CHAMBER ORCHESTRA "I NOSTRI TEMPI"

The orchestra is directed and trained by Edoardo Rosadini, a young promising talent for orchestral conducting in our country. The orchestra has already collaborated with prominent artists such as Cristiano Rossi, Lorenza Borrani, Piero Bellugi (who introduced the orchestra at the roman theater in Fiesole on the 27th of June 2007) as well as borderline artists like Petra Magoni, Robert Kirby, Ginevra Di Marco and many others. The orchestra demonstrated its flexibility especially when dealing with innovative concerts aimed to a younger audience with songs by Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Bjork, Radiohead, xtc.

The main reasons for being of this orchestra, that can boast a medium age of less than thirty year, are: relying on the quality and novelty of projects, dealing with the most recent musical expressions to lay brigdes towards the great classical music, committing itself to big and experienced conductors to refine its overall sound. To do this it is fundamental to commit itself to exclusive productions, opening out to the most various cooperations.

In the past years the orchestra have performed many innovative productions, some of which witnessed a very wide audience participation, as on the occasion of the Estate Fiesolana Festival between 2004 and 2008.

In 2004 a concert in honour of J. S. Bach was performed in Fiesole cathedral, it was this Violin Concerto in E major that signed the birth of the orchestral ensemble. The participation of L. Borrani as soloist is fundamental: now she is one of the most famous violinist of the international scene. Edoardo Rosadini, the current Principal Conductor, directed the orchestra even on that first performance.

In 2005 two productions lead to three concerts. In particular, an extraordinary happening was realised in the Abbey of Fiesole, featuring great soloists like Cristina Donà, F. Gesualdi, F. Dillon. The succes of this production was marked also by the presence of almost a thousand spectators. Moreover, in the Fiesole Cathedral, there was a composit concert (concerto composito?) directed by E. Rosadini.

Year 2006, which counted three productions, was a turning point, that finally brought us to create a new stable orchestral institution: 1st and 2nd of June 2006, Abbey of Fiesole: W. A. Mozart, Symphony n.1 K16, E. Rosadini conductor; A. Schnittke, Concerto for Piano and Strings, Matteo Fossi soloist, E. Rosadini conductor; Pink Floyd, Shine on you crazy diamond, Ginevra Di Marco vocals; 18th of June 2006, Fiesole Cathedral: J. Rodrigo, A Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra, O. Ghiglia soloist, E. Rosadini conductor; B. Bartòk, Divertissement for Strings; 28th of June 2006, Abbey of Fiesole: Cantico di Frate sole, by Solbiati, D'Amico, Colangeli e Franceschini, L. De Lisi, L. Sciannimanico, L. Borrani, F. Gesualdi solists, M. Ancillotti conductor.

2007 was a decisive year, with the orchestra performing in Fiesole at the Estate Fiesolana Festival, but most of all in Florence at the Festival della Creatività and during the Teatri Aperti Festival at the Everest Theatre of Florence.

On the 28th of October, at the Fortezza da Basso, the orchestra was committed to the first national performance of the music of Nobuo Uematsu. Key happening of the Festival della Creatività, it was attended by three thousand young fans gathering from all over Italy. In the same concert Petra Magoni performed with the orchestra songs from Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Bjork: a unique event and a step forward in the introduction of youth to symphonic music; in the same concert the Divertissement for Strings by Bela Bartòk, a musical masterpiece of the 20th century, was performed.

At the Everest Theater, on the 29th of September, a concert-lesson was produced during the Teatri Aperti Festival: an extraordinary event, during which the audience took part in the construction and production of the First Symphony by Mozart and the Serenade for Strings by Caikovski. On the 30th of September the same program was performed in the central pavilion of the Quadrifoglio S.p.a., before a thousand people gathered for the "open day" of the company.

2008 saw the production of a concert in memory of Nick Drake, one of the most relevant song writers of the 20th century, at the Roman Theater in Fiesole and the Fortezza da Basso in Florence directed by Robert Kirby, before a thousand people. For the first time on that occasion the orchestra approached the symphonic repertoire of Beethoven (Symphony n. 8) under the conduction of E. Rosadini, and performed the Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings by Schnittke for the first time in Italy.

Year 2009 will be dedicated to Mendelssohn: the project schedules two concerts including some of the most beautiful symphonies for strings written by the german composer. Besides these works, other masterpieces of european music of the 20th century will be performed, and not only: the first concert will be performed under the conducting stick of P. Bellugi, the second under the one of E. Rosadini.