Life
His entire creative trajectory, from training to full maturity, unfolded consistently within the great stream of Italian Romanticism, of which he was one of the most acclaimed clarinet virtuosos.
Born in Milan in 1807, Cavallini studied at his city's Conservatory with Benedetto Carulli. He performed at a very young age in Italy, then joined the orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala and taught there. His skill earned him the nickname “Paganini of the clarinet.”
In 1842 he performed in Paris with the Société des Concerts and entered the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He also played in London with the Philharmonic Society. In 1852 he was invited to St. Petersburg as a soloist at the Imperial Theater and from 1862 he was clarinet master at the local Conservatory, a post he held for fifteen years. He returned to Milan in 1870, where he taught until his death in 1874.
Aneddoto
The Paganini of the clarinet
Due to his lightning-fast technique and intense expressivity, Cavallini was defined by his contemporaries as “the Paganini of the clarinet.”Works
He composed numerous concert pieces: Fantasia on motifs from Bellini's La sonnambula, Adagio e Tarantella, Capriccio, Concerto for Clarinet, in addition to the famous 30 Caprices for solo clarinet, which are still studied today. He also wrote chamber pieces and transcriptions of opera arias.