Reviews
[…] For Alessandro Bonato, the transition from young promise to reliable guarantee has been remarkably swift: first heard two years ago in Como, conducting the FORM, where the conductor made an impression as a refreshing novelty; he is now encountered in Novara, on the podium of the excellent Toscanini orchestra—following another concert in Turin and a very successful Norma in the Lombardy circuit—where the orchestra stops to perform pieces by Beethoven, Puccini, and Schumann, where the refreshing novelty, for this writer, has transformed into a solid and valuable confirmation. A superb interpreter and musician, even in this engagement, where the synergy with the ensembles seems like the result of a decade of work, Bonato appears to reiterate that the key to the conductor’s craft is knowing how to be swept away by the music while still maintaining absolute control over it […]
Antonino Trotta, L’ape musicale, June 03, 2024
[…] Ravel requires the orchestra to engage in significant soloistic efforts across all sections, and Alessandro Bonato unravels this complexity with his usual technical precision: no spectacular gestures aimed at photographers or the audience’s eyes, only actions serving the music, ensuring the mechanism doesn’t falter and expresses, along with the soloist, that Bergsonian vitality that is its distinctive feature. And in relation to this luminous propulsion, the various neoclassical masks of Grieg’s Holberg Suite and the suite from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella here take on the significance of a dialectical reflection, almost as if the Nordic composition were a thesis, the exuberant French piece an antithesis, and finally, the cosmopolitan Russian the completed synthesis. In this progression, Bonato demonstrates that he is a mature artist… […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, May 14, 2024
[…] In Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Bonato delivered a performance attentive to the balance of weights and counterweights in the sound blend, aiming for a smooth texture and allowing all the string sections to display particular cohesion… he skillfully led the entire orchestra in a performance of notable significance […]
Corrado Greco, Il giornale della musica, May 11, 2024
[…] The encounter with Alessandro Bonato’s baton, making his debut with the ICO of Trentino-Alto Adige, seems one of the happiest for unity of intentions in giving concrete sonic form to the Viennese spirit, to the apparent oxymoron of music that is as physical as it is elusive. Bonato, who also conducts Italian opera very well, here proves to deserve the nickname “Boskowsky of Lombardy-Veneto” […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, January 07, 2024
[…] Bonato impresses with his confidence, the clarity of his gesture, the awareness of a seemingly easy-going style that requires a coexistence of rigor and freedom in constantly changing proportions, which only genuine musicality can suggest. […]
Enrico Girardi, Corriere della Sera, January 04, 2024
[…] Haydn Variations and Brahms’s Fourth Symphony constitute an almost ideal pairing for the almost natural consequentiality that unites two works born twelve years apart, summing up the elaboration of the classical model and the symphonic expression that is indissolubly linked to that model and that elaboration. A precious layout, natural but not too frequent in programming, which today with the Toscanini of Parma finds its cornerstone in the central proposal of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major Hob. VIIe/1… On stage, in music, the place of honor between the two Brahms is instead occupied by Haydn’s trumpet, with soloist Andrea Lucchi, first part of Santa Cecilia and already in the same role with Toscanini. …The Toscanini shows itself very flexible in adhering to very different styles and in relating to the soloist under the guidance of Alessandro Bonato. The noble neoclassical sound is like a touchstone compared to the two Brahms scores, for which it is a reference point and with which it shares the sense of sprezzatura – the effortless elegance in making the most refined art appear as simple nature. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, December 02, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato, who the other night embarked on the difficult path of the Hamburgian, is not yet thirty years old but seemed to possess the qualities to proceed with determination towards a goal full of risks, thanks to a freshness of gesture and intentions that found a response in our performers. Beautiful was that flying attack of the Fourth Symphony, whose progress then brought forth the many questions posed by the Brahmsian vision, so tight in its internal structure and yet so enveloping in the subtlety of emotional embrace, two seemingly contrasting situations that Bonato tried to reconcile. […]
Gian Paolo Minardi, Gazzetta di Parma, December 04, 2023
[…] Just as he would have appreciated the already tempered, wise, luminous youth of Alessandro Bonato, director of gesture and substance, exhilarating but never elated, craftsman of a musical making that constructs every choice on the body of the ensemble available. The evening, a dialogue between Haydn and Brahms, between a Gothic and Lutheran North and a Catholic and airy South, revolved around the concept of variation. With Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn op. 56a indeed taking the lead and on the notes of the grand Passacaglia, last movement of the Fourth Symphony op.98, the young Veronese conductor closed the journey of what turned out to be a magical circle. And if in the luxuriant biodiversity of the Variations Bonato’s sober approach, still prudently on the threshold of the visionary as well as the tempestuous, on one hand defined with admirable clarity the lines of each individual portrait but, on the other, muffled their plunge into the identity peculiarities, faced with the dizzying monument of the Fourth, the same rigorous honesty of interpretation, engaged and never overexcited, allowed to delve, page after page, into the polyphonic filigree, into the counterpoints that, from submerged, became increasingly emergent, in the iron logic of a work that never ceases to amaze us but, above all, to question us. […]
Elide Bergamaschi, La voce di mantova, December 04, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato, at the helm of the excellent Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, is even younger than Federico Colli, but is already considered a more than promising conductor. This is a reputation, let’s say it immediately, not undeserved, given that it is frankly unusual to appreciate in a very young artist this firmness and maturity, both in pulse and intentions. […]
Lorenzo Cannistrà, L’ape musicale, November 25, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato’s presence on the podium is crucial in setting the right direction for the concert. It is rare to hear, even from more experienced professionals, a Verdi so noble and alive, not only due to youthful exuberance, but also due to careful exploration of those notes that ‘whether beautiful or ugly I never write them by chance and I always try to give them character,’ as he specified about Rigoletto. Thus, the themes of Les vêpres siciliennes take shape and evolve with an affectionate awareness of their place in the opera. In La Traviata, we feel – with diaphanous colors, carefully stolen and sustained – a breath of illness and death looming inexorably, subtle and elusive yet concrete. In the pieces from Macbeth, we see that ability to shape sound as true theatrical material, sometimes rough, sometimes smooth, sometimes fiery, sometimes earthy, liquid or volatile, sinuous or imperious, opaque or translucent, vigorous or evanescent. Never with vain exhibitionism, never with an exterior gesture that would undermine what is instead the intrinsic characteristic of Verdian theater: true nobility, not of false pretenses but of high, deep, and honest thought. Then there is no need for frenzy and excess, but one can also get one’s hands dirty in embodying the demonic, just as one can feel the strength of flesh and blood in the most thoughtful and polished phrasing. Just think of La Forza del destino, of that brusque and impetuous attack that transitions into the sweetness and inspiration of themes of repentance and redemption, yet permeated by inexorable fatal tension. Think of every crescendo, but especially of those stormy sections of Giovanna D’Arco, which arise from an almost imperceptible whisper to rage in a perfectly crafted crescendo juxtaposed skillfully with the pastoral sounds of the central section. Each element, as Nabucco articulates well at the outset, is valued and contrast becomes a logical and inevitable part of the discourse. The same rigorous virtuosic test of the Quattro stagioni from Les vêpres siciliennes never loses sight of the overall vision, the descriptive character that almost makes one perceive the crackling of ice on the verge of thawing […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, October 06, 2023
