The mixed choir “Desiderio da Settignano” was born in 1989 from a joint idea of Johanna Knauf and Sara Chiarenza. They had the plan to offer everyone, without any selection, the opportunity to make music. The program was to progressively explore a repertoire varied and agile musical, of a particular emotional vivacity. The headquarters was established in Settignano (near Florence, Italy). Then was resumed the name of the pre-existing and glorious Philharmonic Society “Desiderio da Settignano”. From the first “historic” small nucleus, the staff has grown to about 60 elements and since 2002 the homonymous orchestra has joined it. Both directed by Johanna Knauf.
Repertoire & Collaboration
The repertoire ranges from Renaissance vocal music to seventeenth-century opera, from baroque oratorio to nineteenth-century melodrama, to contemporary Italian, German and French music. The high level of execution achieved has allowed important collaborations with the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Florence, the Germanic Institute, Amnesty International, the Meyer Pediatric Hospital, the Casa Buonarroti Museum.
In 2002, the choir performed Verdi’s Requiem Mass in Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio, together with the German Youth Orchestra, Jugendorchester Wuppertal, obtaining a great response from critics and audiences. Then repeated in 2003 with the short solemn Mass by Cherubini, together with the Junge Fürther Streichhölzer Youth Orchestra.
Then in Rome and Florence for the performance of Symphony no. 3 by Louise Farrenc and the Oratorium nach Bildern del Bibel by Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn, for Soli, choir and orchestra. In 2005, in collaboration with the Dacorum SymphonyOrchestra and the Coburger Bachchor, an appreciated concert was held in the Basilica of Santa Croce, with the performance of Verdi’s Requiem Mass. This was then repeated in various circumstances including that of May 2010 with the concert held in the wonderful setting of Piazza Signoria, in memory of the massacre in via dei Georgofili. We also remember the performance of a program entirely dedicated to Mozart, in Florence in the Bargello Museum, as part of the Machiavellica ’06 review.
Aim
The Desiderio da Settignano Choir and Orchestra Association offers amateurs and professionals the opportunity to make music together under the guidance of Johanna Knauf. She has always directed its concerts, giving space to everyone’s expressive capacity in a spirit of joyful creativity.
Johanna Knauf was born in Coburg in Germany and completed her studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich. In this school she studied singing, piano, choir conducting and orchestral conducting.
She specialized in singing and choir conducting at the Bolzano Conservatory, Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Sommerakademie in Salzburg and at the Fiesole Music School. In Florence, she specialized in conducting with Maestro Piero Bellugi.
After a long illness she passed away in Florence on 1 June 2020 at the age of 66.
Discography
There are numerous audio and video recordings that testify the various events. We remember the double CD with Giuseppe Verdi’s La Messa da Requiem, 2005 “live recording”, Santa Croce Florence and the DVD of the show held at the Teatro La Pergola “PEER GYNT” by H. Ibsen with music by Edvar Grieg. Both can be purchased at the headquarters of the Desiderio da Settignano Choir and Orchestra Association on the occasion of rehearsals and concerts.
More information on the repertoire, concerts and contacts can be found at http://www.coroorchestradesiderio.org/desiderio/
Starting from 2011, Rocky & Records has been actively involved in audio recording and production, with a view to a collaborative spirit between associations. Moreover, this activity had already been partially followed for some time, privately and personally, by the President of Rocky & Records and witnessed by numerous unreleased recordings.
An online publication of Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, see specific post, was also edited in the major Liquid Music Web Stores for long time. Now removed.
IT Version
