The indomitable Marcella Crudeli created the Rome International Piano Competition amazingly 33 years ago.The eternal city was one of the few capital cities that did not have an International Piano Competition.Although it was talked about and envisaged, it was never actually realised (various ideas to name one after Carlo Zecchi or Guido Agosti came to nothing).It was Marcella Crudeli who created a competition in the name of Rome itself.

She also holds masterclasses for young musicians where every year she ensures that a selected few can give a public concert with orchestra, a rare occurrence indeed for masterclasses.This year Prof Franco Ricci ,a close collaborator of Marcella Crudeli, invited four of her prize students to play in his 25th Anniversary Series in Viterbo.A movement each of concertos by Paisiello,Beethoven and Chopin with the splendid orchestra of young players directed by Daniele Camiz

A very youthful looking Giulio Ginobi seemed made for playing the piano. Fingers that were like limpets clinging to the keys with commanding assurance as he brought radiance and precision to the first movement of Paisiello’s concerto n. 2 in F. Playing with simplicity and great poise, he brought a freshness and refined good taste to this early work that was quite exhilarating.The surprise was the encore where his technical assurance and sense of style in Rachmaninov’s Prelude op 23 n.5 was worthy of a pianist twice his size! A beautiful central episode where the inner counterpoints were allowed to float so magically on a wave of sumptuous sounds.

Alessio Falciani brought rhythmic drive and beauty to Beethoven’s Concert op 15 ( n. 1 but was actually written after n. 2).A beautifully shaped central episode where the question and answer with the orchestra was of real chamber music ensemble.Not attempting Beethoven’s glissando into the recapitulation instead he played a rock solid scale after the communing with the orchestra in whispered tones before this devilish explosion. A cadenza that was not one of Beethoven’s two but was very virtuosistic and played with commanding authority. A very elaborate cadenza with some beautiful cantabile playing of great style and a very grandiose ending taken over majestically by the splendid orchestra. A Schubert song in the arrangement by Liszt was played with subtle style and sumptuous beauty of sound.

Davide Conte played the first movement of Beethoven’s 3rd Concerto in C minor op 37.It was played with great fluidity and clarity with a good sense of tempo maintained with dynamic drive.Some beautiful cantabile playing leading to Beethoven’s own cadenza.Played with great control with the great flourishes spread over the whole keyboard with radiance and mastery inspite of some rearranging of the hands! A beautiful ending ,where the exchange between the piano and orchestra was quite magical. An encore full of charm with a central episode that was surely inspired by Spain but unfortunately I have no idea what it was.

Vera Cecino formed at the remarkable school of Maddalena de Facci in Venice as was her brother Elia Cecino who won the Premio Venezia and has gone on to win many other International Prizes as his career takes wing. Vera , a few years younger, is fast following in her brother’s footsteps. A beautiful performance of Chopin’s second concerto ( like Beethoven it was written before the first!).A very expansive melodic line was played with great assurance where everything sang with radiance and style. Playing of great eloquence and aristocratic good taste where even the most virtuosistic passages were allowed to sing and were given great architectural shape. Some beautiful ensemble playing with the horn and bassoon, from a pianist who lived every moment with passionate conviction and mastery. An encore of a paraphrase by Liszt of Ernani (?) was played with commanding authority and ravishing beauty

Marcella Crudeli Pianisti del Magisterium in Concerto a Viterbo

Magisterium of Marcella Crudeli takes Viterbo and Rome by storm