(b. 9 April 1948, Venice).

Italian composer of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, piano, and multimedia works that have been performed throughout the world.

Mr. Ambrosini initially studied foreign languages and literature at the Università degli Studi in Milan and there earned his MA in both subjects in 1972. He then studied electronic music with Alvise Vidolin at the Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello in Venice from 1972–75, where he also studied early instruments from 1975–78. In addition, he studied music history at the Università Ca' Foscari in Venice and there earned his MA in 1978. Important to his development were his meetings with Bruno Maderna and Luigi Nono.

Among his honours are the Prix de Rome (1985, as the first composer from Italy) and a term as the representative of Italy to the European Year of Music (1985). He also represented Italy at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris (1986) and earned the Leone d'Oro per la Musica from the Biennale di Venezia (2007, for Plurimo [per Emilio Vedova]). He has received commissions from the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, the Biennale di Venezia, the government of France, RAI, the festival Spaziomusica, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and WDR, among other organisations. His music has been featured at many festivals, including a portrait concert at the festival Milano Musica in 1995.

He is also active in other positions. He has worked on computer music at the Centro per la Sonologia Computazionale in Padua since 1976. In addition, he founded the Centro Internazionale per la Ricerca Strumentale in Venice in 1983 and has since served as its director.

As a conductor, he founded the Ex Novo Ensemble in Venice in 1979 and has served as its conductor since 1979.

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

Orfeo, l'ennesimo (opera in 1 act, libretto by Carlo d'Altilia), 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone (+ clarinet), trumpet, trombone, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1984 (a concert suite was arranged)

Il Sogno (lyric nocturne/theatre piece, libretto by the composer), soprano (+ piano), fixed media, 1989

Canzoniere ballato (ballet in 2 acts, texts by Giorgio Baffo, Yves Bonnefoy, an anonymous source), soprano, clarinet, violin ad libitum, piano, 2 percussion, 1991 (five sections may be performed separately as concert works: Le Fleuve; Pórtite amore, adeo; Lode alle tette; Ballo da sfioro; Ballo in ottava rima)

Anima mundi (theatre of sound images), voices, ensemble, fixed media, 1995

Frammenti d'acque (musical dramaturgy), flute, French horn, trumpet, harp, glass instruments, 2 percussion, live electronics, 1996

Il Giudizio universale (opera buffa in 1 act, libretto by the composer), soprano, tenor, actor, small orchestra (15 players), live electronics, 1996

Pandora librante (ballet in 2 acts after Italo Calvino, texts by Titus Lucretius Carus, an anonymous 13th-century source from Italy, Cecco Angiolieri), soprano, mezzo-soprano, ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 2 percussion), orchestra, 1997 (nine sections may be performed separately as concert works: Il Sole, la polvere; L'Usignolo; Sì fosse foco; Alba; Andante leggero, quasi inesistente; Prestissimo dimezzato; Misurato Kaosmicomico; Notturno, dei sentieri; Ostinato rampante)

La Vera Storia dell'Invenzione del Pianoforte (music-theatre work in 1 act), actor, Disklavier, 1998

Le Cahier perdu de Casanova (scenic concert, text by the composer), 1998 (its two sections may be performed separately: Casanova's carnet de bal [dance suite], harp, piano 4 hands, percussion; Notturni, albe, serenate, 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, piano)

BIG BANG CIRCUS (piccola storia dell'universo, opera in 2 times, libretto by Sandro Cappelletto, the composer), soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, actor, small orchestra (16 players), live electronics, 2001–02

Vademecum (sonic breviary), ensemble, fixed media, live electronics, 2004

Orfeo – Toccata (da Monteverdi)/La Via Lattea (musical pilgrimage in ten stations), 2004

il canto della pelle (SEX Unlimited) (melodramma giocoso with labyrinth in 2 parts, texts from the Atharvaveda, the Kama Sutra, the Bible, Orphic hymns, the Tantras, Sappho, John Donne, St. John of the Cross, Juana Inés de la Cruz, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Veronica Gambara, Giorgio Baffo, Veronica Franco, Gaspara Stampa, Titus Lucretius Carus, Trotula of Salerno, Juvenal, Walt Whitman, anonymous graffiti from Pompeii), soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, female actor, dancer, small orchestra, live electronics, 2005 (a concert suite was arranged)

ORCHESTRAL:

Veneziano (concerto), piano, orchestra, 1984–85

Doppio Concerto grosso, piano, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), large orchestra, 1987

Andante leggero, quasi inesistente, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Prestissimo dimezzato, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Misurato Kaosmicomico, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Notturno, dei sentieri, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Ostinato rampante, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Pausa irreale, large orchestra, 2004