[…] Due to the restlessness of the audience, it was challenging to concentrate and fully enjoy the refinements and treasures lavishly bestowed by conductor Alessandro Bonato, making his dazzling debut at the helm of the Arena Orchestra (in one of its finest performances). The twenty-seven-year-old conductor, a rising star already poised at the top of the operatic scene, first dispelled the mistaken belief that the vastness of the amphitheater prevents one from perceiving details. On the contrary: the acoustics fully allowed for delighting in the reading characterized by lightness and freshness, with tastefully balanced dynamics, and a lively spirit born from communion with the Rossinian ethos, which then extended to the tempos, finding a thousand nuances and a vibrant range of colors. Bonato also deserves credit for doing justice to a philological yet non-pedantic Rossinian approach: besides cleansing the performance from what are colloquially termed “dirt,” or comical impurities sedimented by certain past traditions (a fortunately frequent operation in recent years), he restored the vocal lines to their original form (Rosina and Berta), opened up cuts, maintained and highlighted embellishments, and brought recitatives back to their original sounds […]
Maria Luisa Abate, DeArtes, August 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato repeats in Verona the excellent performance of last summer in Macerata: a Rossini who does not indulge in habit and effect, who does not aim to make people laugh just because “one must laugh”, but amuses because it serves the comedy and the author (and you can trust Rossini, he knew his stuff), who does not rush to beat speed records, but chooses the tempo that best allows for articulating the written notes, the dynamic markings, the words. Moral: it is not often that you hear a Barber like this even in the most important indoor theaters and festivals; the meticulous work with the orchestra has in the “Temporale” a masterpiece of nature portrayed in music, the relationship with the stage is impeccable in precision as much as it is sensitive to the breath of singing (listening to all performances and cast changes one realizes how much attention is paid to this aspect without losing the coherence of the whole) […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, August 08, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato, leading the orchestra of the Arena Foundation, imposed his refined and clear style, founded on a deep understanding of the score, through which even the vocal merits of the singing company were expressed smoothly, not sparing bravura pieces and finds in the best bel canto spirit. Despite his young age, Bonato has now established himself as an authoritative conductor and deserved both the ovation that greeted him at the beginning of the second act and the final acclaim. […]
Daniele Valersi, L’Adige, July 2023
[…] Entrusted to the young Alessandro Bonato, the direction appeared attentive and geometric in pacing the events. Every note seems deeply considered and, once weighed, is skillfully placed back into an ideal puzzle, reconstructing a narrative that is dry yet rich in spirit. […]
Matteo Pozzato, Le Salon Musical, July 22, 2023
[…] Conducting the score is a very young and talented conductor, Alessandro Bonato, making his debut in the Academy’s concerts. The work done by Bonato with the orchestra is excellent, and overall, one can notice the meticulous care put forth by the conductor in the various sections of the opera. Bonato conducts a remarkable exploration of timing and the overall agogic of the Requiem, sharpening – if possible – its sacred, meditative aspects, at the expense of a purely soaring, heroic interpretation, undoubtedly captivating, but overly melodramatic. This is evident, above all, in the section of the Dies irae, which Bonato punctuates with hieratic precision (the baton gesture is rigorous), allowing the chorus to build tension in the powerful emission of sound – after all, the Dies irae represents the Day of Judgment. In the sections featuring soloists, however, Bonato is more agile, sometimes embracing a more operatic vision, without ever betraying the nature of the Requiem […]
Stefano Ceccarelli, L’ape musicale, July 19, 2023
[…] Right from the start, Alessandro Bonato demonstrates extraordinary competence and passion in his role as orchestra conductor. His mastery in conducting and profound musical knowledge emerge clearly from the first notes. The entire orchestral ensemble, under his inspired guidance, responds with an exceptional level of preparation.
The orchestra’s extraordinary performance, including Bonato’s direction, is so impressive that it almost makes the differences compared to performances by established professional orchestras imperceptible. The precision in execution, the accuracy of dynamics, and the intense interpretation reach a standard that approaches the best international symphony orchestras.
The level of preparation achieved by the ensemble, thanks to dedication and collective effort, is truly commendable. Attention to detail, tonal cohesion, and artistic communication among the musicians testify to a high level of professionalism and a deep understanding of the repertoire performed.
Bonato’s ability to modulate the orchestra’s sound and convey musical intentions is noteworthy. His interpretative approach, characterized by emotional sensitivity and a profound understanding of musical language, contributes to creating an engaging and passionate listening experience. It is remarkable how the ensemble, led by Bonato, manages to convey the essence and musical intensity with such mastery, making the listening experience extremely rewarding. The technical skill of the musicians and their deep connection with the music blend into a high-level performance […]
Eleonora Cipolla, OperaLibera, July 12, 2023
[…] We had already heard Alessandro Bonato at the Filarmonico in 2019 in an excellent performance of Il Matrimonio Segreto and in the diptych Il Maestro di Cappella/Gianni Schicchi; we happily found him in this performance even more confident, with clear and crystalline gestures, tempos shaped by the dramaturgy with meticulous attention to detail, perfect cohesion achieved between pit and stage, vigor in the crescendos. Above all, an essential quality in musical theater, namely, to give impetus to the singers, drawing out their lyrical or virtuosic breath, with a constant anticipation that shapes its meaning and emotion…
…Overall, a direction that did justice, within the limits of outdoor sound, to the myriad inventions of Rossinian frenzy, from the obstinate passages to the iterations, from the hammered rhythms to the dynamic whirlwinds, up to the controlled paroxysm of the writing…
…The sublime concerted pieces invented by Rossini, especially the incomparable kinetic delirium of the first finale, in which you feel like you’re listening to the very essence of vitality as absolute sonic movement, with these singers and under this direction, celebrated the glory of dramatic music at a truly thrilling level. […]
Mario Tedeschi Turco, June 2023
[…] There was much anticipation for the amphitheater debut of the young Veronese conductor Alessandro Bonato, who provided an extremely philological and rigorous interpretation of the score. Sophisticated yet devoid of coldness, it seemed to thrive on the words and the meticulous Rossinian instrumentation, rarely heard (especially in the Arena) in all its intimate nuances. The Orchestra of the Foundation moved accordingly, light and relaxed, guided by the rich and comprehensive vision of the Director (with Richard Barker as harpsichordist, Sara Airoldi and Riccardo Mazzini on continuous cello and double bass), who, through refined work on the chosen critical edition (in this case that of Alberto Zedda), was more focused on study and refinement than on seeking easy effects. The result thus managed to preserve the nuances of the score intact and resonant in the immense space of the amphitheater, and the contrast was truly excellent as well as disconcerting. […]
Silvia Campana, I Teatri dell’Est – Opera senza confini , June 26, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato conducts this charming chaos with graceful elegance, yet he holds the reins with a steady hand: the result is a well-balanced, effervescent Barber, without losing sight of the lyrical aspect and all the nuances of the Rossinian score. The Arena chorus, directed by Roberto Gabbiani, only confirms its unparalleled qualities, and Richard Barker’s significant contribution on the harpsichord proves crucial for a grand celebration of music and theater under the Veronese sky. It was exactly what was needed. […]
Irina Sorokina, L’ape musicale, June 26, 2023
[…] Alessandro Bonato remains faithful to the Ricordi edition curated by Alberto Zedda, already in use at the Rossini Opera Festival; unlike previous editions at the Arena, here the sedimented encrustations accumulated over the years have been removed, and the tempos are adapted to the dramatic dialogue, with particular attention to syllabic singing, in order to make the articulation of the text intelligible. The maestro, with some courageous choices for the vast Arena, does not give up on the orchestral effects desired by Rossini such as the downbeat, bow strokes, and sound on the bridge; in the recitatives, he has introduced not only the harpsichord but also the cello and double bass. The opera is offered in its entirety, with all arias, cavatinas, and cabalettas featuring variations on the da capo.
