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Davide Scarabottolo certainly showed us why he had won the prestigious Sergio Cafaro prize.An exhilarating display not only of musicianship but also of showmanship.
I got rhythm had it’s final glissando taking him onto his feet with the sheer joy of his playing.
But the concert had started with Bach D major Toccata played with great musicianship and intelligence.
If only the opening flourishes could have had the same exhilaration that he bought to Jelly Roll Morton or Gershwin.
Davide there are no rules for an artist like you.
Learn your lesson ,of course,then put the book away and let your extraordinary talent take over and do the rest.
It was an intelligent reading of remarkable clarity with the infectious rhythm of the Toccata and the astonishing excitement he brought fearlessly to the end that gave a hint of what was to come later.
Six of Liszt’s transcendental studies were played with such sumptuous sounds as he threw himself into the immense technical challenges with great courage the notes seeming to pour out of his fingers as he imbued them with such romantic and passionate sounds.
This young man looking the part too showed us just what poetry there is to be found in Paysage and Harmonies du Soir as well as the passionate outpouring of a romantic soul in the beautifully descriptive Chasse Neige or the F minor study.
What demons possessed him too in Prokofiev’s aptly named Suggestion Diabolique.
But it was the honky-tonk piano of Jelly Roll Morton and the show business of I got rhythm which I am sure had all the spectators cheering him on as they obviously will too when future live performances are permitted and his career surely well established.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.wordpress.com/2020/12/05/davide-scarabottolo-at-rome-3-university/

The Bach Toccata was very rhythmic and clearly played with a sparing use of the sustaining pedal.The opening could have been more arresting to hold our attention as it would most probably have been an improvisation calling the audience to order as Liszt was to have done with his Preludio a century later.The recitativi too could have been orchestrated more clearly with the beautiful expressive melody merely commented on by tremolando strings .But the build up to the Toccata was very impressive as was his rock steady rhythm that allowed the coda to take us with such exhilaration and remarkably clear articulation to the final triumphant chords.

The Liszt had just the imposing opening that had been missing in the Bach.Immediately one could imagine Liszt sitting at the piano and mesmerising his audience with astonishing flourishes that merely pave the way for the first real study with Paysage.A study in painting in sound which Davide realised so well as he allowed the music to flow and be shaped so eloquently building up to it’s climax with sumptuous rich sounds before dying away to the distance.There was startling virtuosity on show too with the dazzlingly brilliant scales with which Mazeppa announces his entrance.It was followed by some astonishing feats of resilience and virtuosity as Mazeppa relentlessly carried us on his journey.There was beauty too in the central section where the tenor melody sang so mellifluously accompanied by ravishing arpeggios.Only a momentary relaxation as the excitement mounted and Davide threw himself fearlessly into the fray.The F minor study too starting so delicately becoming more and more romantically involved as Davide allowed the rhythmic drive and romantic sweep to ignite the piano.It led to an exhilarating stampede of alternating octaves that brought us to the final overwhelming few chords.’Harmonies di Soir’ showed the poet in this young man with sumptuous sounds and beautifully shaped melodic line that just seemed to dissolve into the magical opening of ‘Chasse Neige.’One of Liszt’s most perfect creations with the whispered opening obviously the inspiration for Ravel’s Ondine where the melodic line is allowed to appear out of a cloud of magic sounds.The dialogue between the treble and bass reached heights of romantic fervour that were quite overwhelming before drifting into the distance with winds swirling around this imaginary landscape so poetically depicted in sound.

Prokofiev’s ‘Suggestion Diabolique ‘ with its sinister opening deep in the bass before the relentless chase was on,taking off with astonishing pyrotechnics and driving rhythms.Who would have thought that real honky-tonk piano would follow that display of poetry and virtuosity .It came as an exhilarating surprise as Davide just let his hair down and was obviously having such fun with Jelly Roll Morton and the real show stopper of Gershwin’s ‘I got rhythm ‘.Davide certainly has all the showmanship as he was ejected from the piano stool by his breathtaking final glissandi.

