Cesare Ciardi was an Italian virtuoso flutist and composer, considered one of the founders of professional flute teaching in Russia. He was born in Prato, Tuscany, on June 28, 1818, and died in St. Petersburg on June 13, 1877.
Ciardi studied with local musicians Giuseppe Nuti and Luigi Carlesi. In 1827, Niccolò Paganini introduced him to the public at the Royal Palace in Genoa. He went on to perform widely, including on a tour of London. In 1853, he moved to the Russian Empire and remained there for the rest of his life. In St. Petersburg, he was principal flutist of the Italian Opera orchestra and for many years a soloist with the Imperial, or Mariinsky, Theatre orchestra. He also taught flute in aristocratic households and at the Theatre School.
When the St. Petersburg Conservatory opened in 1862, Ciardi began teaching its flute class. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky studied flute with him and sometimes accompanied him on piano at concerts. Ciardi was named a soloist of the Imperial Theatres in 1858 and a soloist to His Imperial Majesty in 1862.
Known for a soft, clear tone, refined taste, and precise technique, Ciardi performed on a Viennese-style classical flute. He wrote the 1862 flute method School of Flute Playing, which covered musical notation and theory and included recent Russian and international music. His compositions include Russian Carnival, a set of variations for flute and piano; virtuoso solos on themes by Verdi; fantasies based on Meyerbeer’s The African Woman; and works for flute with piano or orchestra. He also arranged music for flute.