Bonato’s direction remains restrained, linear, and functional to the stage. […]
Gianpaolo Dal Dosso, GBOPERA, June 24, 2023
[…] An entire Arena absorbed in listening, thanks to the musical quality of the young Veronese conductor Alessandro Bonato, the soloists’ orchestra, and the clarity of the voices, appreciating the divine polyphony of Rossinian language, how many music lessons for the general public does this correspond to? […]
Elena Biggi Parodi, L’Arena, June 2023
[…] The impromptu encore with which the orchestra also closes the second part of the program seems like a manual on how Verdi should be interpreted – noble, involved, alive – and how technically a crescendo should be managed. Taste, inspiration, skill, and heart: a standing ovation ensues. Quality is not coldness, emotion is not approximation, and we realize this well on evenings like this […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, June 18, 2023
[…] while the qualities of Antonacci were already known, a happy discovery was the conductor Alessandro Bonato, born in 1995 and therefore only twenty-eight years old, who accompanied the singer with great flexibility and skillfully rendered the two suites by Bizet, in which the soloists of a Philharmonic in excellent shape stood out: a Carmen so rich in colors and rhythm would be wonderful to hear in its entirety in the theater; and also the symphony from Nabucco, with its rightly majestic beginning and the impeccably articulated crescendo, seemed very promising […]
Mauro Balestrazzi, la Repubblica, June 17, 2023
[…] The last time the Mozartian Overture from “La Clemenza di Tito” was performed in this hall was in December 1994. Alessandro Bonato, the conductor called in to replace an indisposed Leōnidas Kavakos, was not even born at that time, but the confidence with which he takes the stage and handles the Rai ensemble quickly overshadows his very young age. In recent times, I have had the opportunity to listen to and see many very young orchestra conductors, not older than thirty-five, and among them, Bonato seems to me one of the most credible candidates for a prominent future: his gesture is clear, effective, few things but done well; a direction that is clean, precise, convincing. […]
Marco Testa, Musica, May 22, 2023
[…] The Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 “Winter Daydreams” (1866-75) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is an undeniable test bench to assess the qualities of the Veronese conductor. Despite being the Russian composer’s first ambitious symphonic endeavor, the work anticipates early signs of the author of the “Pathétique” and the symphonies of maturity, besides showcasing his usual, impressive ease of inspiration: turn over Tchaikovsky’s entire catalog and you won’t find a single melody that is ugly or scholastic. Bonato, who had been appreciated for his theatrical plasticity in the brief overture from Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” K 621 presented as a Mozartian appetizer at the beginning of the evening, achieves a result closely adhering to the musical text. Don’t be misled by the title, to be understood as a reflection of personal suggestions rather than a programmatic attempt, so much so that only the first two movements bear other seemingly literary indications: “Visions of a Winter Journey” and “Misty Land”. The young maestro conducts without a baton, with ordered and attentive gestures, painting with a confident hand not only the arches of the main themes, expanded with broad breaths and masterful phrasing, but also the small details scattered throughout the rich score: for a moment, halfway through the first Allegro, one seems to hear with wonder among the horns a hint of the “Flower Waltz”, while in the Adagio cantabile, the fading of the unforgettable main melody in the reprise of the introductory chorale has something of the mysterious magic of the tiptoeing moments in great ballets. Alessandro Bonato guides the National Symphony Orchestra to shore, pressing the accelerator pedal in the two subsequent movements, with a more brilliant writing and not devoid of some easy effects, especially in the resounding finale, detached with a precise sense of balance between the parts and with the brass appropriately highlighted. However, the brief Scherzo is where the podium combines finesse of style and overflowing expressive necessity with convincing and mature authority. […]
Alberto Ponti, L’ape musicale, May 22, 2023
[…] the conductor’s hands follow different paths; if in Mozart the arms raised high and parallel dictated the tempo, here, having achieved complete independence, the right hand continues to govern the tempo, but the left is free to constantly shape the intensity and quality of the sound. Already from the first bars, one immerses oneself in a universe that is intuitively congenial to the performers. Bonato and the National Symphony Orchestra of Rai, with a stupendous performance, captivating and exemplary, deservedly receive long applause from an audience reinforced by a large number of enthusiastic young people. […].
Giorgio Audisio, GBOpera, May 21, 2023
[…] As it has been said, with Mozart and Beethoven all in his hands – it’s worth mentioning, as he doesn’t wield the baton – Alessandro Bonato leads with confident guidance, unraveling all voices to make melodies and counter-melodies, main and secondary lines, interweavings, and solo details all intelligible, with a fine blend and unexpected details – when one is enchanted by noticing the even melodic importance of the timpani, one gets a measure of the quality of the orchestra and the conducting, as well as of the individual instrumentalist. Moreover, there is the real work of the conductor who outlines not only the agogic and dynamic aspects but also works on phrasing and brings out the continuities as well as the specific individualities of the two composers. The way of delivering the phrase, of connecting and articulating in Mozart is not the same as in Beethoven, although they share a nobility of speech and a sense of time that is not measured in speed or slowness, but in breath and the space necessary for the music. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, May 16, 2023
[…] The soloist Leonora Armellini immediately demonstrates a beautiful complicity and harmony with Bonato’s conducting, especially for her taste and sensitivity to the style. The gallant echo is not the fluttering of a rococo lace relocated as an ornament of a Biedermeier bourgeois salon, but a much deeper sense of aristocratic phrasing, of grace in presenting and leading the discourse and dialogues, the phrase and the colors. This common feeling is well understood when the orchestra’s first exposition breathes with clear nonchalance, a noble elegance that the piano’s sparkle provides to enliven with skillful contrast of articulations in the same poetic world, in the same language. It’s Beethoven, you can feel it in the accents that outline recurring cells like the genetic code of the entire writing. It’s Beethoven because the eighteenth-century legacy doesn’t taste of mannerism, but comes alive ready to transform into something else. The lace is neither stiff nor smooth, it doesn’t gather dust; the skilled tailor is capable of giving it new life in different shapes, and even if he puts it aside, he won’t forget its art. Thus, the interplay between Bonato and Armellini gives strength to affectionate shades and sweetness to lively accents without ever losing the right breath and the relationship between tempos and dynamics, with an orchestra that is complicit and always stimulated to give its best. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, May 16, 2023
[…] Bonato has clear ideas and the technique to realize them, but above all, he has charisma in his gaze, a capacity for communication and sharing that are like courage for Don Abbondio: if one doesn’t have it, “they can’t give it to themselves.” Bonato has it in spades, but this talent would be of no use if there weren’t the substance of the interpreter and the musician: that’s why he brings the orchestra with him, a natural leader and not a tyrant, in a shared breath. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, May 01, 2023
[…] As a dedicated and passionate frequenter of Viennese dances and Russian repertoire, Alessandro Bonato has assimilated a choreographic sensitivity that allows him to find a happy balance between musical freedom and stage requirements. This Tchaikovsky is full of delicacies, taste, and noble, natural nonchalance: the melody does not indulge itself but molds itself in relation to very clear counterpoints among skillful rubatos. Above all, the lace remains subtle and transparent without sacrificing a particularly valuable sonic substance, which enhances the quality of each individual section or first part in the sign of the mature unity of an orchestral organism and not of a showcase of individual technical qualities. We feel the exact, silvery sparkle of rhythm in the Nutcracker Overture, we feel the silken richness of the harmonic strings, which make the dynamic range even more enticing if the piano does not fray but maintains such precise definition, we hear an excellent harp cadenza, enchanting woodwind incisions, warm and velvety or bright and luminous as needed. And all these details, while making us admire once again Bonato’s skill in conducting and working on shared sound, breath, and phrasing, also show us the quality and readiness of the musicians in the pit, who know how to combine technical preparation with enthusiastic teamwork and responsiveness to the conductor’s cues. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, March 05, 2023
