Maderna, Bruno (1920–1973)

Italian composer and conductor. He collaborated with Luciano Berio in setting up an electronic studio in Milan in 1954. His compositions combine aleatoric and graphic techniques (see aleatory music, graph notation) with an elegance of sound. They include a pioneering work for live and prerecorded flute, Musica su due dimensioni(1952), numerous concertos, and Hyperion (1964), a ‘mobile opera’, consisting of a number of composed scenes that may be combined in several ways.

Maderna was born at Venice. He studied violin and piano, and composition with Alessandro Bustini at the Academy of St Cecilia in Rome, and then took composition and conducting lessons with Malipiero and Scherchen. He conducted throughout Europe, specializing in modern music. In 1954 he founded the Milan Radio Studio di Fonologia Musicale with Berio, pioneering Italian electronic music with Divertimento, Notturno, Continuo, and Le Rire. He visited the USA in 1965, conducting Nono's Intolleranza at Boston and concerts in New York and Chicago.

Works Stage Hyperion, composite theatre work (performed Venice 1964).

Orchestral concertos for piano, two pianos, flute, oboe; Introduzione e Passacaglia for orchestra (1947); Musica su due Dimensioni for flute, percussion and electronic tape (1952–58).

Instrumental including Composizione in tre tempi, Improvisizione I, II, Serenata I, II for 11 and 13 instruments (1946–57); Studi per il Processo di Franz Kafka for speaker, soprano and chamber orchestra (1949).

Electronic including Notturno, Syntaxis, Continuo, Dimensioni.