‘Venetian Evening’ at Steingraeber

“Highly Successful Debut”

Master Concert of the Piano Class of Prof. Igor Cognolato in the Chamber Music Hall of the Steingraeber Piano Manufactory on March 7, 2024

The Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice boasts a long and significant tradition in the history of piano music. Notably, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli once taught there, and Béla Bartók gave a piano recital in the conservatory’s concert hall. Today, Prof. Igor Cognolato, an internationally sought-after pianist as a soloist and chamber musician, as well as a lecturer and juror at European masterclasses and competitions, holds the chair for piano. On March 7, he and his piano class graced Bayreuth with a brilliant master concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Steingraeber Piano Manufactory, where four of his students presented themselves as remarkably mature artistic personalities for their young ages, ranging from 23 to 25 years.

Leading the evening was Simone Mao, born in 1999, who initially presented himself as a sensitive poet with Frédéric Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61 and later offered the undisputed highlight of the concert evening with Franz Liszt’s “Totentanz” in the version for solo piano. To describe this young virtuoso, the term “superiority” might first come to the concertgoer’s mind. Simone Mao possesses all conceivable means of piano technique in a unique balance of inspiration and control: his hands fly over the keyboard landscape, always guided by a strong intellect that seemingly recomposes the music and transforms the grand piano into an orchestra.

Special mention must also be made of Lucia Canali, born in 1998, who captivates with her ability to combine passionate southern temperament, sound sensibility, and a sense of form in a charming manner. She introduced herself with two pieces outside the conventional canon: Alberto Ginastera’s wild, rhythmically complex Sonata No. 1 Op. 22, and the relaxed jazz waltz “Vaidosa No. 1” by the Brazilian composer Radamés Gnattali (1906-1988). With her energy and tonal imagination, as well as her preference for these repertoire discoveries, she recommends herself as a particularly individual personality.

Davide Vio, born in 1999, is in no way inferior to his two fellow students in terms of technical mastery, brilliance, and intellectual insight into the music. He opened the concert with Chopin’s Mazurka Op. 33 No. 4, presenting himself as a true poet and romantic who effortlessly commands sparkling runs and, with his lyrical tone, conveys the nobility of this music. He concluded the concert evening with a solidly virtuosic interpretation of Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1, where one might wish for a bit more daring in the diabolical-humorous risk, which could be attributed to its placement in the program after many expressive highlights of the evening.

Claudia Zanatta, born in 2000 and thus the youngest of the four, performed only one piece this evening, Chopin’s famous Second Ballade. Yet, with her interpretation, she won the hearts of the audience. Her playing is distinguished by the freshness and naturalness of her tone production and the unhurried flow, allowing time for the development of the melodies. Particularly in her rendition of the grand epic composition, something noticeable stands out that can be considered the hallmark of Igor Cognolato’s school: sound, expression, dramatic progression, and the handling of time do not seem “crafted,” but rather appear to arise from the logic of the form in the interplay of “initiating” and listening. In their artistic diversity, the young artists are united by their striking elegant discipline, a simultaneously confident and modest demeanor, indicative of their shared schooling. Their musicality is based on a deep understanding of musical structures and the poetic background of the works, and is therefore natural and uncontrived. They radiate calm and concentration, with no “gestures” or heavy breathing, but rather attention and tension from the first to the last note.

All this is experienced so delightfully because the grand Steingraeber E-Grand piano offers them the entire cosmos of piano sound with an astonishing palette of colors.

It is wonderful that Venice (and on this evening Bayreuth) hosts such a treasure with Igor Cognolato and his piano class, and the audience in the Steingraeber Chamber Music Hall expressed their gratitude with prolonged applause.

Hannes Pohlit
Composer, Pianist, Conductor, and Lecturer at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music Weimar

(Source: Höchst erfolgreicher Erstauftritt – Rezension zum ‘venezianischen Abend’ bei Steingraeber – Steingraeber & Söhne)

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