MAINARDI, ENRICO (Cellist, Composer, Conductor) 1970 autographed addressed card

Description

You are bidding on 4"x 6" postcard addressed to me from ENRICO MAINARDI (1897-1976), Italian cellist, composer and conductor, dated June 5, 1970.
"Dear Mr. William Jones, Jr,
I am sorry not to be able to give any news of our Friend, A.K. Borowsky a great musician and personality. I met him in Berlin 1925 and listened and appreciated recitals. With best wishes, (signed) E. Mainardi.
Mainardi studied with G. Magrini at the Milan Conservatory, and with Hugo Becker in Berlin; he also studied composition in Milan with G. Orefice, and later in Venice with Malipero. n His debut in Milan (when he was 13) was followed by a European Concert season and international recognition. At the age of 16 he played Reger's Sonata No 4, Op 11 with the composer at the Heidelberg Bach-Reger Festival. Mainardi formed duos with Dohnanyi, Backhaus, Carlo Zecchi and Edwin Fischer; with Fischer he also formed a trio, first with Kulenkampff and later with Schneiderhan. Pizzern's Cello Concerto (1933) was written for him, as were Malipiero's Cello Concerto (1937) and Triple Concerto (1938). In 1933 Richard Strauss invited Mainardi to record Don Quixote, with the composer conducting. Mainardi made many other recordings, often directing the orchestra while playing the solo part in Baroque and Classical concertos. from 1930 he taught the cello and chamber music at the Academia di S Cecilia, Rome, and in Berlin, Salzburg and Lucerne. He held international masterclasses and seminars specializing in the cello and chamber music of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and Pizzetti. Among his pupils were Siegfried Palm, Erkki Rautio and Joan Dickson, his assistant for many years.
Mainardi's playing was characterized by clear, warm tone and the use of moderato tempos; he never permitted the display of impeccable technique to override the integrity of his interpretation. his compositions include four cello concertos, sonatas for cello (unaccompanied and with piano), more than 20 chamber works, songs and orchestral works. He edited Bach's cello suites, using a second staff to analyze their contrapuntal structure and clarify his technical suggestions, and Wagenseil's cello concertos, of which he gave the first modern performance following their discovery in 1953.