PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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A concert of light and shadow. An impeccable performance of the Bach’s Partita, both technically and interpretatively. Donato does not use the sustaining pedal (a perfectly correct approach), yet she does not renounce nuance, thus bringing out the best in the piece while remaining absolutely within stylistic boundaries. This is—at least in my view—the way a Bach work should be approached (even if this is perhaps not one of the most beautiful). A completely different case for Chopin’s Fantaisie. Donato has a remarkable ability to “sing,” that is, to use a polished touch and first‑rate expressiveness. But… unfortunately, an excess of exuberance leads her to push the tempo too far in the more accelerated sections, with the result that certain technical imperfections become evident and, above all, the musical texure dissolves into a torrent of crowded, confused notes. A real pity, because a bit more control (her young age, admittedly, does not help) and thus greater interpretative maturity would have greatly improved the performance. In the second half, Schumann’s Humoreske—a piece seldom performed (as is the case with the Novellette, without any real reason, since they all belong to the same expressive world of the Zwickau composer). Here her approach appeared somewhat more mature, even in the more virtuosic sections, yielding a result of good quality.Donato is a very gifted young pianist who promises a lot, provided the necessary process of maturation comes to fruition. Let us hope to hear her again soon, also in more demanding interpretative repertoire (for instance, the last pieces of Brahms). Two encores and a warm reception from the audience.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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 A program without any particular logical meaning, built on the principle of “a bit of everything,” and ending with that piece of appalling taste — virtuosic but musically unacceptable — which is Islamey. If there were an “index” of musical works to be banned, Islamey — in my opinion — should be at the very top of the list. There are plenty of other pieces capable of showcasing one’s technical abilities without abandoning musicality. I’ll mention just a few: Stravinsky’s Petrushka, Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, and even the final Toccata from Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin. But these are only three examples. A “double‑faced” concert. The first half was devoted entirely to Chopin. Liu has impeccable technique but also displays first‑rate musical sensitivity. The mazurkas, for instance, are musical sketches in which interpretive balance is the key to quality. Liu managed to capture their spirit, using every interpretive tool (piano, forte, rubato, accelerando, etc.) while always remaining within the stylistic boundaries of the Polish composer. The same can be said of the single nocturne. Less convincing was the performance of the scherzo, where some virtuosic “slips” appeared, as well as in the ending of the First Ballade, reduced to a Clementi étude. But that’s understandable: she is very young, with a wonderfully gifted hand that sometimes inevitably takes precedence over the interpretive spirit.As for the choice of five pieces by Tchaikovsky, their meaning is hard to grasp. They are works that are rarely performed — and rightly so — in which Liu displayed her technical skills and a good adherence to their musical character, but they certainly did not allow for a comprehensive assessment of her pianism. To achieve that, she will need to tackle many other classics as well as modern composers. In short, a wonderfully promising artist, and one hopes she will eventually complete a process of maturation that is,  for now, only at its beginning. Excellent audience success. Two encores: a virtuosic reworking of La valse and Chopin’s famous Waltz.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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Let us say straight away that this is a concert that rises above the usual standard of Conoscere la Musica. It was interesting and of high quality, both for the performers and for a programme balanced between “classical” and “modern” composers—assuming that such a distinction still makes sense.  Cellist Stefanelli is a young musician who, in the opinion of the present writer, will go far. His technique is absolutely secure even in the most demanding passages (e.g. Poulenc), his intonation consistently flawless (I did not detect a single lapse), his sound powerful, and his vibrato excellent. From an interpretative standpoint as well, his performance brought out the spirit of the works, always within the stylistic framework and without indulging in the excesses that too often plague young performers eager to impress an audience. A different discussion applies to pianist Pantani. His pianism is marked by an excess of exuberance (one need only think of the octave at the beginning of the trio in the second movement of the Brahms sonata), which often turns into sheer aggressiveness toward the instrument. Pantani seemed to forget that he was playing in a duo with a string instrument—and it is fortunate that the latter was able to draw enough sound from his instrument. But playing in a duo means that what would be an ff in a solo performance must be treated as an mff in chamber music. If we add the fact that the piano lid was mistakenly left fully open, the result is easy to imagine. It is therefore difficult to assess his performance: he may need to develop a clearer awareness of what he is playing and of the context in which he is playing it. In any case, the concert was met with a warm reception from a not particularly large audience, and the performers offered two encores.