Ruggiero Ricci
| Ruggiero Ricci | |
|---|---|
Ricci (middle) with Gerhart Hauptmann in 1932
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| Born |
Woodrow Wilson Rich July 24, 1918 San Bruno, California |
| Died | August 5, 2012 (aged 94) Palm Springs, California |
| Occupation | violinist, pedagogue |
| Years active | 1928–2012 |
| Website | ruggieroricci.com |
Ruggiero Ricci (July 24, 1918 – August 5, 2012) was an American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini.
He was born in San Bruno, California, the son of Italian immigrants who first named him Woodrow Wilson Rich. His brother was cellist George Ricci, originally named George Washington Rich (1923–2010). His sister Emma played violin with the New York Metropolitan Opera. His father first taught him to play the violin. At age seven, Ricci studied with Louis Persinger and Elizabeth Lackey. Persinger would become his piano accompanist for many recitals and recordings.
Ricci gave his first public performance in 1928 at the age of 10 in San Francisco where he played works by Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps. He gained a reputation for being a child prodigy. At the age of 11, he gave his first orchestral performance, playing the Mendelssohn concerto, and soon after he had his highly successful debut at Carnegie Hall.
In the 1930s Ricci studied in Berlin with Georg Kulenkampff, where he learned a "German style" of playing in the tradition of Adolf Busch. He also studied with Michel Piastro and Paul Stassevich.
He served in the US Army from 1942 until 1945, where he was an "Entertainment Specialist".
In 1947, Ricci was the first violinist to record the complete 24 Caprices, Op. 1, by Paganini, in their original form. Ricci's first recording was on the Shellac recording label (he later made three other recordings of the Caprices). After his time in the military, he uncovered many pieces by 19th-century composers that he would perform solo. He also performed the world premieres of pieces by many contemporary composers, including the violin concertos by Gottfried von Einem, Carlos Veerhoff and Alberto Ginastera.
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