Francesco Cera was born in Bologna, Italy, and studied organ and harpsichord under Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini and later with Gustav Leonhardt at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He is now one of Italy’s leading early music specialists. Francesco Cera’s distinctive interpretation can be heard not only in his approach to early keyboard instruments, but also in Baroque vocal and instrumental music. He has performed as a soloist in important international festivals and on historical organs through out the whole of Europe.
Francesco Cera specialises in voice and vocal music, and directs the Ensemble Arte Musica, with whom he performs Italian music covering the period from Gesualdo’s madrigals to 18th century cantatas. His recordings of 17th century harpsichord and organ music (the complete works of Rossi, Merula, Storace and Valente for label Tactus), were highly acclaimed by the most important music magazines such as Goldberg, Amadeus, Répertoire and Diapason. Francesco Cera has recorded Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti from the manuscript dated 1742, and took part in the performance of the complete Scarlatti Sonatas at the Flanders Festival in Gent. Francesco Cera was a member of the ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and frequently performs with the ensemble I Barocchisti directed by Diego Fasolis, with whom he has recorded four concertos for harpsichord by J. S. Bach (recently issued by Arts).
ENSEMBLE ARTE MUSICA
Francesco Cera founded and directs the Ensemble Arte Musica. Their interpretation is characterised by a new and unconventional approach to Baroque vocal repertoire, although in the light of historical evidence. The singers in the Ensemble are chamber music and opera soloists, and the instrumentalists perform with Il Giardino Armonico and I Barocchisti. The ensemble’s first recording (Tactus label) of unpublished sacred music by the 17th century composer Giovanni Paolo Colonna was widely acclaimed by the critics. The ensemble made their concert debut at the Flanders Festival in Bruges in 1997. Their next CDs included the Fourth Book of Madrigals by Carlo Gesualdo, and the Lamento di Arianna and Scherzi Musical composed in 1632 by Claudio Monteverdi. In 2002, the magazine “Amadeus” featured their CD of unpublished Cantatas and Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. 2006 saw the issue of their CD “Ghirlanda Sacra”, a collection of motets for solo voice by Monteverdi and other composers working in Venice at the beginning of the 17th century. The Ensemble Arte Musica has performed at important music festivals through out Europe, such as the Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti in Rome, Bologna Festival, Milano Arte Musica, Les Gouts Reunis in Lausanne, Linzner Schloss Konzerte, Festival van Vlaanderen, Tage fur Alte Musik in Brandenburg, Le feste di Apollo in Parma, Festival Cantar Lontano, Festival Luci e Tintinnii in Colle di Val d’Elsa and Festival Galuppi in Venice.