Tocar (concerto), piano, orchestra, 2007

Plurimo (per Emilio Vedova) (concerto), 2 pianos, orchestra, 2007

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Canzone curva, detta dell'occhiolino, guitar, c. 1972, notated 1992

Pensiero minore, guitar, c. 1972, notated 1992

Canzone d'ombre, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1992

Canzone a perdere, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1992

Tantalo sorridente, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1992

Canzone molle, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1992

Capriccio alla siciliana, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1992

Due Notturni, guitar, c. 1973, notated 1993

Scherzo (Omaggio à Escher), guitar, 1974, notated 1993

Blues, guitar, c. 1974, notated 1992

Notturno (Tombeau for Jimi H.), guitar, 1975, notated 1992

Arie e Danze, guitar, 1976

Uno e Trino, flute, oboe, amplified clarinet, 1979

Negli sguardi di Eurialo e Niso, flute, clarinet, 2 plants (dipped into water), fixed media, 1980

Cadenza estesa e Coda, amplified flute, fixed media, 1981

Icaros, violin, 1981

A guisa di un arcier presto soriano, flute, 1981

'Oh, mia Euridice'...a Fragment, clarinet (+ voice), viola, 1981 (also version for clarinet [+ voice], cello, piano, 1990, revised 1991)

Trompe-l'oreille, flute, vibraphone, 1981

Una forma, chiusa, flute, violin, viola, 1981

Trobar clar, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, 1982

Capriccio, detto l'ermafrodita, bass clarinet, 1983

Rousseau, le douanier: 'Follia d'Orlando', clarinet, 1983

Vietato ai minori, upright piano (with total-mute pedal), ensemble (flute, clarinet, cello, harpsichord, percussion), 1983

Nell'Orecchio di Van Gogh, una pulce, upright piano (with total-mute pedal) (+ piano), ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion), 1983

Concavo, convesso, upright piano (with total-mute pedal), ensemble (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, percussion), 1983, revised 2000

Gli Italiani parlano tutti con le mani, upright piano (with total-mute pedal) (+ piano), ensemble (flute, trumpet, electric guitar, violin, cello, double bass, 2 percussion), 1984

De vulgari eloquentia, piano, ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin [+ viola], cello), 1984

Hic sunt Leones, piano, ensemble (flute, clarinet, saxophone [+ clarinet], violin, viola, cello, percussion), 1984

(Noche oscura), piano, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 1984–85

Trobar clus, piano, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 1985

Dettaglio sacrilego, percussion, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, double bass), 1987

Rondaccio, piano, percussion/2 percussion, 1988 (version of Rondò di forza)

Il Satellite sereno, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 1989

Dove c'è un tabù c'è un desiderio, dulcian, 2 cornetts, 4 trombones, violin, viola, cello, positive organ, harpsichord, 1990

Ballo da sfioro, clarinet, piano, 2 percussion, 1991 (section of Canzoniere ballato; may be performed separately as a concert work; also version for 2 ensembles [clarinet, piano, 2 percussion; bassoon, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass], 1996)

Priapo assiderato, guitar, 1992

For a Month we Loved Forever, percussion, 1994

Rap, guitar, 1994

Ballo sghembo, 2 pianos, 2 percussion, 1994

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un fauve, flute, violin, piano, 1994

Ciaccona del giglio, guitar, 1995

Labirinto armonico (fantasy on Das Kleine Harmonische Labyrinth by Johann Sebastian Bach), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1995

Due Improvvisi, Disklavier, 1997

Vita, violin, 2003

Il Suono e il Suo Doppio, cello, 2004

De Alchimia, ensemble, 2004

CHORAL:

Proverbs of Hell (cantata, text by William Blake), soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus, piano, percussion, large orchestra, 1990–91

Susanna (oratorio, text by Sandro Cappelletto), boy soprano, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, mixed chorus, cornett, sackbut, double harp, lute, 2 violins, viola da gamba, double bass, positive organ (+ harpsichord), percussion, 1995–96

Acrobata (text by Edoardo Sanguineti), 4 mixed voices, 1997

Soliloquy (text by Sylvia Plath), 4 female voices, 2003

Dai Filò di Zanzotto (text by Andrea Zanzotto), 4 female voices, piano, 2003

Lied ohne Worte (text by the composer, after Ludwig van Beethoven, Friedrich von Schiller, children from the concentration camp in Terezín [Pavel Friedmann, Hanus Hachenburg, 'Teddy' L410, anonymous]), soprano, children's chorus, piano, fixed media, 2004

Ur-Malo, da Meneghello (polittico, text by Luigi Meneghello), 4 female voices, piano (+ objects), 2007