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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It would be far too easy to label the staging as yet another “Michieletto‑style production.” Quite simply, there is not a single element that connects the set design to the opera itself. And this is not a matter of stale conservatism. It simply feels like being confronted with a puzzle that has no clear solution and forces the audience into laborious and improbable interpretations. What is the menaing of the initial bathtub — with water overflowing  in which Elsa washes her brother’s clothes — that, like some sort of Moloch, reappears at the end of the opera? And what about a Lohengrin who arrives from Monsalvat dragging (yes, dragging) a coffin that is supposed to represent the swan (perhaps “broken down” since at the end of the opera it is opened and feathers spill out while Lohengrin simply disappears)? And why is Heinrich limping?And what can be said of poor Friedrich von Telramund, defeated in the duel with Lohengrin not by a sword but by some kind of syrup falling from the sky, after which he wanders around the stage wearing a tank top worthy of the italian Bossi? But the top is reached with a deluge of eggs descending from above, while another egg sits onstage, covered in black paint that gradually coats black its shell, blinding poor Elsa with its color. In comparison, Ortrud’s 1950s black dress, complete with the obligatory veiled hat, is almost easy to accept.I could go on, but it would be pointless. Here the set design is not part of the opera — its visual representation, if you will. What we have instead is a theatrical action (who doesn’t remember the third act of La Bohème?) detached from the musical context it should be serving. If we consider it as such, as a purely visual experience, then one might discuss it, and in a certain sense it may even have its own meaning — though entirely unrelated to the story of Lohengrin. Unfortunately, it’s the same old tume: a director eager to impress an undiscerning audience (which, in this case, does not seem to have taken the bait), following the prevailing rule that the only thing that matters is generating buzz, regardless of what is actually being presented. And I am curious to read the reviews of those who will surely find some hidden meaning in the staging, lacking the courage to simply say that “the emperor has no clothes”. A pity, because the musical side was instead of high quality, starting with the conductor, capable of giving the winds (and especially the brass) the tone and intensity required. The strings also played an important role, not to mention the cello solo at the beginning of the second act — simply perfect.Who was not perfect, unfortunately, was Lohengrin (Brian Jagde), who after a disastrous opening in the first act never, ever finds the right register, weakening the character all the way to the dreadful final narration of his origins. At the opposite extreme was Chiara Magini’s Ortrud: a dramatic, powerful, insinuating voice that perfectly embodies the evil character and rightly earned enthusiastic applause at the end. Dorothea Herbert’s Elsa was less impressive: good but not exceptional vocal qualities, and she falters in the second act — both when she lets herself be seduced by Ortrud and when she forces Lohengrin to reveal the secret of his origins . As for Claudio Otelli as Friedrich von Telramund, one must forgive a less‑than‑stellar performance due to the disastrous direction, though he does not seem to excel either vocally or scenically. The other voices were solid, though not outstanding.A good public success, though the audience seemed composed more of tourists seeking a “Fenice experience” than true connoisseurs. Only one protest against the superintendent from the boxes, no leaflet‑throwing, and thus an uneventful evening. Except for the lively protest against the superintendent outside the theatre before the performance began. On that matter, I suggest reading Mephisto’s column in Il Sole 24 Ore from Sunday, April 12.The opera was also broadcasted live on Radio 3, and I believe the listeners were luckier than the audience at La Fenice.