Hollywood had arrived to end this very enjoyable recital by a young man who is obviously going places.

There is no business like show business indeed.I can imagine my dear friend Sergio Cafaro and his widow certainly with a smile of admiration and enjoyment knowing how many great talents they have helped and encouraged with a lifetime together dedicated to music.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/premio-sergio-cafaro/

Nato il 19 agosto 2001 ha attualmente 19 anni e vive in provincia di Padova.Dal 2015 frequenta il corso pluriennale presso l’Accademia Pianistica Internazionale di Imola “Incontri col Maestro” dove studia regolarmente con il Prof. Leonid Margarius. Dal 2010 ammesso con il nuovo ordinamento al conservatorio “Pollini” di Padova, studia con il M° Massimo De Ascaniis. Qui, dopo aver frequentato tutti gli anni pre-accademici, accede al triennio accademico, e frequentando regolarmente, sta concludendo tutti gli esami previsti per il terzo anno di triennio.Ha iniziato lo studio del pianoforte a sei anni con il M° Giacomo Dalla Libera con il quale continua a suonare repertori a quattro mani.Partecipa a numerosi concorsi di esecuzione musicale nazionali ed internazionali vincendo più di quaranta primi premi tra cui nel 2018: il 1° premio assoluto al concorso “LaszlòSpezzaferri” (VR), il 1° premio assoluto al IV concorso internazionale “Antonio Salieri” di Legnago (VR) con l’assegnazione del premio “Giuseppe Magnani”, “Premio Musica Romantica” e “Premium Virtuosité”, 1° premio al concorso “Premio Crescendo” (FI), il 2° premio al prestigioso concorso “Bramanti” di Forte Dei Marmi (LU) e il 3° premio con assegnazione di borsa di studio e della seconda menzione speciale al concorso “Premio Nazionale Delle Arti” indetto dal Miur. I più recenti ad aprile 2019: 1° premio assoluto con 100/100 cat. F superiore, senza limiti di età, al XIV Concorso Musica Insieme di Musile di Piave; il primo premio assoluto ex aequo cat. F superiore per pianisti dai 21 ai 24 anni al Concorso Internazionale Città Murata di Cittadella, a settembre 2019 il primo premio cat. C al Concorso La Palma d’Oro di San Benedetto del Tronto, a ottobre: il Primo premio al Concorso Maria Labia Prize a Malcesine e il Primo Premio al prestigioso Concorso Pianistico ‘Premio Sergio Cafaro’ presso il Conservatorio Santa Cecilia di Roma.Nel 2014, selezionato tra gli studenti dei conservatori del Veneto ha suonato presso l’auditorium della “Central Music School of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory” di Mosca.
A febbraio 2018 ha suonato presso la Weill Hall della “Carnegie Hall” di New York in occasione del concerto dei vincitori della “Crescendo International Competition”. All’Accademia Pianistica Internazionale di Imola ha tenuto nel marzo 2018 un concerto per la rassegna “Genio e Gioventù” riservata ai giovani talenti dell’Accademia di Imola.
Fa parte dell’albo d’onore del conservatorio “Pollini” 2015-2016 e 2016-2017. A dicembre 2017 ha suonato come solista con l’orchestra sinfonica del conservatorio “Pollini” per il concerto di apertura dell’anno accademico. Tiene numerosi recital da solista e concerti a quattro mani. Partecipa a manifestazioni musicali con esecuzioni da solista e di musica da camera in trio, quartetto e quintetto. Con il ‘Trio Antenore’, di cui è il pianista, ha vinto a novembre 2018 il Concorso di musica da Camera “Proviamo insieme” a Rubano (PD).Ha partecipato a numerose masterclasses, tra le quali si ricordano quelle con i M° K. Bogino, M. Mika, S. Pochekin, L. Zilberstein, M.G. Bellocchio, I. Stanescu, O. Laneri, M. Campanella, B. Petrushansky.