Ottaviano Cristofoli

Solo Trumpet

Born in Udine, Italy. He began playing the trumpet at the age of 10 and graduated from the Conservatory of Udine. He studied under members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the United States and performed with major Italian orchestras. He came to Japan in 2008 and served as first trumpet player with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra before assuming his current position. Since 2016, he has been a member of Samurai BRASS, a group of Japan's top brass players. In 2019, he founded the music academy Music System Japan Italy/Japan, where he serves as artistic director.

One of my favorite songs	R. Strauss: Alpine Symphony It is very difficult for a musician to choose one favorite piece, but one that always comes to my mind is R. Strauss's Alpine Symphony. This piece is described as a journey to the top of a mountain, starting with the rising sun, crossing valleys and glaciers, and encountering storms. I often listen to this song when I feel homesick, and it reminds me of the good times I had with my dear friends, the smell of the forest, and the cold nights in mountain huts when I went hiking in the Friulan Dolomites in Italy, close to my hometown, in the untouched nature, with wild animals roaming all around us. I wonder how Strauss was able to put all of this into music. But you can see the Alps from his score. It's truly a masterpiece. What I particularly like is the opening trombone chord. When you wake up in the morning in a mountain hut halfway up the mountain, the outlines of the mountains emerge gradually from the darkness as the morning sun shines on them, and before you know it, the sun rises and the majestic mountain range appears in front of you.

One of my favorite songs

R. Strauss: Alpine Symphony

It is very difficult for a musician to choose one favorite piece, but one that always comes to my mind is R. Strauss's Alpine Symphony. This piece is described as a journey to the top of a mountain, starting with the rising sun, crossing valleys and glaciers, and encountering storms.
I often listen to this song when I feel homesick, and it reminds me of the good times I had with my dear friends, the smell of the forest, and the cold nights in mountain huts when I went hiking in the Friulan Dolomites in Italy, close to my hometown, in the untouched nature, with wild animals roaming all around us.
I wonder how Strauss was able to put all of this into music. But you can see the Alps from his score. It's truly a masterpiece. What I particularly like is the opening trombone chord. When you wake up in the morning in a mountain hut halfway up the mountain, the outlines of the mountains emerge gradually from the darkness as the morning sun shines on them, and before you know it, the sun rises and the majestic mountain range appears in front of you.

Ottaviano Cristofoli

Solo Trumpet

About the Japan Philharmonic