[…] In his fourth concert dedicated to the Strauss family with I Pomeriggi Musicali, Alessandro Bonato could well earn the nickname “Boskovski of Lombardo Veneto,” for the diligence, passion, and idiomatic approach to Viennese dances. A repertoire too often underestimated, treated with superficiality, or unnecessarily burdened, because if it is not always easy to understand the connection of this music with the world in which it was born, even more difficult is to render its peculiarity with the right naturalness, with that noble and effortless “sprezzatura” rightly exalted by our ancestors from the Renaissance […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, December 26, 2022
[…] Firstly, there is a Conductor – yes, with a capital C – the very young Alessandro Bonato, who, at the helm of the orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, works meticulously on the score and paints with drama. Always infused with a thrill of tension that tingles along the spine even where the music opens up into Bellinian melodic flights, Bonato’s interpretation, more than mere orchestration, is authentic musical storytelling: this can be perceived through the various instrumental refinements that emerge from the pit to resonate emotionally with the scenes and amplify the text; it can be felt on the skin through the succulent succession of agogic nuances and accents – now agile and sharp, now broad and tense like violin strings – designed to bolster and invigorate the sudden unfolding of action; it can be seen in the multitude of colors and shades generously scattered across an orchestral fabric characterized everywhere by lunar transparency; it can be heard in the exquisitely refined orchestral phrasing, purified from those excesses that turn sublime melody into cloying dribble. Finally, Bonato also has the great merit of always balancing the pit and the stage, ensuring comfort for the soloists and providing a solid reference point for the masses. […]
Antonino Trotta, L’ape musicale, October 22, 2022
[…] The young conductor, Alessandro Bonato, is very interesting. I don’t know if he has read Fabrizio Della Seta’s recent essay on Bellini, however, he conducts Norma as if he had. Della Seta claims the greatness of Vincenzillo as a musical dramatist who was not, or was not only, the celestial melodist we know, but, in his own way, and it’s a very particular way, he used music to make theater. It seems to me that Bonato does the same. Fast tempos, it has been read. This is a statement that means nothing: it’s not the tempos in isolation that are important, but the relationship they have with each other. Bonato is very good at differentiating them, imparting a strong sense of drama (made of urgent phrasing, not noise) to the fast ones, as seen in the chorus “Guerra, guerra!” and becoming even more lyrical by contrast in the slow ones, as in a “Casta diva” that truly seems like a spatiotemporal suspension, that earth-moon dialogue whose only possible comparison is Leopardi. Another interesting aspect is the attention with which the chords punctuating the recitatives are differentiated, and thus charged with meaning, usually hastily thrown in. This too, precisely, is making musical theater. […]
Alberto Mattioli, La Stampa, October 21, 2022
[…] Maestro Alessandro Bonato’s conducting demonstrated intelligence, worthy of a mature conductor, modern in his handling of Bel Canto repertoire but with the right eye on tradition (opera, like all art forms, must be involved in the flow of change in history) and on the theatrical sense of drama, transparently accompanying the most intimate passages and appropriately igniting when the martial spirit of the score demands it. […]
Lorenzo Quaglia, Ieri, Oggi, Domani, Opera!, October 19, 2022
[…] A colossal and never sufficiently explored masterpiece which – thanks to the successful combination of Elena Barbalich and the young Alessandro Bonato, respectively responsible for direction and conducting – becomes, in this OperaLombardia production, a spectacle squared: tense, thrilling, magnificent. The credit goes to a very happy pit animated by the young Veronese conductor, shamanic in his intelligent, inspired, temperamental handling of the narrative threads, holding together, with extraordinary assurance for his 27 years, rigor and softness, depth and narrative urgency. A lesson in theater, in introspective excavation into the reasons behind words turned into song, is the dialogue between the two women, in the second act, with the orchestra whipped by Bonato as the confession of love between the young woman and the Roman soldier precipitates the sky into Norma’s heart. […]
Elide Bergamaschi, La Voce di Mantova, October 18, 2022
[…] The twenty-seven-year-old Alessandro Bonato, leading the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, delivers a brisk and vibrant interpretation of the elaborate Bellinian score, without any decrease in tension, characterized by dense and full-bodied sound, overwhelming in percussion, and mostly swirling in agogic. Also appreciated is the refined chiseling work, noticeable, for example, in the expectant cavatina “Casta diva,” where the young conductor opts for more extended tempos and a lunar sound of silvery beauty, or in the duet “Deh! con te, con te li prendi,” of silky tenderness. Bonato’s direction is impactful and played on strong contrasts, juxtaposing barbaric and rugged atmospheres with others that are pure and tonal. […]
Stefano Balbiani, Connessi all’Opera, October 17, 2022
[…] The real architect of the success of this cycle of performances was the young conductor Alessandro Bonato, prepared to handle the complex musical discourse of impassioned impulses as well as bursts of full lyricism, while also showcasing the good quality of the I Pomeriggi Musicali orchestra. He skillfully balanced the various orchestral interventions in relation to the stage. If the symphony presented itself rhythmically sustained (with applause at its conclusion and the conductor addressing the audience in gratitude), allowing the winds and percussion to unfold but always attentive to the linearity of a fluid interpretation, his focus was primarily on what was happening on stage, never covering the voices even with the most disruptive music, attenuating or slowing down where necessary, enhancing the moments that highlighted Bellini’s bel canto writing, especially in duets and ensemble pieces, and smoothing out the endings. This attention also benefited the OperaLombardia Choir directed by Massimo Fiocchi Malaspina, which received applause at the conclusion of “Guerra! Guerra!”… In the end, the audience, with their enthusiasm, contributed to the success of this performance, a masterful execution. We witnessed a Norma that triumphed, replicating what had happened in Brescia. […]
Federica Fanizza, Sipario, October 12, 2022
[…] Perhaps even twenty-seven years might seem few to conduct Norma, especially since among more experienced batons it is not easy to find the maturity and depth that Bonato once again demonstrated. There is no programmatic manifesto in his interpretation, no desire to be classical, bel canto, or romantic: there is simply the work on the text, without routine, rhetoric, shortcuts, or gratuitous intellectualism. The attention paid to the recitatives extends to the careful articulation of the text in each number, so that Bellini’s connection to Gluckian drama and the tragédie lyrique emerges naturally… The form is a direct emanation of the drama, and the complete execution of repeats, codas, transitions never appears superfluous, but rather natural and necessary for the expression of thought, for the unfolding of the narrative. This is clearly felt in the development of “Meco all’altar di Venere,” anything but a stentorian cantilena, or in the rapacious “Sola, furtiva al tempio” in which the seemingly slow tempo feels the tension mounting in a filigree of changing palpitations. There is no sycophantic complacency in a “Casta diva” of instrumental purity and delicate dynamics up to the choir’s pianissimo (a suggestive freedom of the conductor: respect for the text should not be a constraint), no cloying rendition in a “Sì, fino all’ore estreme” that nonetheless avoids a metronomic rush. On the contrary, in every stretta, in every cabaletta, the development of a specific affect is evident, and there is never a mechanically similar tempo, from the sinuous game of seduction and evasion of “Vieni in Roma” to the ferocious desperation of “Già mi pasco ne’ tuoi sguardi,” always in full intelligibility of Romani and Bellini’s writing, always in fluid narrative continuity with what follows and what precedes. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, October 04, 2022
