Christmas comes to Milan and Maura Romano had a treat in store for us at Steinways again this year Not only a sumptuous buffet and abundance of champagne but more importantly giving as stage to young musicians to play the magnificent Steinways on show in the Flagship store that sits in the heart of Milan.
Maura ,Alessandro and Luarda , our genial hosts and more importantly Steinway representatives, were almost dwarfed by a cake that was ceremoniously wheeled into the centre of this sumptuous showroom. Like newly weds our genial trio dissected a small part of this monument and distributed it like in church to all those lucky enough to have been invited to such an extraordinarily enlightening event.
Marina Merola ,12 years old, with superb performances of Scarlatti K.1 and Granados’ Allegro de concert .Scintillating Scarlatti with ornaments that shone like jewels. Fearless romantic abandon in Granados with breathtaking streams of notes played with virtuosity and poetry The indomitable Maura Romano applauding Marina Merola with infectious enthusiasm, always ready to help young super talented musicians to come to the foreGabriele Rizzo winner of the first round of the Steinway Young Musicians Competition with some very persuasive performances of Chopin.A beautifully played Nocturne op 15 n.1 where his cantabile had the true weight of a mature musician and a Scherzo op 39 played with enviable command.Octaves played with nobility and mastery and the beautiful chorale allowed to sing accompanied by etherial bells of poetic beauty.
There may be the next door neighbours singing their inexhaustible hearts out as they exhibit their ‘Force of Destiny’. Here at Steinways ,though, there is a ‘Force of Nature’ in play with the twelve year old Marina Meola and veteran fifteen year old Gabriele Rizzo sharing their remarkable gifts with a discerning public . Moments of superb music making were interspersed with a sumptuous culinary feast. The Trio Hermes ,winners of the Chigiana Award this year and ready to play at the Quirinale on Sunday, gave a radiant and passionate account of a movement from Brahms Trio op 101 on a designer piano that also had a sumptuous voice of it’s own and is ready and waiting to be possessed by an eclectic piano connoisseur.
A discerning public gathered to celebrate Christmas in music Steinway styleTrio Hermes,winner of the Chigiana award last summer.Ginevra Bassetti (violin),Francesca Giglio (violoncello),Marianna Pulsoni (pianoforte) with Filippo Michelangeli of Suonare News.A magnificent performance of the last movement of Brahms Trio op 101 that they will repeat on RAI 3 Sunday in a concert broadcast live from the Presidents’ Palace at the Quirinale in RomeThe genial and greatly talented Francesco Parrino playing four hands with himself thanks to the marvels of the Spiro piano. What fun we had guessing the sound tracks from the films that he played with such ‘joie de vivre’ and considerable mastery.
After the extraordinary fun that Francesco Parrino offered us playing duets with the phantom Spiro piano, a monster cake suddenly appeared.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 