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Un Duetto Perfetto
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Un Duetto Perfetto

Please read our interview
In Genova e Liguria Magazine, page 6


Loris and Manrico Cosso, the twin brothers violinists, first violins Concertino in Carlo Felice Theatre since 1985, talk about themselves and their album.


What age did you realize your musical inclinations?  

 

 «We were little», answer together the Cosso twin brothers, first violins concertino in Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra in Genoa. «I remember» Manrico continues «that one of our aunt, who worked as saleswoman in Upim, gave us two little baby grand pianos for our birthday. We were six years old: we began playing and from then on we have never stopped».

 

 Was there in your family anyone who played violin?

 

 «No, there wasn’t, but both our parents had a passion for operas. In particular, our dad studied bel canto and, even if he had another job, he did some concerts during his youth. Also our names evoke operatic memories: Manrico is the protagonist of Il Trovatore and Loris the protagonist of Fedora».

Are you monozygotic twins? Do you have any sisters or brothers?

 

«Yes, we are, as you can see from our sameness, we were conceived from the same ovum... by the way we love to define ourselves as “only children”. Actually, we have not only similar tastes but also the same hobbies».

 

What kind of school did you attend to learn how to play?

 

«Our family lived in a small village in the inland parts of Liguria and there we attended school until the first three years of the secondary school.
The coffee bar owner of Isoverde, Pietro Rovati, was a very good violinist who did concerts in Saint Moritz in summer. At that time we enjoyed improvising little concerts playing different instruments, guitar, drums, for our friends.
When we had to choose a lyceum, Mr. Rovati suggested our father to enrol us at Niccolò Paganini Conservatoire in Genoa, finding that we had talent».

 

Up to what age did you study in Conservatoire?

 

«Until the age of 24, under the tutelage of the great Master Renato De Barbieri, who brought us with him to Salzburg festival where we had the opportunity to attend the prestigious “Mozarteum”».

 

When did you start to play professionally?

 

«After we graduated from the Conservatoire, we competed in many contests and in 1983 we won the first prize at Stresa Chamber Music International Competition. From then we had an intense activity with our violins, taking part in many important Festivals, such as the Rossini Festival in Pesaro and the Notturni Leopardiani in Recanati. Afterwards, we joined many chamber-music groups including I Cameristi, the Complesso Barocco Genovese, the Giardino Armonico. We also made several recordings for RAI».


Do you have any other artistic experiences?


«In 1980 Loris participated in Saremo Festival as soloist viola in the "Pierrot Lunaire" melodrama-ballet by A. Schoenberg, with Rudolf Nureyev. Moreover, he collaborated as first violin in the Bordeaux National Orchestra. We also played with various orchestras (Milan and Turin RAI, La Fenice of Venice, etc.). After teaching violin at A. Vivaldi Conservatoire in Alessandria, we finally have had the role of first violins Concertino in the Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra in Genoa since 1985. In 1986 we toured across China with this orchestra and Luciano Pavarotti. In 2008 and 2009 we performed in the most important theatres of Spain, together with the organist Guido Iotti, receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike».


Did you record any CDs?


«Recently, we recorded a self-released album which includes varied pieces, arranged by us. In the CD there are tracks which vary from the most well-known classic music pieces to famous movies’ soundtracks, but also waltzes, gypsy music and the most representative and famous Genoese song, that is the symbol of Genoa: Ma se ghe penso».


How can we buy it?


«Currently, we sell it ourselves (we have a website in which you can find our email manlella@alice.it), anyway, we would like to find a music distribution company and to launch our CD as soon as possible, according to the numerous requests we received».