[…] In such “anxious” conditions, even more emphasis goes to the excellent conducting of the young Maestro Alessandro Bonato (27 years old), already launched towards a brilliant career, leading the Orchestra of the Pomeriggi Musicali, which, besides not losing sight of any detail on stage, demonstrating enviable composure, offers a very personal and compelling reading of this absolute masterpiece of Bel Canto, an ideal hinge between a classical season and the “Sturm und Drang,” tinged with poignant lyricism, of Romanticism, in an ideal balance between passionate oases of liquid tenderness – not an oxymoron – and rugged and flaming ignitions, imbued with a constant theatrical tension, aimed at “telling” a drama steeped in human frailty through music. Truly a masterful performance. At the end, from a sold-out Teatro Grande – the true satisfaction lies in this – unanimous success for everyone, with true peaks of enthusiasm for Alessandro Bonato. […]
Nicola Salmoiraghi, I Teatri dell’Est – Opera senza confini, October 03, 2022
[…] Alessandro Bonato’s direction is incisive and characterized by decisiveness and expressiveness from the Symphony onward, where bellicose tones soften into more extended melodic volutes, never dull or weakened, a reading in which lyrical and dramatic impulses blend well within a proper atmosphere of grandiose warfare, deserving applause from the audience, not only at the end of the show but also during the open stage. […]
Simone Manfredini, OperaClick, September 30, 2022
[…] Alessandro Bonato is no longer a rising star but a luminous one, albeit rightly growing – at twenty-seven years old, he couldn’t be anything else – and he is the protagonist of a directorial performance of absolute quality. The young Veronese baton’s reading – with its dense and essential gesture! – is based on a dynamic chisel that goes beyond any easy languor, eschewing “moving” at any cost. His narration is based on a dynamic chisel capable of highlighting Bellini’s melody without ever making it cloying, instead infusing it with a vigor that suits it. Bonato indulges the sentiments but does not allow himself to be overwhelmed by them, emerging unscathed from the ocean of arpeggios in “Sola furtiva al tempio,” for example, finding an exemplary and carefully considered balance. […]
Alessandro Cammarano, Le Salon Musical, September 30, 2022
[…] The young Maestro Alessandro Bonato conducted with verve and vigor a highly refined and complex instrumental score, certainly difficult to bring outdoors, especially in certain passages of the strings and winds. However, he expressed the belief that music should reach everyone and be understood by the majority without compromising the quality of the performance. Bonato punctually staged the original score (including the long final aria of Almaviva), stating that one must “handle music with good taste, safeguarding its beauty,” fully respecting the score and libretto even when it is a difficult task to convey the energy of syllabic singing (as seen in Bartolo’s cavatina “A un dottor della mia sorte”), preserving the intelligibility of the text and the connection with the notes. The musical direction fully respected the complexity and personality of the various characters, starting with Figaro, who “is a fine strategist, Machiavellian, sly,” avoiding speeding up too much (as is customary) the famous barber’s cavatina, which should not be too theatrical because it is self-praise: “Figaro likes himself and admires himself like a woman just out of the hairdresser’s.” […]
Alberto Pellegrino, MusicaCulturaonline, August 22, 2022
[…] Alessandro Bonato’s interpretation of the Rossinian score is refined and never predictable. The rendition is light, yet rich in dynamics (as evidenced by some splendid passages in the initial Symphony), the clarity of sound exquisite, the tempos pleasantly relaxed, always conducive to a good rapport with the stage. […]
Simone Manfredini, Teatro.it, August 22, 2022
[…] Alessandro Bonato – facing the challenge of debuting in an outdoor space with a title as “popular” as it is daunting – once again proves himself to be one of the most talented conductors under 30, starring alongside his well-prepared FORM-Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana in a stellar performance.
Bonato analyzes the score until it becomes his own, then vividly renders it in a reading capable of enhancing every detail, meticulously crafting nuances in tempo, reflecting on every dynamic nuance and each melodic element. Additionally, there’s meticulous work on the recitatives, where he inserts “contemporary” elements – the Nokia tune fittingly included – which align perfectly with the concept of the performance without being sacrilegious. […]
Alessandro Cammarano, Le Salon Musical,
August 21, 2022
[…] When we talk about the stage, it must also encompass the pit and the podium, because if the show works and ignites the Sferisterio even on a chilly evening, it’s thanks to the great teamwork among all the artists, primarily between the theatrical direction of Menghini and the musical direction of Bonato. Bonato finally conducts an opera with his Filarmonica Marchigiana, the orchestra of which he has been the principal conductor for two years, tackling a wide symphonic repertoire. However, performing opera outdoors is another matter, another difficulty, especially when it comes to a title even more delicate than usual: extremely popular, almost overused, but certainly not the most suitable for summer arenas on paper. There’s no better challenge to test the predisposition and theatrical potential of the Veronese maestro, who offers another splendid demonstration of his abilities. Not only does he manage the spaces with a mastery that is not always found in more experienced colleagues, but he wonderfully engages in the theatrical aspect, both by participating in gags firsthand and by moving in perfect harmony with the theatrical action. All this without compromising on the quality of the music and the finesse of the details. Indeed, this Barber stands out precisely for the naturalness with which it does nothing to attract attention nor takes anything for granted: no flashy sprinting, no accelerandos or traditional quirks, nothing that doesn’t have a dramaturgical and musical reason.
It’s as if there’s a gradual build-up, where the more relaxed agogic of the first act – dominated by arias – gradually tightens into the ensembles starting from the central finale, with a measured progression always serving the opera. The care given to the orchestral sound doesn’t make one miss indoor performances, except for the desire to hear even better and closer how the smoothness of the Form can also become lively, cutting when necessary, drying out in a “Quando mi sei vicina” in true parts that truly feels like music of another era, but especially in a Temporale where the dynamic articulation and, yes, the flexibility of tempos produce a fascinatingly realistic effect (one thinks of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony). […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’ape musicale, August 15, 2022
[…] It’s also a great pleasure for the ears. Maestro Alessandro Bonato exudes a gesture of constant musicality, discerning details to cherish them and bringing them together even more compactly. He shuffles the cards in the accompaniment, not limiting himself to musical coordination with the extraordinary musicians of the Filarmonica Marchigiana Orchestra. The overture sketches a mobile and captivating tension that will not wane thereafter. His conducting is a light and explosive constellation, like the painterly dreams conveyed by television. He creates a breathtaking patchwork of the different aspects that Rossini’s music can take on, like the creamy granita of ensembles or the caustic staccato. The precise articulation blends into this sensual whirlwind from which we emerge completely revitalized! […]
Thibault Vicq, Opera-online, August 14, 2022
[…] The young conductor Alessandro Bonato declares his intention to adhere as closely as possible to Rossini’s dictates, adopting tempos generally less brisk than those accustomed to by a certain tradition, and even eliminating some unwritten accelerandos in the score. His approach thus embodies a remarkable dynamic range but through soft, rounded tones, nonetheless capable of a beautiful interplay of colors. The choice of more relaxed tempos facilitates the articulation of the singing, especially in syllabic passages, but does not sacrifice rhythmic liveliness and lends unprecedented prominence to the tender melancholy of the most lyrical moments. The orchestra responds flexibly to the maestro’s solicitations, surrounded by an aura of lightness and luminosity very much in the Rossinian spirit. […]
Fabio Larovere, Connessi all’Opera, August 14, 2022
[…] Appointed principal conductor of the Filarmonica Marchigiana in January 2021, Alessandro Bonato leads the orchestra with a steady hand, achieving a clear and transparent sound while adjusting tempos and depth to suit the stage’s needs. Nevertheless, he does not hesitate to seek even more appreciable refinements because, outdoors, such as the beautifully executed rubati in the symphony, as well as the perfect execution of crescendos, which are a trademark of the music from Pesaro. […]