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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A small concert — and the diminutive is intentional. A concert reduced both quantitatively and qualitatively. The first piece on the program (Vivaldi’s symphony) was not performed for reasons unknown to me. At the very least, announcing the reason would have been the minimum courtesy. Michael Hofsteder is a good professional, but he had no real opportunity to show his qualities in the only two pieces he conducted. Nothing to object to regarding the orchestra and the chorus, always up to the theatre’s tradition. The same cannot be said of the two soloists: on one side, a voice that turns metallic as volume and pitch increase; on the other, a voice that struggles to emerge from the depths of the throat. In short, an overall performance of low quality. Unlike the opening night, there were no public protests against superintendent Colabianchi and his protégée Venezi. On the contrary, today’s Corriere features defiant statements of resistance. We shall see whether, with the likely shift in the city’s political orientation in the upcoming elections, the tune will change — and whether La Fenice, too, will be involved in the broader restructuring underway in the country’s governance. One can hope.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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Christos Fountos is no longer a very young pianist (he is 29) and he won third prize at the 2025 Busoni Competition (which has long since become a triennial event). His pianism is “rock‑solid,” grounded in excellent technique and in an approach I would describe as “Slavic”: in the six-seventeenth‑century repertoire he avoids a philological stance, making full use of the piano’s expressive potential and of the pedal. A discussion of historically informed performance is obviously beyond the scope of this post. Overall, one can say that Fountos is an excellent performer, though he does not seem to reach the highest levels of excellence to which we are sometimes accustomed; in my view, a very respectable third place at the Busoni is an appropriate assessment. Setting aside the two beautiful Busoni preludes (why are they so rarely performed?), Fountos gave his best in the seldom‑played Schumann pieces, from which he drew out the German composer’s poetic world with great sensitivity. His Haydn sonata—far from the most compelling of Haydn’s—was more than respectable, while his Rachmaninoff unfortunately revealed an uncritical exuberance. Technical challenges (brilliantly overcome) are not the deeper meaning of the piece, and it is precisely the finest interpreters who manage to extract and highlight the musical substance with critical insight. This was not evident here. A different story altogether was the more demanding Ravel, which he performed—especially in the second section, Le Gibet—with great sensitivity, allowing the musical dimension to prevail over the dazzling technical one. The program had also announced a Scriabin sonata, which was not performed because the concert would have run too long. Programs that are somewhat scattered and excessively long suggest a certain anxiety to make an impression. Fountos is a pianist who deserves to be heard again in a more coherent program, in a larger hall, and with a full‑size concert grand.There was great success with an unusually large audience (for “Conoscere la musica”), a crowd that rarely attends the Biagi Hall and whose enthusiasm leaves one wondering whether the response was entirely critical. One encore.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!

PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

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Rafał Blechacz is an excellent pianist, one who, as usual, is heard very rarely in Bologna (not to mention the now-absent Yundi Li), whereas he is instead a regular guest of the Quartetto. Winner of the 2005 Chopin Competition, he has already a brilliant and well‑deserved career behind him. His pianism could hardly be more classical: it fits directly into the tradition of Rubinstein and the great masters of the twentieth century, with an uncritical approach but always of very high quality. It has nothing to do with Pollini at his best. His is a polished pianism, without rough edges, technically very correct but perhaps a little too Apollonian. In certain pieces, a bit more soul would not have gone amiss. I am referring in particular to the second part of the concert devoted to Chopin, and especially to the third Ballade, the most distinctive of the four, with its lyrical opening. But the same applies to the first part of the concert as well: everything is perfect and clean, but at times a bit too linear. Compared with previous occasions on which I have had the chance to hear him, it seems to me that he has settled into a more mannered style. Nor is he a particularly generous pianist: his concert lasted just over an hour and he granted only two encores.  The first was the famous Waltz in C-sharp minor the second, incredibly, was the scherzo from Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 2 No. 3. With all the pieces available in the piano literature, extracting a scherzo from a sonata really suggests a lack of desire to play. One final note of color: Blechacz is now one of the very few pianists who, in solo performances, appears in a tailcoat—an homage, indeed, to the great masters of the past.

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!