active engagement in Italy’s chamber-music scene.

Ranzato appeared in the concert season “Novant’anni di musica” organized by the Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini, performing on 11 April 1935 and 10 January 1939 at the Ridotto del Teatro Regio. On both occasions, he was accompanied by pianist and composer Renzo Bossi, whose works featured prominently in the programs.

His repertoire demonstrated wide stylistic range, including Aria in D major by Johann Sebastian Bach, the Ciaccona by Tomaso Antonio Vitali in Ranzato’s own arrangement, and the Concerto in B-flat major by Luigi Boccherini. Of particular significance were the first performances in Parma of Bossi’s Lamento, Tumulto, and Aria fiamminga, the latter based on a 17th-century Flemish folk melody.

As a composer, Ranzato contributed original works for the cello, including Il tamburino arabo, while his programs also embraced modern European repertoire such as Danza rituale del fuoco by Manuel de Falla and Pastoral and Reel by Cyril Scott.

His concert activity included a performance on 31 July at the Casa della Cultura in Milan, confirming his presence in the city’s active chamber-music life.

Ranzato was also active in Italian radio broadcasting in the immediate postwar period. In 1945, he was announced in national radio schedules in connection with cultural transmissions from the Teatro del Popolo in Turin, including a broadcast billed as Concerto del violoncellista Attilio Ranzato.

On 29 June 1946, a group of friends organized a concert in the hall of the Broletto di Novara in Novara, featuring Attilio Ranzato as soloist, accompanied at the piano by Renzo Bossi.

In later years, he collaborated closely with pianist Lino Rastelli, who frequently served as his accompanist. Together they appeared at the Festival de musique (1955) at the Kursaal in Engelberg, alongside other renowned soloists, receiving strong public acclaim.

In addition to his performance career, Attilio Ranzato was active as a teacher at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Milano.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Elegia (Massenet) Conchita Velásquez (mezzo-soprano) and Bernardo de Plaisant (piano) Columbia D12313 WB2599
2. L’uomo è fumatore (Virgilio Ranzato) Conchita Velásquez (mezzo-soprano) and Bernardo de Plaisant (piano) Columbia D12313 WB2598
3. Minuetto in stile antico (Neglia) Renzo Bossi (piano) La Voce Del Padrone AW 343 2BA 5849
4. Notturno Op. 9 No. 2 (Chopin, trascr. A. Ranzato) Columbia CQ37 B3090
5. Passione (Virgilio Ranzato) Columbia CQ36 B3087
6. Romanza per violoncello Op. 40 (Neglia) Renzo Bossi (piano) La Voce Del Padrone AW 343 2BA 5848
7. Valse triste Op. 44 No. 1 (Sibelius, trascr. A. Ranzato) Columbia CQ481 WB 3827