Domenico Ciccone, OperaClick, August 14, 2022
[…] Moreover, such is the rapport with his ensembles that Bonato needs just a flick of the fingers to suggest and obtain from the FORM first a nuance, then a color, and finally an unexpected motor impulse: as in the Canzonetta, with its almost Spanish-like mannerisms and tender exchanges between soloists and the orchestra, where the orchestra transforms into an atmospheric counterpart, a breath that supports and projects the singing, a driving force of the musical drama when preparing for the brilliance of the iridescent Allegro vivacissimo finale…
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, in the second part of the concert, is a true masterpiece, not only for the quality of the ideas presented, which fully enhance even the pauses, but also for the quality of execution by an orchestra that, under Bonato’s direction, shines with clarity of sound and variety of shade. Throughout the entire symphony, clarity and variety of shade then facilitate the leap to the ear of details and filigrees, underlines and foregrounds, never laid out with pedantic or patronizing demeanor, but rather invoked as arguments and evidence of a reading that keeps us breathless, a reading that, even before the rhythm of the music, celebrates the dramatic rhythm of the narrative, a reading that does not recklessly abandon itself to the sterile ecstasy of the dancing impulse, but with the dancing impulse unleashes the accumulated excitement. After all, Beethoven is like a spring under tension: immobile, rational, square at the extremes, stirred in the middle by opposing forces of different entities, fundamental to the balance and solidity of the system itself. And it is precisely the perfect balance between internal forces and dynamics that governs, for example, the Allegretto in the second position directed by Bonato in an extraordinary manner – among the most beautiful ever heard – when the solemn prayer-like chant, on the arch of an endless and breathtaking crescendo, then softens into pleasant exchanges among the winds in the central part. The Presto then is a triumph of fencing-like phrasing, of masterly strokes, of the histrionic accent placed there with supreme intelligence to renew the bite of the further repetition, without ever losing sight of the balance of opposing poles that characterize this particular performance, and Beethoven in general, poetically. […]
Antonino Trotta, L’Ape Musicale, April 11, 2022
[…] This is especially evident in the breath of the Fourth Symphony, which highlights all the quality developed by the orchestra under its principal conductor precisely because it is directed towards a precise poetic vision. An example of this is the peculiar Russian color of the second movement, with an ability to sing legato, soft and enveloping, but almost suspended in timeless tranquility, as if in this unreal stillness – like the river Lethe, or Neva, dreamed of by those caressing the gentle idea of death – the interventions of the soloists shimmer with utmost clarity, revealing the intricate metric structure. Another example is the pizzicato in the third movement, far from the mechanistic tapping of fingers on strings, but rather dense music, physical, actual drops of distilled sound full of warmth and color. As in the Concerto, the extreme tempos are permeated by a noble solemnity that doesn’t taste of mannerism, but of sincere and profound reflection on existence, desire, destiny. Indeed, there is an underlying torment that, however, does not hinder, but rather enriches, the thread of discourse. It is clear how the overall work on sound by the conductor with his orchestra (and here, it is important to note, we are not talking about the infallibility of the individual: it is not about showcasing solo technical prowess, but about making music together) allows for a well-calibrated play of rubati, balanced between freedom and rigor, accents sharp or muted and soft, persuasive or brisk tempos, assertive statements or tender withdrawals. Everything always weighed and unraveled with clear good taste […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, April 7, 2022
[…] It feels like hearing Barber’s Adagio for the first time, so finely detailed, with nothing left to chance, yet allowing the precious texture of the orchestra, nurtured by the acoustics of the Brahmssaal, to speak.
Even more impressive, however, is the Chamber Symphony op.110a, Rudolf Barshai’s transcription of Shostakovich’s Quartet op. 110 […] The crafting of the initial Largo is so precise in defining the continuity of a sound that is both present and intangible, that the contrast with the bow strokes of the Allegro molto is as sharp as ever. These cuts are even more painful because they are not merely violent: sharp, yes, full of strength, yes, but also propulsive gears of a perpetual motion made of sudden yet well-calibrated dynamic shifts, of melodic impulses chiseled on the ridge between abandon and sarcasm, between dance steps and sword strokes. Here, the return to the Largo insinuates itself, but it is not, to return to Nietzsche, merely the eternal reappearance of the same, but a dialectical cycle in which everything returns and flows enriched and burdened by what has been.
The timbre is not afraid to become diaphanous, spectral, sinister (kudos to the shoulder and the first cello for the courage of such wounded sound), it thins out to extreme dissolution; however, the piano maintains its weight, even while evaporating the force of the accents in the Allegro molto and the Allegretto.
Thus, even in such a subdued ending, the internalized content is enough to unleash warm, prolonged, liberating applause […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, March 11, 2022
[…] Following such a confident and aware approach to Shostakovich, Bonato’s ability to transition with equal mastery to Ravel’s language is striking. Forced by a cast on his leg to reach the podium with crutches and conduct while seated, he doesn’t lose energy and assertive momentum, not even when unraveling the differences between the tragic lyricism of the Soviet composer and the aristocratic elegance of the French. The balance between impressionism and neoclassicism in the Pavane lies entirely in the work on color and in its naturally elegant presentation. Then, in the Piano Concerto, the exuberant orchestral virtuosity doesn’t succumb to fragmentation into a series of soloistic fragments, but reaffirms another facet of this program: the burst of energy is also joyful vitality, although joy itself can never do without its opposite […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, February 25, 2022
[…] An unfolding of images that Bonato shapes without a baton, almost as if giving form and color to the sound with gestures of inspired elegance, but above all, functional to the idea, to the poetic conception of a Rimsky-Korsakov removed from all the rhetoric of orchestral virtuosity for its own sake…
Very coherent is the narrative unfolded by Bonato, capable of suggesting the enchantment without relying solely on special effects: the color, the instrumental blend seeks a body, a softness, a warmth that seems made to enchant and allow the emergence of Mihaela Costea’s violin, without neglecting all the well-defined solo interventions within the cohesion of the whole – and let praise be given to the percussion as well. Just as the sultan cannot interrupt the cycle of the thousand and one tales, so does the fantastical manifest itself as changeable as it is fluid. Each sequence is well characterized, but necessarily arises from the previous one and leads to the next, in a single breath dominated with noble naturalness in every dynamic gradation. Other aspects of the phenomenon: other apparitions, fantasies, images that resonate and reveal themselves in full light, different from the usual and expected, but coherent, thoughtful, without a shadow of unnecessary extravagance, as is fitting for a master not only of the Russian school, an expression of the great Slavic tradition linked to fairy tales and a reference point for many fundamental twentieth-century developments.
Music is made, music manifests itself, and the audience, in Parma as in Fidenza, is not dazzled, it is involved: very attentive for Ginastera as for Rimsky-Korsakov, it applauds De Maistre after the first part, does not cool down after the second, calling back Bonato and Costea to the stage time and time again, so much so that, in the end, it is the orchestra that rises before the spectators. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, January 24, 2022
[…] The second part of the concert was dedicated to the monumental work that is Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, and here Bonato – with the excellent performance of the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic Orchestra – once again gives a wonderful demonstration of his skill.
The choice to conduct without a baton, “drawing” the music with his hands – the left hand beautifully expressive and the right hand firmly holding the reins, all in a beautiful yet functional gesture, capable of never descending into the trivialization of unnecessary choreography – is successful across the board.
