by Jeannette Fang Maiori - Palazza Mezzacapo July 24, 2014 Usually when I hear “piano duo concert” I think of this: It’s generally not a bad idea to keep to having only one pianist on the stage. Except for… The Festival Duo! Vigilantes against stereotypes, the festival darlings of Jim Giles and Yoshikazu Nagai strode calmly to their pianos, perfunctorily bowing and launching immediately into a perfectly coordinated Lutoslawski with an ensemble that was so together it crackle

by Jeannette Fang Naples, Chiesa di S. Anna dei Lombardi July 25, 2014 Having each young artist's concert take place in a different venue is such a smart concept. Imaginations need to be fed from reality, and the opportunity to play in breath-taking vistas are unforgettable additions to the reservoir of inspiration that young pianists can cull from. Whereas the beauty of Sorrento’s Parco dei Principi came from its dramatic vantage point over the sea, the magnificence of Napl

Fellows/Young Professionals concert Amalfi - Museo Diocesano July 21, 2014 If you’ve huffed all the way up the one hundred million stairs of Amalfi’s Museo Diocesano on Monday evening, you might not be in the mood for the scampering antics of Young Juliet. But too bad. You’re going to have to hear it, because Jeannette Fang starts the Young Professionals concert with selections from Prokofiev’s op.75 Romeo and Juliet. Perhaps the booming octaves of the Montagues and Capule

By Jeannette Fang Maiori - Salone degli Affreschi, Palazzo Mezzacapo July 20, 2014 Four wonderful young artists were featured Sunday evening under the colorful dome of Maiori's Town Hall. Phoebe Wu began the program with a sparkling Bach partita no.1. She had a natural sense of the style, and played with sincerity and expressivity. She captured the emotional intent behind Janacek's first piano sonata, playing with great outpour and fervor. The next to take the stage was Eli

by Jeannette Fang Maiori - Palazzo Mezzacapo July 19, 2014 Saturday night's faculty recital was a study of the very different effects that intense concentration can bring to piano performance. Hee Song Joo's focus was of a reflective nature, as if she were looking back at a certain significant moment and modulating it carefully in her mind. Reflective does not mean hazy, for there's a velvet density to her conceptions. You know how when you rub velvet the wrong way, it crea

by Jeannette Fang Sorrento - Parco dei Principi July 17, 2014 Five talented performers were showcased thursday evening in Sorrento's luxurious Parco dei Principi. It was a unique opportunity to have a truly dramatic setting enhance the drama of the works featured, with sun sparkling over jet black tiles and endless blue water surrounding precipitous cliffs. Mikowai Ashwill started with a spirited rendition of the Allegro of Haydn's CM sonata, Hob. XVI:50. He followed this wi

by Jeannette Fang July 16, 2014 Maiori: Salone degli Affreschi, Palazzo Mezzacapo There was not an inch of space left in the Town Hall on Wednesday night, but no one minded the sweaty squeeze. We were all just eager to hear the masterful musical personalities that would be presented at this year’s Meet the Faculty concert. Newcomer Hee Sung Joo started the evening with the Allegretto of Beethoven's Piano Sonata op.31 no.2. She walked towards the piano amid beloved cheers, wh

by Jeannette Fang They emerged regally, Mina a column of diaphanous black and John shiny granite. Without any fanfare, they launched immediately into Debussy’s Petite Suite, whose easy charm reminded many of us of our favorite experiences playing four hand music. En Bateau (Sailing) had an instantaneous flow that was never lost. Mina shaped her melodies with a perfect Debussy-ian sound, paying attention to the length of each phrase. John supported with a crisp rhythmic fo

by Josh Wright Gregorio Nardi presented a beautiful lecture recital in Naples in the astounding cathedral seen to the left. The program was centered around Liszt, with other composers' works sprinkled into the mix. Liszt wrote many of his song transcriptions in Florence. Favorites of this program were Il Penserero, a mesmerizing piece based on the famous Michelangelo statue ("The Thinker") that evoked melancholy and a cool, dark spirit. Also, we saw many of the fantastic and

by Jeannette Fang This was the perfect venue for Liszt, and especially for the program chosen. The dark, almost gothic décor, mixed with the opulence and rather bloody coloring, connoted the sort of mystery one might imagine in depicting the afterworld. The virtuosity of the architecture paralleled the brilliant pyrotechnics of the Horowitz-ed Hungarian Rhapsody, its height was reflected by the tinkling register of La Campanella, and its grandeur reflected in the two Transc