Fulvio Nicolosi had flown in from Catania in Sicily where he had graduated with honours from the Bellini Conservatory in 2022 completing his masters with Massimo Spada in Perugia.

He is now continuing his artistic development at the International Piano Academy Lake Como.

His musical heritage has been assured from birth with his father being first flute in the orchestra of the glorious Teatro Bellini in Catania and his uncle Francesco Nicolosi who guards the tomb and the musical heritage of Thalberg in Naples .

It was these two worlds that came together in the encore that was demanded from a very enthusiastic full house at Steinways last night.

‘Casta Diva’ in the magical transcription by Thalberg that Fulvio played with radiance and poetic understanding, truly making the piano sing with an exquisite sense of balance and a ravishing palette of colour.

Thalberg was the only rival of Liszt and when the Princess Belgiojoso arranged a duel between these two giants in her Parisian Salon, she very diplomatically declared that Thalberg was a great pianist but Liszt was unique. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2020/01/04/a-la-recherche-de-thalberg/

Thalberg had been the Lang Lang of his day amassing a vast fortune before retiring to Naples The grave robbers who sacked his tomb in Naples Monumental Cemetery must have done their homework just a few years ago, but now the tomb is locked and the key held with Nicolosi.

Fulvio had also included in his programme 6 arrangements of Charles Trenet songs in the hair raising arrangements of another great virtuoso Alexis Weissenberg . It was here that we could appreciate the transcendental mastery of this young Sicilian who brought these ‘chansons’ to life with an extraordinary subtle sense of colour and style. Embellishments that just flew from his fingers with the improvised freedom and scintillating brilliance with which they were penned. But there was also his bel canto that allowed the piano sing with the same irresistible charm of Charles Trenet himself.

It was the same improvised freedom that he brought to Bach’s Toccata in D . Seven early Toccatas designed to show off not only virtuosity and masterly invention but also an architectural shape and the unmistakeable genius of the master of Köthen. It was here that Fulvio could show us his musical intelligence and scholarly understanding of works that can seem monocrome and unexciting in lesser hands .

The Scriabin Fantasy was full of passion and dynamic drive of seduction and ravishment. Fulvio brought his transcendental mastery to full use as he played with a fearless abandon and youthful mastery that was breathtaking.

What better way to conclude this ‘operatic’ recital than with Wagner’s ‘Isoldes Liebestod’ in Liszt ‘s famous transcription, where Fulvio could give full reign to his poetic sensibilities. Here his sumptuous palette of sounds could allow Liszt’s transcription to soar into the air filling the hall with ravishing whispered sounds of radiance and beauty with passionate outbursts of heartrending grandeur. The ending of barely whispered arpeggios just opened the gates of Paradise for Bellini’s magical ‘Casta Diva’.

The concert had begun with Clementi the ‘English’ virtuoso, where Fulvio’s extraordinary facility came into play with a record amount of notes that did not seem to speak to him with the same beauty and understanding as the rest of the programme . Strangely earthbound or should I say ‘English’, for this young poet of the keyboard from the wondrous city that was born on the wings of Bel Canto