His Scheherazade is free from any rhetoric, purified from the “meringue” effect that often threatens to afflict it, presented in a tight narrative and in a somewhat cinematic manner, with long and articulate shots sharply focused and firmly based on an iridescent chromatic palette, complemented by the impeccable violin of Mihaela Costea, the “leader” of the Toscanini orchestra and even more captivating than the Persian princess she gives voice to.
A well-deserved success for all involved. […]
Alessandro Cammarano, Le Salon Musical, January 20, 2022
[…] No element, no theme resurfaces perfectly identical in time and dynamics, but always consequential to the poetic development, which experiences extremely soft abandonments (for example, in the second movement) but always supported by the backbone of an incisive accentuation, the bite of an honest and sincere vision, which knows noble solemnity but is not satisfied with a positive affirmation. A profound, even painful meditation is illuminated by hope, caressing an airy lightness with traits of tenderness or tension intertwined and alternated with skillful nuances: the breath of time is a consequence of musical articulation, not of a metronomic scheme. Every opposite is necessary and inherent, not juxtaposed to its counterpart. Thus, for example, in the third movement, the definition of Allegro giocoso is tinged with an unexpected, authentic dramaticity: a vital impulse understood within the tragedy of existence. Tragedy, however, is not inevitable, always driven by a search, a hope, a thought. In the palpable harmony between Bonato (making his debut in the Fourth) and his orchestra, it is clear that we are not in the theater simply because it’s nice to listen to well-executed Brahms, but because in Brahms, in music, in art, we can find the expression, the meaning of our engagement with the world, especially in a world that has changed so much, even in the most mundane daily gestures, in the last two years. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, January 18, 2022
[…] Bonato’s gesture itself, which has always possessed innate fluidity and elegance, has become even more beautiful and precise in the clarity of his right arm, in the measured control of his left that grants no excess to the effect, wastes no movement, and can stop or gather itself to open up when needed, singing along with the orchestra. In this gesture, a visual manifestation is made of a time management entirely based on breath, color, and dynamic gradations that can be fully appreciated in venues like these. Thus, one savors an Allegro con brio that doesn’t unravel vertiginously at the end, but unfolds its increasing tension with the utmost precision, devoid of any mechanical quality in valuing each beat, each resumption, each thematic recall. Thus was savored a second movement of rare beauty, precisely because of its inner pulsation, the nobility of the crescendo that animates from a march as subdued as it is well articulated. But no movement can exist in isolation; each is linked to the next in an irresistible perpetual motion, almost hypnotic in its internal richness unraveled with such profound grace, in the synesthesia of colors and depths, time, meter, and rhythm, physicality and elusive dynamism, grasped nonetheless by control from the baton and the understanding between podium and orchestra. Noble simplicity, (un)quiet and intelligent greatness, body and soul: for new generations of performers of this caliber, we return to the theater and remember how important it is to serve music with honesty and passion. The participative silence of the hall then transforms into repeated calls to the stage; in Fabriano, the audience even rises to its feet to applaud an evening that is difficult to forget. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, November 29, 2021
[…] Under the direction of Alessandro Bonato today (and in the not very fortunate position of the first row behind the row of trombones), we heard the widest dynamic range and the best sound balance of the orchestra in the stalls during this Rof 2021. The Veronese maestro, to whom it is now time to entrust top productions, not only makes things work in the best possible way but also gives a well-defined interpretation without losing sight of the vocal requirements, ensuring the ensemble is not limited to passive accompaniment, but rather as an active participant. In the Symphony of Le siège de Corinthe, in the opening, we immediately feel the personal and coherent start of the Marche lugubre grecque, an evolution of themes in the crescendo that is not mechanical at all but develops with impeccable, continuous dynamic articulation. The technical foundation in Verdi is the same, consequential and fluid, with a precise overall view, rhythmic and cantabile sense, grips that are never banally thunderous but always controlled from the subtlest incipit. Yet we feel very well that Verdi is not Rossini, that the way of accentuating accents, phrasing, spirit are different, well distinct, even if the formal root is the same and the young Giuseppe cannot help but look at the already mythicized Gioachino. We hear the impalpable but quivering pianissimo ready to explode – not before a well-chiseled pastoral parenthesis – in the Symphony of Giovanna d’Arco, we hear the rush of thematic dramaturgy in that of Nabucco, intimately energetic as it should be. And then, nevertheless, the anxious and exhausted sigh in the gloom of Philippe II’s study or the wandering shadow of Jean de Procida amidst the sudden flashes of the Palermitan shore, the tension of one and the Edenic serenity of the other. A whole other world, then, when the ensemble reshapes for Ibert and completely changes its sound and dynamics. This is followed by what could be a premiere in the Rof’s programs: the Intermezzo from Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, stripped of any mannered sentimentality and therefore even more poignant, another, very controlled, form of crescendo in which, between sensuality and nostalgic abandon, youthful hopes still flicker, until they dissolve again in the suspension of pianissimo and the stunned silence that follows for a few moments. Dark and sparkling, perfectly controlled in rhythm, is then the diabolical diptych: Mefistofele/Méphistophélès is mocking, but it’s best to take it seriously. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, August 26, 2021
[…] Without reiterating to the point of redundancy the quality of each movement, it would be enough to say that we know where to look for the next few years. However, when so much care in preparation converges, from analysis to synthesis, into such a coherent, clear, vital interpretation, it would truly be a disservice not to dwell on the value of this Mozart. Especially since it is not without technical pitfalls, for endurance and control, for a different thematic cyclicity to animate – Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, which completes the evening. And yet, we find a care for sound that is not only superficially beautiful but always finely crafted and precise in relation to phrasing, to the evolution of the discourse. We find that beautiful sense of instrumental singing without affected coquetry, but with effortless, fresh elegance, without revealing anything other than the inspired and confident call to origins, a yearning for peace and simplicity that cannot yet be true if not supported by thought […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, June 18, 2021
[…] The gesture is elegantly essential, with the right hand guiding the musical discourse without stilted “choreography” and the left hand coloring the sound without unnecessary flourishes. All of this is combined with an extraordinary ability to get to the very essence of the score, never compromising or opting for easy or flashy solutions, demonstrating all the maturity of the Veronese conductor while also blending with the enthusiasm of his youth. A bright career lies ahead for him, aided by the third prize he won in 2018 at the “Malko Competition,” which served as a luminous milestone […]
Alessandro Cammarano, Le Salon Musical, June 20, 2021
[…] On the podium – a bit of a surprise compared to the announced lineup, but a pleasant one – Alessandro Bonato takes the stage, one of those conductors on whom we would bet blindly today, because after the live experiences (which age – his – and the situation – global – have made possible so far), he has continued to confirm in streaming concerts that he always has that extra something as an artist that captures attention even in the distracted scrolling of a computer playlist […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, May 05, 2021
[…] The “fusion of body and mind” of which Wagner wrote could lead the vision towards a cheap Dionysianism, but that’s not what we need now. Now, the Seventh Symphony we hear from Pesaro with Bonato is not graceful, not joyful either. Yet it is positive because the tension pervading it is concrete, liberating. The entire symphony is driven by an internal dynamic that animates with a continuous tension the agogic variations, so that the relaxation of the second movement – as well as the luminous sweetening noticeable in the third – is like a pursuit, an accumulation of ever pulsating energy towards a creative perpetual motion. In short, it’s not about speed, about tempos for their own sake, but about a sense of continuous crescendo towards a climax that doesn’t lose control, that doesn’t cloud the thought. The peremptory and vital presence of the percussion, the pressing definition of the metric and rhythmic, doesn’t overwhelm itself, the clear and dry accents can be nervous but not neurotic. Thought is there, it cannot not be there, but it becomes embodied in sound and its form evolves without rest. And it is precisely the body and the sound, their motion, that after a year of distancing, we feel the need for: Beethoven responds, with the satisfying exhaustion that closes the composed paroxysm of the allegro con brio. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, March 28, 2021
[…] Alessandro Milani and Luca Ranieri, first violin and first viola of the Rai orchestra, with impressive credentials in their resumes, make the shared experience on the same stage the added value of a common feeling in managing sound and phrasing. In the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra K 364, it is a pleasure to hear them duet, chase each other, dialogue, and come together in the most melodic passages of the Andante or color with sophisticated dynamic gradations the exchanges and the brightest echoes of the Allegro maestoso and the Presto. Their precise intonation is an expression of a care in performance inseparable from intelligent delivery, on the edge of affection that becomes pathos without losing nobility. The harmony with Alessandro Bonato’s conducting is gratifying. It can be sensed – as much as possible through streaming – in the ease with which dynamics and tempo unfold, and it can be felt in the unity of intentions. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, 14 febbraio 2021
[…] You immediately feel it in the well-calibrated sound of the woodwinds and brass, just as you feel the attention to detail in the bowing, which immediately conveys, in both Schubert and Brahms, clarity of ideas and overall vision. (…) Sound control is indeed control of dynamics, conception of phrasing, and expression of the meaning of the form. Thus, with a vigorous and incisive lightness, the internal movement that distinguishes the Schubert overture is outlined, agile yet decisive in its clear and well-controlled development. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, 01 febbraio 2021
[…] Alessandro Bonato, 25 years old, the new principal conductor of the Form-Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, is the youngest conductor among the 13 Italian Concerting Orchestral Institutions (ICO) recognized by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage… Next year, he has an important symphonic debut in Japan with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra awaiting him. His cultural and musical preparation is solid, as is the effectiveness and authority of his conducting technique (…).
