Gaetano Nasillo
cello

Bio

GAETANO NASILLO is one of the most acclaimed cellists involved in performing on original instruments and rediscovering the Italian repertoire.

He graduated from the 'Giuseppe Verdi' Conservatory in Milan under the guidance of Rocco Filippini. After performing in the most qualified groups of contemporary music and in the main Milanese orchestras, he dedicated himself at an early age to the study of performance practice on original instruments, combining the study of the viola da gamba with the cello and perfecting his technique at the "Schola Cantorum Basiliensis" with Paolo Pandolfo.

He immediately became a collaborator of musicians such as Chiara Banchini, Jesper Christensen, Enrico Gatti, also participating as a soloist in the activity of the major European baroque ensembles: Ensemble 415, Concerto Vocale, Le Concert des Nations, Ensemble Aurora, Zefiro and others.

Often as a soloist, he has taken part in numerous tours throughout Europe, in many Latin American countries, the United States, Australia and Japan, and has made over 100 recordings, many of which have won major awards: Diapason d'Or (A. Corelli, Concerti grossi op. VI, Ensemble 415; Muffat, l'Armonico Tributo, Ensemble 415; Monteverdi L'Orfeo, Ensemble Elyma; Conti, Cantate, Ars Antiqua Austria; A. Corelli, Sonatas for violin and basso continuo op. V, Enrico Gatti; Albinoni, Sinfonie a 5 op.2, Ensemble 415;); Diapason de l'Année (Haendel Fireworks, Zefiro); 10 of Repertoire and Vivaldi Prize (A. Corelli op. V, transcription for viola da gamba, G.Balestracci; A. Corelli, Sonate op. V for violin and basso continuo, E. Gatti); Choc de la Musique (A. Corelli, Sonate op. V); Preis der Deutsche Schallplattenkritik (Bonporti, Invenzioni op. X, C. Banchini); A of Amadeus (Boccherini, Sonate per violoncello; Schuster, Quartetti padovani, Quartetto Joachim; J.S. Bach, Offerta Musicale; Bonporti, Invenzioni op. X), Amadeus "Cd of the Year" (Lanzetti Sonate per violoncello e b.c. op.1 ), Muse d'Or (Caldara Sonatas for cello and b.c.).

His solo discographic production includes two volumes of Sonatas by Luigi Boccherini, Francesco Saverio Geminiani's op. V (CD included by the French magazine Diapason in the '30 essential discs to know the cello'), recently reissued by Pan Classics; the Sonatas op.1 for cello and b.c. by Salvatore Lanzetti recorded for Zig Zag Territoires; the Concerti Napoletani (Porpora, Fiorenza , Leo and Sabatino) with Ensemble 415 also for Zig Zag Teritoires; the Sonatas by Antonio Caldara, In viaggio verso Breslavia (Sonatas by Carlo Graziani), Nel Giardino di Partenope (Sonatas and Neapolitan Concertos). In 2019, Under the Shade of Vivaldi appeared, a collection of sonatas dedicated to composers from the Venetian area.

The tireless love of research that has always guided him has led him to delve in recent years into 19th century performance practice on original instruments. Together with pianist Alessandro Commellato, he recorded Ferdinand Ries's Sonatas for cello and fortepiano in 2015.

He is the founder of the Ensemble Lycopersicon, which made its debut in 2012 at the Stresa International Festival, and was awarded 'Musician of the Year' by Prelude Klassieke Muziek.

He has recorded for Harmonia Mundi France, Deutches Harmonia Mundi, Symphonia, Teldec, Arcana, Glossa, Ricordi, K617, Ambroisie, Zig-Zag Territoires, Alpha, Christophorus, Nuova Era, Bongiovanni, Stradivarius, Tactus, Brilliant and for major radio and television stations in Europe and the USA. In 2008 Sky Classica dedicated an episode of the series 'I Notevoli' to him and in 2012 he was invited by Radio France for the live broadcast Le matin du Musicien. He has published the Concerti Napoletani by Leo, Fiorenza, Porpora and Sabatino for Carisch.

Very active on the teaching side, Gaetano Nasillo teaches baroque and modern cello at the Conservatorio G. Cantelli in Novara. He taught the first Master's Degree in Baroque Music at the University of Basilicata. In addition to teaching at prestigious institutions such as the Cini Foundation in Venice, the Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, he holds courses and masterclasses in Italy (Urbino), Spain (Daroca) and Brazil, and is regularly invited to serve on juries for competitions specialising in Baroque music such as the Concorso Internazionale di Rovereto and the Concours Corneille in Rouen.

In 2013, he was invited by Antonio Abreu as preparer and soloist for the first concert of the Simon Bolivar Baroque Orchestra at the Decus Mundi Festival in Caracas.

He plays a 1750 Giuseppe Ungarini cello.