by Sebastiana Ierna
Founded in 1952, the Enrico Ciresa company is located in Tesero (Trento), in the Val di Fiemme, and is the only Italian company specialized in the production of soundboards for pianos, harpsichords, harps, and string instruments. Awarded the prestigious mark of origin from the Magnificent Community of Fiemme, the company is now known worldwide for its excellent sound quality and high-level craftsmanship. We met with the sole administrator, 61-year-old Trentino entrepreneur Fabio Ognibeni, one of the leading experts in resonant wood, who has been present for about 30 years at the Cremona Musica International Exhibitions and Festival and is an important reference figure for luthiers around the world.
What makes your wood unique in the world?
In the Val di Fiemme, rare red spruce trees grow, distinguished by their exceptional acoustic properties Their wood is very resistant and flexible, transmits sound better, and is perfect for forming the acoustic membrane of musical instruments; they are 10% lighter than other trees, thanks to the climatic conditions and soil of the mountains where they grow. But it is not easy to find the right tree: consider that typically only 3 out of 1,000 are suitable for our purposes! Just as the famous Cremonese luthier Stradivari chose the trunks from our area to create his celebrated violins, we also select the best spruces, centenarian and unique in the world, year after year, to offer precious timber to the skilled artisans who build pianos, string and bow instruments.
With which companies do you work?
At the European level, we have relationships with Salvi for harps, Fazioli, Schulze Pollmann, Bechstein, Bluthner, Förster, Sauter, Pleyel for pianos. We also supply wood to the Petrof company, which has its own production of soundboards, and we collaborate with some Chinese companies that seek high-quality boards for their most valuable products.
In an increasingly technological era, you have presented two innovative creations: Opere sonore and Resonance Piano.. What are they?
Since 2011, we are the only company in the world to have created furniture complements for musical listening: Opere sonore. They are particular natural acoustic speakers, guided by a system that allows music to be played from an iPod, a CD player, or directly from the television. The sound is authentic and exciting as if live, thanks to the transmission medium consisting of a wide red spruce soundboard Another product in step with the times is the Resonance Piano, born in 2018 after years of study and testing: it is an acoustic soundbox, without strings, dampers, bridges, or speakers. Applied to any digital keyboard, it allows you to fully enjoy the sonorities of a traditional piano without losing practicality. The ideal combination of the most advanced technology and nature, two worlds seemingly so far apart but that manage to find an extraordinary meeting point!
In collaboration with TGmusic.it
