An artist feature
Italian regional press has praised his “sound power and innovative style.” Behind those words lies a horn soloist who has spent a lifetime bringing one of the orchestra’s most demanding instruments into the solo spotlight.
An Instrument, a Calling
Alberto Cappiello, born in Cles in the Trentino province of northern Italy on 25 June 1969, was drawn to the French horn as a child, beginning lessons at the age of ten. He began his professional career in 1987, while still a conservatory student, and his early promise was confirmed by a Special Prize at the 1993 Philip Farkas International Horn Competition in Budapest and finalist placings at two further international competitions, in London and Copenhagen, in 2010.
Two Schools, One Voice
Cappiello’s distinctive sound is the product of two great traditions. At the Conservatorio “G. Rossini” in Pesaro, where he graduated with top marks in 1988, he absorbed the Italian operatic and chamber-music heritage. In Budapest, and then in Dresden where he earned the special soloist diploma at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in 1996 he trained within the Central European brass school. Critics have described his playing as uniting German-school power and precision with Italian warmth and lyricism.
A Career Without Borders
After years within Italy’s leading ensembles the orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and the Turin Philharmonic and appearances at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2010 and 2013, Cappiello turned to a full-time solo career in 2014. He has since performed with the Rotterdam Wind Ensemble, the Korea Symphony Orchestra, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, the Mussorgsky Symphony Orchestra, the Wiener Kammermusik Orchester, and orchestras in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, and Germany. On 15 November 2023 he performed Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 1 with the Korea Symphony Orchestra in Seoul; in South Korea, Italian press reported, he was received “as a star.”
Reviving the Horn Concerto
At the heart of Cappiello’s artistry is a mission to champion the horn concerto. Strauss’s two concertos and Glière’s Horn Concerto are recurring centrepieces of his programmes, and with the Rimini Chamber Orchestra which he has led as artistic director and principal horn since 2017 he premiered Glière’s concerto in a new chamber arrangement for horn and strings. His repertoire also embraces Michael Haydn, Forster, and Weber, and he appears regularly in recital, including duo programmes with piano.
A Global Reach
Cappiello’s international engagements have spanned four continents. In 2024 he toured Central America and the Caribbean, and in 2025 he performed Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 2 in Mexico City and Glière’s Horn Concerto in Korea and Brazil. He also holds principal-horn positions with the Dolomiti Symphony Orchestra in Italy and the Adıyaman Philharmonic Orchestra in Turkey.
The Solistenexamen he earned in Dresden is the highest performance qualification offered by German conservatories, awarded to only a small number of graduates each year. His live performances including a Strauss concerto in Seoul conducted by Sungho Ha have been published on YouTube.
On Record and Online
Cappiello’s artistry is documented in a growing discography available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube, and YouTube Music, spanning his debut album The Weber Concertos, the Richard Strauss Horn Concertos, the Bach Suites, and the Forster Horn Concerto. An earlier recording of Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 2 was made at the Farm House Studio in the Republic of San Marino. He continues to live in Rimini, where he shapes the seasons of the chamber orchestra that has become his artistic home. More information is available at albertocappiello.it.