The choice made by the Foundation is linked to a cultural project… The appointment, for a two-year term starting in 2021, involves the conductor’s presence in at least three productions for each season, as well as a commitment to communication and promotion activities, especially among the younger generations, an aspect to which Bonato pays particular attention. […]
Sky Tg24, January 03, 2021
[…] The Form-Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana has chosen its new principal conductor (…) A choice linked to a cultural project of perspective and quality (…) A courageous choice that we are able to carry out after a long and effective work on consolidating the orchestra […]
Cronache maceratesi, December 18, 2020
[…] Alessandro Bonato, the new principal conductor of the Form-Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, is just 25 years old. He is the youngest Italian conductor of a Concerting Orchestral Institution. […]
Ansa Marche, December 18, 2020
[…] The twenty-five-year-old from Verona had already captured attention with his debut in Pesaro, somewhat more discreetly within the 2019 program: now he confidently displays, in full view, the technique and sensitivity to master the Rossinian crescendo as not all conductors twice his age can do, the technique and sensitivity to handle the dynamic relationships between themes, their recurrence, development, bouncing from section to section, instrument to instrument. […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape Musicale, August 13, 2020
[…] Cimarosa, the Triumph of Lightness (…) Bonato captures the smiling spirit of sentimental freedom that runs through The Secret Marriage thanks to the elegance of phrasing, the attention to the small instrumental treasures that traverse the score (with the wind section of the orchestra shining), and the dynamic incisiveness of tempos and dynamics […]
Cesare Galla, www.cesaregalla.it, October 27, 2019
[…] From the “extra Rof” events, Bonato now makes his debut in the actual festival: called upon to lead the G. Rossini Symphony Orchestra for the concert featuring Anna Goryachova and Simone Alberghini, he immediately captures attention, confirming the reputation that precedes him in his rapid rise. His decisive approach is appreciated, as well as the vigor he infuses into the symphonies of Norma and The Thieving Magpie, which are spirited, even dramatic but never violent, always controlled, with interesting dynamic nuances. The orchestra, especially in the wind section, may not be perfect, but it conveys the pleasant sensation of a strong rapport with a conductor with clear ideas […]
Roberta Pedrotti, L’Ape musicale, August 26, 2019
[…] The season at the Filarmonico ends in glory (…) Precise and historically aware in style, the contribution of conductor Alessandro Bonato stands out, dealing with a certainly simple score but read with graceful ease […]
Mario Tedeschi Turco, Verona Fedele, May 26, 2019
[…] In the midst of the resounding success of the final part of Puccini’s Trittico, the young conductor Alessandro Bonato plays an important role, leading the Arena professors with a steady hand, focusing on lively dynamics and bold colors […]
Irina Sorokina, L’Ape musicale, May 31, 2019
[…] Credit also goes to the baton wielded by the young Veronese conductor Alessandro Bonato: in his conducting, there is dexterity of gesture, full ability to control the choral interplay of voices, conscious depth, and good depth of field. As a result, in the unfolding of the Puccinian score, a vivid and lively narrative emerges. In the Cimarosa piece, he was on stage with his instrumentalists, powdered wig and white livery, restraining the excesses of the arrogant musician […]
Gilberto Mion, www.teatro.it, May 30, 2019
[…] While rain rages over Verona, inside the Filarmonico, the sun shines (…) A spectacle that benefits from a single, brilliant conductor, the Veronese Alessandro Bonato, equally at ease with the harmonic refinements of the Enlightenment era as with the capricious and intriguing energy of Puccini […]
Angela Bosetto, L’Arena, May 20, 2019
[…] Twenty-four-year-old Alessandro Bonato, conducting and debuting at the Filarmonico in his hometown, is more than just a podium promise, as he performed with the skill of a veteran, eliciting excellent performance from the arena orchestra and garnering appreciation for his brilliance capable of lyrical nuances, for his elegance, and for the clarity of phrasing, which underscored the sophisticated wisdom that Puccini displayed in this score […]
Cesare Galla, Le Salon Musical, May 19, 2019
[…] the young conductor Alessandro Bonato (born in 1995!) showed remarkable confidence. Supported by solid technique, authoritative presence, and beautiful musical ideas, Bonato conducted Mendelssohn, demanding and obtaining from the Rai Orchestra vigorous sound and maximum precision in rhythmic articulation and tempo control, with the only exception being a slight slowing down on the four fortissimo chords in the Saltarello, before the final stretta. Particularly successful were the central movements: the Andante con moto, conducted with elegant and expressive gestures of the left hand, and the Con moto moderato (often tricky for conductors), guided with fluidity and without affectation. The pursuit of a rich sound also characterized the reading of Rossinian overtures: the result was a lively and enjoyable Rossini, evident from the initial pizzicatos of the Italiana in Algeri, played without any ensemble flaw, albeit without the pianissimo requested by the composer. Credit is due for using the “Turkish band” as indicated in the score, rather than more conventional percussion instruments. […]
Stefano Bazzi, Corriere del Ticino, September 22, 2018
[…] The Veronese conductor, aged 23, immediately impressed with the precision achieved with the strings, rich in tenderness, both in Holst (Suite No. 2 St. Paul’s) and in Barber. Bonato is clear and precise. He communicates his intentions well and already possesses a good deal of skill in his DNA. In the works of the famous English composer, he effectively works on the planes of intensity, creating a game of perspectives of sound planes that is successful and well-executed, with accuracy and delicacy. Even in Barber’s renowned “Adagio,” the melancholic, mournful veil is crafted with care, showing a marked homogeneity in phrasing. […]
Bernardino Zappa, Eco di Bergamo, May 12, 2018
[…] At the helm of the Festival Philharmonic Orchestra, starting with the pivotal “Egmont” Overture, Bonato demonstrated a keen sensitivity to the musical phrases’ flow, particularly to the dramatic and structural significance of pauses. […]
