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Ivan Rhuia Fosello, Pianist

Editor's note: A brief biography of Ivan Fosello provided by his daughter has been added below. Please read the story of how the name Ivan Fosello was deemed to be one of the pseudonyms for Mantovani. The information was researched and reported through the courtesy of my friend Colin MacKenzie. Please see the rare photos provided to the Mantovani Fan Website by Mr. Fosello's Daughter, Tania Fosello within this article:

Somewhere on this website (and I cannot find it in the time I have to attend to the problem) we've included a statement that describes the name IVAN RHUIA FOSELLO as one of the many pseudonyms for Mantovani. We were, in fact wrong on that count and we wish to apologize to his grand daughter and the Fosello family in general for the error. Mr. Fosello's grand daughter was kind enough to point out this error to us and I promised to make it good with an apology and an explanation behind the blunder. To assure this goal, I turned to my friend Colin MacKenzie for help. No-one could do a better job of tracking the source of the error than Colin. The following is Colin's explanation. I hope it satisfies Mr. Fosello's family and demonstrates our sincere attempt to correct the wrong.

"More than a few words are necessary to explain the confusion which exists over Ivan Fosello and Mantovani and their respective identities.

In 1999 Vocalion records brought out a CD compilation called "Mantovani and his Orchestra The Early Years Tangos, Concertos & Other Light Music" (CDEA 6019). The writer of the inlay notes wrote inter alia: "Mantovani was also a composer, often using pseudonyms such as Roy Faye, Ivan Fosello, Paul Franz and Tulio Trapani - to quote just a few". This writer is a much respected and informed figure in light orchestral music, and no doubt he got the information from what he thought was a reliable source.

I accepted that information as at the time I knew no differently. I assumed that the Ivan Fosello piano solos with Mantovani in the 1940s were really by Mantovani lurking under another pseudonym; after all, Mantovani was a fine pianist in his own right. Unfortunately the error (as we now know it is) was perpetuated by myself in good faith on the titles page for a Naxos CD issue called "A Mantovani Concert" which came out in 2001.

As you know, I have recently been privileged to examine Mantovani's own cuttings books for the 1930s, and it has now become clear to me that although Mantovani used a wide variety of names to disguise his identity as a composer, he was not Ivan Fosello, nor did he ever use that name in any circumstances.

You may recall that Ivan's piano solos on several Mantovani 78s of the 1940 can be heard on the CDs mentioned above, for example, "Swedish Rhapsody" can be heard on both, "Dedication" is present on the Vocalion issue and "The Dream Of Olwen" is on the Naxos CD. I suspect that you will have inserted the Mantovani = Ivan Fosello information on the site in good faith, having read either of the inlay notes of the two "offending" CDs.

It should be also mentioned that Ms None's grandfather has been poorly served in another way. In the standard work of reference of the UK dance bands by Brian Rust and Sandy Forbes ("British Dance Bands on Record" 1911 to 1945) he is listed in the Mantovani line-ups, alas, as Ivan Forsello (pages 639-647). Even a subsequent amendment to the book has not picked this up, but the confusion may originate from a newspaper cutting of the 1930s where he is referred to as ... Ivan Forsello" .

Many thanks to Colin MacKenzie for the explanation and sincere apologies

from all of us at the Mantovani Fan Website to the Fosello family.

I have read with shock and amusement the story of my father Ivan Rhuia Fosello on your web site. I am glad the mistakes have been rectified. I would like to give you some insight into my fathers background. I have many newspaper articles, photos, some signed from Mantovani, souvenir programs and all original 78's records, recorded with Mantovani and my father for Decca.

My father's background started with his father a professional violinist and one time conductor for Carla Rosa Opera Company and his mother a professional Opera singer from Russia. Both were tragically killed on tour in a rail disaster. He went to live in Perth and was 14 before his first piano lesson and by then was working in a music store. At 16 he began to play professionally and at one of these performances a famous pianist virtuoso Willhelm Backhaus was touring Perth and heard Ivan play. He requested to hear him the next day and advised and arranged for him to study in Leipzig, Germany under Max Pauer. When he went to Germany he was only 19. He only stayed for 2 years because of the war and arrangements were made for him to finish his studies in England under John Pauer. Ivan decided the jungle law of the concert world was not for him and decided to try commercial.

1. He worked for a French group Alfredo Roe and then with top English Orchestra's of Geraldo Primo Scala and Lois Levy and then with Mantovani who he was with for 14 years.

2. He also entertained the troops in war time with George Formby.

3. He played a Royal Command Performance in 1948 playing "Crime in the Sun" - Swedish Rhapsody, as solo pianist with Associated British Orchestra conducted by Lois Levy.

4. He made the first recording of the Warsaw Concerto for Decca with Mantovani.

5. He made an appearance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing Grieg A. minor concerto. He also played this in Germany with Geventhaus Orchestra.

6.He recorded for Decca, Swedish Rhapsody, Dream of Olwen and Dedication with Mantovani's Orchestra .

He moved back to Australia in 1950 playing at the Theatre Royal, the Australia Hotel and some exclusive restaurants in Sydney, retiring in Queensland and Tutoring at a private boys school until just before his death in 1982.

So you can see he was a very accomplished pianist. His music has been woven into the fabric of our lives and we are far richer for it.

Kind regards his proud daughter

Tania Fosello.

Thank you Ms. Fosello for the wonderful biography of your very talented father. I know Mantovani Fans around the world will appreciate reading this biography.

Colin MacKenzie. With special thanks to Paul Barrett.