Lucio Matarazzo
Lucio Matarazzo
Lucio Matarazzo studied with M. E. Caliendo at the Conservatory “D. Cimarosa” in Avellino, where he graduated summa cum laude. He continued his studies with Oscar Ghiglia, José Tomás and later Angelo Gilardino, completing his training at the Academy “L. Perosi” in Biella with the rare distinction of Special Mention.
For more than two decades he performed in a duo with guitarist Mario Fragnito. The duo won several international competitions, including Stresa, Palmi, Forte dei Marmi, Trapani and Berlin, and appeared at leading contemporary music festivals such as Pescara, Ferrara and Berlin.
For the publisher Berben, Matarazzo has revised and fingered works by Stephen Dodgson, Antonio Ruiz Pipò, Astor Piazzolla, Ferenc Farkas and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the 20th-century edition curated by Angelo Gilardino.
He has served as a jury member at many international competitions, including the “Segovia” Competition in Mallorca, the “Yamashita” Competition in Berlin, the “De Bonis” Competition in Cosenza and the “Pittaluga” Competition in Alessandria, contributing to the advancement of numerous young guitarists.
With Fragnito, Matarazzo recorded two LPs and five CDs for Lira Records, Ducale and Edi-Pan, premiering several works including Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s complete 24 Preludes and Fugues, for which he is preparing a new four-volume edition for Berben.
As a soloist, he is engaged in a large recording project dedicated to guitar studies of the 19th and 20th centuries. His CDs featuring the music of Carcassi, Legnani and Giuliani have received exceptional praise; the Giuliani recording was awarded Best CD of 1999 in Bisceglie.
In 2001 he performed selections from Pierre Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples in a concert attended by the composer.
Matarazzo is also a founding member of the internationally acclaimed GuitArt Quartet. The ensemble has inspired significant new works, including Gilardino’s Concerto Italiano and Gerard Drozd’s Concerto Rapsodico. In 2001, Leo Brouwer composed and dedicated the Concierto Italico to the quartet, conducting the world premiere in Todi.
The quartet’s collaboration with Brouwer includes performances at major festivals in Italy, Spain, Poland, Cuba and Portugal, as well as the acclaimed DVD Diario Italico and several recordings. International media such as the magazine Classical Guitar have highlighted the ensemble’s originality and artistic impact.
GuitArt Quartet has also ventured into cross-genre projects, including Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint and collaborations with artists such as Steve Hackett and Frank Gambale. In 2007 the ensemble performed with singer Antonella Ruggiero in the tribute “Un uomo in frac,” broadcast worldwide by RaiUno and Rai International.
The quartet has toured extensively, including a successful U.S. tour in 2002 and a notable appearance at the Iserlohn Festival in 2003. Their debut CD From Spain to South America, released by Niccolò, received enthusiastic reviews for its expressive depth and ensemble cohesion.
In addition to performing, the quartet serves as artistic directors and editors of GuitArt, one of the leading international guitar magazines.
Lucio Matarazzo teaches at the Conservatory of Avellino, where he is Director of the Guitar Department and oversees first- and second-level academic programs. He performs on a “Leonardo” guitar (cedar and cypress) by G. Giussani with Exagon tuners and D’Addario EXP strings.
