Tuesday 30 March 4.00 pm

Sofia Sacco (piano)

Bach: Prelude and fugue in D minor BWV 875

Beethoven: Sonata in C minor Op 111

Mozart: Sonata in F major K280

Shostakovich: Prelude and fugue no 24 in D minor

Some musicianly playing from this young Italian pianist infact one could see that already from the programme that she presented.
Immediately showing her sensitive musicianship with a very energetic Bach prelude in D minor that dissolved into a truly pastoral fugue where the voices were played with a true finger legato that allowed the fugue subject to appear so naturally and with such serenity.
It was the exact opposite of the Shostakovich in the same key where the extreme stillness and serenity of the opening was contrasted with the brilliance of the gradual tumultuous climax of the fugue.
A very clever choice to open with Bach and end with Shostakovich who had been inspired by the Bach competition in Leipzig to write his own set of Preludes and Fugues.

Beethoven’s last sonata op 111 was the centre piece of the recital and it was refreshing to see her take the plunge with the left hand alone from the very first opening flourishes.The Maestoso opening was played with a very musicianly sense of balance that gave great architectural shape before the menacing C that heralds the Allegro con brio ed appassionato.It was played with great clarity and spirit but just missing the feeling of water boiling over at hundred degrees.
The Arietta and variations were played with a beautiful sense of balance and the final ascent into a paradise of magic sounds amidst trills and elaborate passage work was most beautifully played.I missed the continual forward movement though where each variation should grow out of the other and maybe a more flowing tempo could have helped this.
But there was magic indeed in the final pages where her true musicianship and sensitivity shone through and made one imagine what genius was able to transmit the sounds in his head to the page when he himself was completely deaf!

Mozart’s early F major Sonata was given a simplicity and freshness that was the ideal work to follow Beethoven’s great final statement on the Sonata

Italian born, versatile pianist Sofia Sacco begun playing the piano at a young six,before furthering her skills at “Conservatorio Pollini” in Padua. Passionate about Russian music, Sofia is currently exploring Shostakovich’s solo and ensemble works. Solo recitals at prestigious Italian venues include Sale Apollinee of Teatro la Fenice, Cappella dei Mercanti in Turin, Velletri Auditorium, Academic Theather in Castelfranco Veneto. Her performance of Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with the Pollini Symphony Orchestra was a notable highlight. Sofia is an enthusiast chamber musician, playing regularly in ensembles. She also had the chance to perform Poulenc’s Concerto for two pianos in Auditorium Pollini. Sofia placed first at various competitions, including the “Crescendo International Piano Competition”, “A. Baldi International Piano Competition”, and “Piove di Sacco National Piano Competition”, and has attended masterclasses with professors L. Zilberstein, B. Petrushansky, E.Krakovsky, K. Bogino, and C. Grante among others. Graduated summa cum laude in 2016, Sofia was awarded a Scholarship in recognition of her full marks, which allowed her to continue pursuing her musical studies with A. Silva and M. Ferrati. Inquisitive and widely curious, she is also graduated in Physics at University of Padua with high honors. Sofia is currently based in London, undertaking her MA in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music under the mentorship of Professor Rustem Hayroudino, as an entrance Scholarship student.