Giuseppe Gibboni fascinated music lovers with his virtuoso performance of the Paganini Violin Concerto

The successive concert of the 6th “Armenia” International Music Festival hosted violinist Giuseppe Gibboni as soloist. The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra opened the concert evening with works by the Maltese composer Joseph Vella and the Russian composer Anatoly Lyadov, followed by the performance of Paganini’s Violin Concert No.1 with the 21-year-old Italian violinist and laureate of a number of international competitions, Giuseppe Gibboni.

In his remarks about Giuseppe Gibboni, the world-renowned Italian violinist and conductor Salvatore Accardo acknowledged the young musician’s “perfect sense of tonality, amazing technique and sincere musicality.” As one would expect, all these qualities were inevitably witnessed at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, as Gibboni was enthralling the audience with his virtuoso performance of Paganini’s concert. A most complicated piece of music as it is, the 1^st concerto was delivered with incredible mastery and skilful exhibition of his virtuoso conduct of subtleties of violin playing. His performance harvested the passionate ovation of the audiences, who would not allow him to take a final leave off the stage, receiving, in gratitude, a series of encores.

Raised in a family of musicians, Giuseppe Gibboni remembers himself to have been playing Paganini everywhere and all the time and as an Italian he feels a commitment to promote Paganini’s music across the world. The young musician’s First Prize award at the Paganini International Competition last year is of special notice, indeed.

In 2012, when he was just 12, Giuseppe Gibboni performed at the presence of Pope Benedict XVI, which he confesses to have been an unfathomably emotional moment in his life.

This was Gibboni’s first visit to Armenia and his first joint performance with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. The violinist generously expressed his wonderful impressions from his experience with the orchestra and the conductor Sergey Smbatyan.

The “Armenia” International Music Festival is organized and implemented jointly by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the European Foundation for Support of Culture. Giuseppe Gibboni has been previously engaged in other projects held by the Foundation as well. The artist emphasizes the substantial importance of the Foundation’s efforts and the extent to which classical music and particularly young musicians need the support of such institutions.

Held with the support of the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, the “Armenia” International Music Festival will continue to feature rich concert repertoires and remarkable artists in the coming days. Audiences in Yerevan will be privileged to enjoy performances by celebrated musicians, including flutist Jasmine Choi, violinists Sergej Krylov and Gil Shaham, pianist Federico Colli, tenor Joseph Calleja and cellist Mischa Maisky.