Piero Gamba
# Piero Gamba

Piero Gamba (16 September 1936 – 30 January 2022), also known as Pierino Gamba, was an Italian orchestral conductor and pianist.

## Biography

Born in Rome, Italy on 16 September 1936, Gamba came to attention as a child prodigy.

He won the Arnold Bax Memorial Medal in 1962 and during the 1960s he conducted the Philharmonia, and the London Symphony Orchestra, with whom he also recorded for Decca Records. From 1971 to 1980, he was the musical director and conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Winnipeg, Canada. He was the chief conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Australia from 1983 to 1986, and conducted many other Australian orchestras during this time. He was the musical director and conductor of the SODRE National Symphonic Orchestra of Uruguay from 1994 to 1995 as well as from 2001 to 2004. Gamba was one of the founders of Symphonicum Europae Foundation, an institution whose aim is to promote greater harmony of mankind through the arts.

Gamba lived in New York City, pursued his career and teaching orchestra conducting. He died on 30 January 2022, at the age of 85.

## Collaborations

During his long career of some seventy years, he has worked with many artists, who have performed under his direction. Amongst them:

* Luciano Pavarotti
* Arthur Rubinstein
* Yehudi Menuhin
* Roberta Peters
* Maureen Forrester
* Van Cliburn
* Mstislav Rostropovitch
* Gary Graffman
* Erling Blöndal Bengtsson
* Julius Katchen
* Richard Tucker
* Zara Nelsova
* Ida Haendel
* Ruggiero Ricci
* Alfredo Campoli
* Michael Rabin
* Vladimir Ashkenazy
* Jean-Pierre Rampal
* Henryk Szeryng
* Camila Wicks
* Dylana Jenson
* Jorge Bolet
* Itzhak Perlman
* Byron Janis
* Pierre de Groote
* Philip Levy
* Ramon Parcells
* Ted Oien
* Doug Bairstow
* Igor Oistrach
* Stefan Askenase
* Arthur Polson
* Sequeira Costa
* Simon O'Neill
* Peter Schaffer
* Lionel Bowman
* Marek Jablonski
* Pierre Fournier
* Carlos Montoya
* Moira Birks
* Jeanette Kearney
* Robert Merrill
* Veronica Tyler
* Raymond Michalski
* Krysztof Jablonski
* Claude Hauri
* Sandra Silvera
* Maurice André
* Jeremy Menuhin
* Jorge Risi
* José Greco
* Peter Ustinov
* Philip Newman
* Eugene Istomin
* György Sándor
* Raquel Boldorini
* Fernando Hasaj
* Dennis Brain
* Daniel Barenboim
* Dame Malvina Major
* Harry Belafonte
* Maite Berrueta
* Zina Schift
* Rita Contino
* Jan Pierce
* Jeanne-Marie Darré
* Fernando Barabino
* John Ogdon
* Mario Carbotta
* Nibya Marino
* Jacinto Gimbernard
* Cecile Licad
* Jaime Bolipata
* Bruno Leonardo Gelber
* Hans Lehman
* Magda Longari
* Nana Lorca
* Morley Meredith
* Oxana Jablonskaya
* Alexander Uninsky
* Hilda Waldeland
* Victor Addiego
* John Williams
* Betty Allen
* John McCollum
* Santiago Garmendia
* Janis Eckhart
* Luis Giron May
* José Iturbi
* Santiago Cervera
* Emanuel Ax
* Jeffrey Siegel
* Martino Tirimo
* Gerardo Marandino
* Vincent Frittelli
* Raffaela Acella
* Orlando Sisalema
* Jonathan Floril
* Nina Milkina
* Esteban Sánchez
* Alejandro Barletta
* Aldo Ciccolini
* William Molina
* Roselyn Tucker V.
* Santigo Garmendia
* Sergio Caram
* Luis Pomi
* Marisa Robles
* Graciela Lassner
* Alicia Gabriela Martinez
* Uto Ughi
* Juan Bello
* Andrea Griminelli
* Eduardo Alfonso
* Andre Wolf
* Luz del Alba Rubio
* Luis Batlle
* Philippe Entremont
* Leopoldo Querol
* Eduardo Fernandez
* Rafael Martinez
* Abel Mus
* Endre Wolf
* Xenia Prochorova
* Ivan Perez
* Eddy Marcano
* Frederico Aldao
* Eiko Senda
* Maria Lujan Mirabelli
* Ariel Cazes
* Nina Beilina
* Alexander Moutouzkine
* Shura Cherkassky
* Jan Smeterlin
* Elida Gencarelli
* Anabel Garcia del Castillo
* Peter Katin
* Pascual Camps
* José Cubiles
* Khristian Benitez
* Jesus Hernandez
* Jorge Risi
* Stanley Weiner
* Michael Ponti
* Marjorie Mitchell
* Ieuan Jones en Jame Peters.

## Honours

Gamba was an Honorary Conductor for Life of the following orchestras:

* Philharmonia Antwerpen
* Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid
* Orquesta Filarmonica Barcelona
* Orquesta da Camara Barcelona
* Orquesta A.P.O. Buenos Aires
* Orquesta A.U.D.E.M. Montevideo
* Asociacion Coral Porto.

## Discography

Gamba mostly recorded with the following orchestras:

* London Symphony Orchestra (Decca Records, London Records),
* Philharmonia and the New Philharmonia (His Master's Voice, EMI),
* The Royal Danish Orchestra (TONO),
* The Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra,
* The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (CBC Records), and
* The Symphonicum Europae Orchestra.

These are a few of his available recordings:

* Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3-5, Piero Gamba conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, and Julius Katchen (Audio CD 1996)
* Beethoven: The Piano Concertos; Choral Fantasy; Diabelli Variations, Piero Gamba conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, and Julius Katchen (Audio CD 2007) Box set
* Liszt: The Piano Concertos, Ataulfo Argenta, Piero Gamba conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and London Symphony Orchestra (Audio CD 2002)
* Rossini: Overtures, Piero Gamba conducts the London Symphony Orchestra (Audio CD 1990)
* Rossini: Overtures, Piero Gamba conducts the London Symphony Orchestra (Audio CD 2004) Original recording remastered
