Paolo Restani: Tribute to Liszt

About the Event

Immerse yourself in a night of enchanting soundscapes with the mesmerizing 'Paolo Restani: Tribute to Liszt' at the illustrious Sala Baldini.

Biography Paolo Restani
Paolo Restani was a precocious talent, giving his first concert at the age of just 11.
In 1984, at the age of 16, his recital at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (Auditorio Conciliazione) was a sensational success, as attested by the most authoritative critics:
A star is born at Santa Cecilia (Mya Tannenbaum, Corriere della Sera), Already destined to become part of the great piano tradition of our country (Alfredo Gasponi, Il Messaggero),
Sixteen years old, but don't believe it: Paolo Restani, who made his appearance the other night at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, is nothing short of shocking (Ivana Musani, Paese Sera).

Immediately followed by engagements with major European theaters.
Among the many achievements of those years, the concert at the Sala Verdi in Milan
for the Serate Musicali in January 1988 was memorable: called in to replace Alexis Weissenberg with only a few hours' notice, he played Beethoven's Eroica Variations and Liszt's 12 Etudes d'exécution transcendante.

In a career spanning more than forty years, he has given concerts in many of the world's most important music centers, distinguishing himself with a highly personal interpretative style that is constantly maturing.
His technical mastery and depth of interpretation, aimed at making every detail of the score transparent and perceptible, make him an outstanding artist, especially in the Romantic repertoire, where his virtuosity brings to mind the great names of the piano tradition: …in his performance of Chopin, the similarities with Vladimir Horowitz are striking in terms of timbre, richness of color, and clarity of melody (Allgemeine Zeitung, on the occasion of a recital in Frankfurt, 2017).

His most recent recital world tours: New York Carnegie Hall (Stern Hall) and Lincoln Center, Milan Teatro alla Scala, Rome Teatro dell'Opera, Vienna Grosser Musikvereinsaal, Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus, London Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebow, Paris Salle Pleyel, Munich Gaisteig and Prinzregententheater, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Mainz Rheingoldhalle, Innsbruck New Congress‐Hall and Haus der Musik Grosser Saal, Moscow International Performing Arts, Buenos Aires Teatro Colón and Coliseo, Santiago de Chile Teatro Municipal, Tokyo, Stockholm, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Beirut, Montevideo, Dubai, Manama, Kuwait City.
He has been a guest at many prestigious festivals, including: Flanders Festival, Istanbul Festival,
Prague Spring Festival, Bucharest Enescu Festival, Bonn Beethovenfest, BBC Proms,
Budapest Liszt Fest, Miami International Piano, Martha Argerich Festival in Buenos Aires,
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Ravenna Festival, Brescia and Bergamo Piano Festival,
MITO Festival.

He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Berliner Symphoniker,
Berliner Philharmoniker String Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Münchner Symphoniker,
Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonique de Nice,
Oviedo Filarmonía, Budapest Festival Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Symphony, Moscow Symphony,
Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphony,
Kiev Philharmonic, Lithuanian Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber,
Sinfonica Nacional de Chile, Johannesbug Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala,
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, San Carlo di Napoli, Regio di Torino,
della Fenice di Venezia, dell'Arena di Verona, Sinfonica Toscanini di Parma.

Conductors include: Roberto Abbado, Gerd Albrecht, Piero Bellugi, Christian Benda,
Francesco Caracciolo, Aldo Ceccato, Misha Damev, Francesco D'Avalos, Yoram David,
Vladimir Delman, Claus Peter Flor, Heiko Mathias Forster, Tanja Goldstein, Marco Guidarini,
Helena Herrera, Irwin Hoffman, Lu Jia, Gustav Khun, Lothar Koenigs, Gerard Korsten,
Julian Kovatchev, Uroš Lajovic, Yoel Levi, Anton Nanut, John Nelson, John Neschling,
Gunter Neuhold, Paolo Olmi, Daniel Oren, Gabor Ötvos, Massimo Pradella, Misha Rachlevsky, Donato Renzetti, Gintaras Rinkevicius, Ola Rudner, Lior Shambadal, Jörg‐Peter Weigle,
Andreas Weiser.

He made his debut with Riccardo Muti in Liszt's Concerto No. 2 (Filarmonica della Scala).
This marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between the two artists, which would continue on several occasions.
Among these, Restani's solo participation, again alongside Muti, in Berlioz's symphonic production Lélio ou Le Retour à la vie op. 14b with the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, actor Gérard Depardieu (narrator).
At the invitation of Yuri Temirkanov, he also participated in the 17th St. Petersburg International Festival
(St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Prokofiev Concerto No. 3).

He is very popular in South America, where he travels every year.
The Argentine Critics' Association awarded him the prize for best performer in 2005 and, in 2011, for his concerts with the La Scala String Quartet as best ensemble.

A passionate chamber musician, he performs with the La Scala String Quartet, the Fonè Quartet, the David Quartet, the La Scala Soloists, and violist Simonide Braconi.
He also accompanies Monica Bacelli, Guillemette Laurens, and Claire Brua in lieder cycles.

A versatile musician, his solo performances often interact with world‐class performers—Gérard Depardieu, Enrico Maria Salerno, Olimpia Carlisi, Mariano Rigillo, Gottfried Wagner, Carla Fracci, Beppe Menegatti, Sylvie Guillelme, Laurent Hilaire—giving rise to original theater/music creations.
With actress Chiara Muti (daughter of Riccardo Muti), he created three original plays between 2008 and 2014:
Il Regno di Rüken‐la vita di Mozart (The Kingdom of Rüken—The Life of Mozart), Il sogno di Ludwig‐gli ultimi giorni di Ludwig II e Wagner (Ludwig's Dream—The Last Days of Ludwig II and Wagner), and Prospettiva Nevsky‐Gogol e i Preludi di Rachmaninov (Nevsky Prospect—Gogol and Rachmaninoff's Preludes).
In 2013, Simona Marchini wanted him by her side in performances of Verdi and Liszt's piano paraphrases.