Biography

Federico Bresciani is an Italian conductor whose artistic work focuses particularly on nineteenth-century repertoire, historically informed performance and the relationship between historical research and contemporary orchestral practice. His work on the podium grows out of the meeting point between research, extensive orchestral experience and a strong interest in sound, flexibility of phrasing and direct communication with musicians.

He is co-founder, Artistic Director and Conductor of Nie | Romantyczni in Gdańsk, Poland's first orchestra dedicated to nineteenth-century repertoire on period instruments. With the ensemble, Bresciani explores the sound world and expressive language of Romantic music, with a particular focus on the rediscovery of Polish repertoire. Its programmes have included works by Moniuszko, Paderewski, Noskowski and Żeleński, approached through historical sources and performance practices while remaining firmly directed towards contemporary audiences.

Bresciani is currently assistant to Kent Nagano at the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE), extending a collaboration that developed through his work with the Dresdner Festspielorchester. With the orchestra, he has been closely involved in the historically informed performance and recording of Wagner's complete Der Ring des Nibelungen on period instruments, conducted by Nagano and developed in collaboration with musicologist Clive Brown.

The work on Wagner and nineteenth-century sources has become an important influence on Bresciani's conducting. For him, historically informed performance is not an attempt to reconstruct the past, but a means of questioning established interpretative conventions and rediscovering aspects of musical rhetoric, tempo, articulation, portamento, balance, sound and expressive freedom.

He is currently completing postgraduate studies in conducting at Technological University Dublin under David Brophy, Chief Conductor of the WDR Funkhausorchester and former Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. His conducting repertoire ranges from the Classical period through Romanticism to the early twentieth century, reflecting a particular interest in the ways historical research and modern symphonic practice can enrich one another.

At the foundation of Bresciani's conducting is an extensive career spent inside the orchestra.

Born in Sardinia, he graduated with distinction in violin from the Conservatory of Cagliari before continuing his studies in Vienna at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK) with Florin Zwiauer and Gertrud Weinmeister, and at the Academy of the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna.

As a violist, Bresciani has held leading positions in several European orchestras. From 2012 to 2017 he served as Deputy Principal Viola of the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester, before joining Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen as Principal Viola. He is currently Principal Viola of the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne and also holds a leading viola position with the Dresdner Festspielorchester.

He has also appeared as guest Principal Viola with orchestras including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and SWR Symphonieorchester. Over the course of his orchestral career, he has worked under conductors including Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Herbert Blomstedt, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Daniele Gatti, Paavo Järvi, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gianandrea Noseda, Antonio Pappano, Lorin Maazel and Sir Colin Davis.

Nearly two decades inside the orchestra have profoundly shaped the way Bresciani conducts. His practical knowledge of how an orchestra listens, breathes, reacts and builds sound from within translates into an approach based on clarity of gesture, close listening and trust between conductor and musicians. Particular attention is given to phrasing, articulation, colour, balance and the natural responsiveness of the ensemble.