Antonio Pasculli

Antonio Pasculli was an Italian oboist and composer, known as "the Paganini of the oboe".

Biography

Pasculli was born in Palermo, Sicily on 13 October 1842. He lived there his whole life but travelled widely in Italy, Germany and Austria, giving oboe concerts. He directed symphonic and wind orchestra concerts, which were popular in Italy at the time. He also transcribed a large number of opera pieces for oboe and piano/harp, including works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Rossini. One of his well-known works is Etude Caractéristique for oboe and piano "Le Api" written in 1874 which resembles and precedes Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee".
He died in Palermo on 23 February 1924.
Pasculli's works require extraordinary virtuosity on the instrument. His pieces make constant use of arpeggiations, trills, and scales, and require the oboist to use circular breathing. His output was essentially forgotten early in the twentieth century, and he remained in oblivion until oboists Heinz Holliger and Omar Zoboli began reviving his music. As a result, some of his works are now available in recordings.

Le Api, for oboe & piano
Concerto sopra motivi dell'opera 'La favorita' di Donizetti, for oboe & piano
Fantasia sull'opera 'Poliuto' di Donizetti, for oboe & piano
Fantasia sull'opera 'Les Huguenots' di Meyerbeer, for oboe & piano
Ricordo di Napoli: Scherzo brillante, for oboe & piano
Amelia - un pensiero del Ballo in Maschera, for English horn & piano
Ommagio a Bellini on themes from 'Il Pirata' and 'La Sonnambula', for English horn & harp
Gran Sestetto concertante