Alfredo the young Italian pianist who at only 24 already has a Bachelor and Masters degree from Rome Conservatory to which he has added a first class honours degree from Kings College,London. In his burning pursuit for knowledge and mastery he is pursuing a PHD at the Guildhall with playing mentored by Ronan O’Hora. Awarded a special Pappano Scholarship through the generosity of Madame Bassatne which has also allowed him to have precious guidance from the KT honorary Patron . Gabriella Bassatne was also a very close friend of Noretta and John Leech the KT founders, who was with us last night for the KT debut recital of this distinguished young artist. An audience that included many illustrious musicians and two much feared critics Jed Distler and Bryce Morrison.

Rising to the occasion with an eclectic programme of Liszt, Beethoven and Scriabin which he crowned with a glowing performance of Clementi, a much neglected English based composer whose slow movement of the F sharp minor Sonata was the highlight of a special occasion.

Alfredo in the discussion that followed with the ‘birthday boy’ described how he had managed to combine his original training from the late Maura Pansini of the Neapolitan school with that of Ronan O’Hora of the Cortot (Perlemuter) school. Cleanliness, precision but allied to poetic fantasy colour and real weight, a difficult conundrum but one which Alfredo showed us is becoming a reality in playing that spanned the romantic ,classical and fantasmagorical.

Opening with a rare work by Liszt “The Sarabande and Chaconne’ from Handel’s Almira that Leslie Howard,had brought to light via the inclusion as the set piece in the Liszt Utrecht competition and thanks to him is now being included in many pianist’s repertoire.

Leslie , a co artistic director and founder member of the KT could not be present to interview Alfredo but he will be in Perivale on the 28th November when Alfredo and five other pianists will compete for the prestigious first prize of the UK Liszt Society

This year’s first prize winner Max Walsh was also present last night and will give a recital in Perivale as a curtain raiser to the Annual Liszt Day in St Mary’s Perivale that can be followed worldwide by their superb streaming at. A long and taxing work that Mariam Batsashvili ,another KT artist, has made her own but that Alfredo showed a fearless authority and architectural understanding of Liszt’s long, genial and at times meandering thoughts. Handel’s much neglected masterpiece recently had such an enormous success at Covent Garden where Handel’s oratorio type operas have been unjustly neglected for too long. Alfredo followed with a poetic account of the Petrarch Sonnet 104 . Playing of radiance and flowing beauty with ornaments thrown of with glistening mastery as the subtle beauty of Liszt’s writing was conveyed with poignant significance.

The epic poem of Hero and Leander depicted ( according to Arrau) by Liszt in his Ballade in B minor was played with a palette of sounds that could indeed portray this harrowing tale.The chromatic rumbling in the bass representing the sea: “You really can perceive how the journey turns more and more difficult each time. In the fourth night he drowns. Next, the last pages are a transfiguration”. Played by Alfredo with great authority but also radiant beauty as the wonderful tenor melody filled the piano with sumptuous rich sounds that are elaborated with ever more transcendental effusions.

Of the two sonatas that followed it was the enigmatic fantasy of Scriabin’s ‘purple’ Sonata that suited our young virtuoso the best. A subtle palette of sounds but allied always to an intelligence and architectural awareness where Scriabin’s still early Chopinesque writing . The beginning and guiding light to the composers lifelong search for the ‘star’ that was to be a diabolical journey of harrowing torment. A technical mastery of the Presto, perpetuo mobile, that did not deny the unstoppable Romantic outbursts of Romantic effusions.

The Beethoven Sonata ,a new work for Alfredo, I found a little too earthbound. The opening Vivace lacking improvised fluidity and freedom as Alfredo seemed intimidated and too respectful of the first of Beethoven’s great trio of late Sonatas. It missed the etherial beauty and imprecisions of a composer searching for a world of peaceful coexistance. A beauty that was to be revealed in the final theme and variations of the last movement that Alfredo played with remarkable authority.Here again I felt his Neapolitan verticality was at odds with Cortot’s horizontality.

All this was resolved however in the radiant beauty and understanding that he brought to the Clementi encore. Jed Distler the most discerning of critics thought that Alfredo had found the perfect key with a performance where the beauty and radiance of the opening sounded like a Bach chorale prelude such was the glowing simple beauty of playing that allowed the music to speak for itself.

Alfredo in discussion with Jed at the end and which is the raison d’être of the meeting the artist reception that Steinways very generously allow in their beautiful showroom. Good times where in a relaxed atmosphere a mutual love and respect for the music can be debated over many glasses of Champagne and on this occasion a birthday cake with the recipe bequeathed to Elena Vorotoko ,co artistic director , by our much missed founder Noretta Conci .

Noretta will be celebrated in her home town of Trento where the Filarmonica are proud to host a celebration together with Evgeny Kissin and many emeritus KT artists on the 29th November 2026.