VOCAL:

Il Segreto (text from an anonymous source), soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, violin, viola, cello, 2 percussion, 1988

Le Fleuve (text by Yves Bonnefoy), soprano, clarinet, percussion, 1991 (section of Canzoniere ballato; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Pórtite amore, adeo (text from an anonymous source), soprano, clarinet, percussion, 1991 (section of Canzoniere ballato; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Lode alle tette (text by Giorgio Baffo), soprano, clarinet, violin ad libitum, percussion, 1991 (section of Canzoniere ballato; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Eco, c'è ascuti (text by Giovanni Meli), mezzo-soprano, vibraphone, 1993

Orfeo, l'ennesimo, 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone (+ clarinet), trumpet, trombone, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1993 (concert suite from opera)

Tutti parlano (text by Virgilio Guidi), soprano, flute, cello, 1993

Il Sole, la polvere (text by Titus Lucretius Carus), soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

L'Usignolo (text from an anonymous 13th-century source from Italy), soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute, violin, percussion, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Sì fosse foco (text by Cecco Angiolieri), soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Alba (text from an anonymous 13th-century source from Italy), soprano, mezzo-soprano, 2 percussion, 1997 (section of Pandora librante; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Passione secondo Marco (oratorio, texts by Sandro Cappelletto, the Book of Mark), coloratura soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, speaker, flute, clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano 4 hands, 2 percussion, 1999–2000

il canto della pelle (SEX Unlimited), soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, small orchestra, live electronics, 2006 (concert suite from stage work)

PIANO:

Rondò di forza, 1981 (also version as Rondaccio, piano, percussion/2 percussion)

Impromptu, 1982

Épater! Épater!, upright piano (with total-mute pedal), 1982

Grande ballo futurista, upright piano (with total-mute pedal), 1982

Capriccio, 2 pianos, 1982

Apocrifo, upright piano (with total-mute pedal), 1984

Ballo in ottava rima, 1991 (section of Canzoniere ballato; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Preludio, a sguardi, 1994

Ciaccona, 1998

RADIO PRODUCTIONS:

I Sogni sono soltanto schiuma? (text by Sandro Cappelletto), 1989 (consists of Il Sogno della miniera; Il Sogno di Donizetti; Il Sogno delle scale; Il Sogno di Nabuccodonosor; Il Sogno di Wagner; Il Sogno del treno perduto; Il Sogno degli Amanti; Il Sogno di Orlando; Il Sogno di Costantino; Gli esami non finiscono mai; Il Sogno dei Lupi Bianchi; La Notte)

Iti, guerrieri, amorosi (text by Sandro Cappelletto), 1993 (consists of Apollo e Marsia; Pasifae; Eco e Narciso; Atalanta; Persefone; Ermafrodita; Perseo e Andromeda; Ercole)

MULTIMEDIA:

Video Music, film, 1974

Solo/Tutti, ensemble, audiovisual circuit (with direttore d'ascolto [a conductor for the proper listening of the audience]), 1973–75

Christmas Carol, film, 1975

Hair-Cut, film, 1976

Autobiografia, film, 1976

De Photographia, film, 1976

Tocco Nos. 1–3, film, 1976

Audioidentikit, film, 1976

Light Solfeggio, film, 1977

Taperecorder Suite, film, 1977 (consists of Relationships; Kissing; Perpetual Motion; I love you)

Zoom, film, 1977

Wind Orchestra, film, 1977

Istra Suite, film, 1977

Video Canon, film, 1977

Ritratto, film, 1977

Aria, film, 1978

Video Sonata, film, 1979

Sentire/ascoltare, film, 1979

LIBRETTOS/TEXTS (for music-theatre works unless otherwise noted):

Il Pappagallo di Mozart, 1988

Il Bacio, 1989

For Amore, 1989

M'Ama? Non M'ama?, 1994

L'Asino di Buridano, 1994

SSS (Sportello Suoni Smarriti), 1995

Il Miracolo dei Sensi (comic opera), 1996

Stesso posto, tra un anno, 1996

Il Pappagallo di Lennon, 1997

Il Mago dei Suoni (comic opera), 1998

ARRANGEMENTS:

Canzoni I–II from Canzoni et sonate per sonar con ogni sorte de instrumenti (Giovanni Gabrieli), ensemble, 1985

Toccata from L'Orfeo (Claudio Monteverdi), ensemble, 1985

Canzon XIII a 12, Canzon I a 5, Sonata XIX a 15 from Sacræ symphoniæ and Canzoni et sonate per sonar con ogni sorte de instrumenti (Giovanni Gabrieli), large orchestra, 1998