Ensemble

The Duo Luciano Tristaino - Gisbert Watty was established in 1991 at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. Following a period of extensive research into the fusion and timbral balance of both instruments, the Duo first public appearance in Germany in 1992 met with an enthusiastic response from audience and critics alike. Subsequent performances in Italy focussed on the most important classical, modern as well as contemporary works for flute and guitar and initiated an ongoing collaboration with composers interested in developing the repertoire for this challenging instrumental combination. The Duo also established itself as a nucleus for varying trio and quartet formations with other musicians, most notably, the soprano Donatella Debolini, the cellist Francesco Dillon and the clarinettist Marcello Bonachelli.

Luciano Tristaino studied in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Holland with Mario Ancillotti, Paul Meisen and Rien de Reede. He has performed with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, and he was a finalist at the audition by the Karajan Academy for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994. Apart from a busy concert schedule in Italy, Tristaino has also made regular appearances in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Romania, Hungary and the United States, both as a soloist and chamber performer. He has worked with a diverse range of musicians such as Ancillotti, Berio, Chiarappa, Dantone, Fedi, Schaap, Vismara. He has made recordings for RAI, ABC (Australia), Bayerischer Rundfunk, RTSO, Koch-Schwan and Arts. His interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with composers such as Visser, Stockmeier, Reiner, Saunders, Hazeldine, Colombo-Taccani, Nicoli, Bellotti and Anichini (Concert for flute and orchestra). Tristaino is currently engaged with the Ensemble Nuovo Contrappunto, having recently worked with such renown figures as Ivan Fedele, Luca Lombardi, Azio Corghi, Fabio Vacchi, Marco Stroppa, Giacomo Manzoni, Luciano Berio, but also exponents of the younger generation of composers, Roberta Vacca, Massimo Lauricella, Giovanni Sollima to name but a few. He has recorded CDs with music by Petrassi and Sciarrino, as well as a recent double-CD with eleven first performances (Ars Publica). Tristaino taught at the Conservatories at Cagliari, Cosenza and Trento, and he is an
assistant at master classes at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole where he also teaches foundation courses.

Gisbert Watty studied guitar with Maritta Kersting at the R. Schumann conservatory at Düsseldorf and with Flavio Cucchi at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence. Following his diploma and after further studies with Eliot Fisk, Manuel Barrueco and Oscar Ghiglia, he appeared in numerous concerts in Italy, Germany, France, Spain and Norway. His performance activities focus on chamber music and contemporary music. He has made recordings with Guitar Symphonietta (Giulia Records), the chamber music group of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana (Koch-Schwann/Aulos), the Tuchfühlungsensemble and as a soloist (Ars Publica). He has also appeared in radio and television broadcasts for West German Radio WDR, RAI and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC. Watty has also been a steady champion of new works by composers worldwide with an impressive list of first performances.