Archive press 2012
L’Associazione Angelo Mariani fa centro con un pianista virtuoso
Taverna apre e chiude con Debussy
Servizio di Attilia Tartagni
Pubblicato il 01 Dicembre 2012
RAVENNA – Alessandro Taverna è certamente uno dei maggiori talenti pianistici del momento e la sua giovane età (è nato a Caorle nel 1983) fa presumere una carriera tutta in progressione. Già ospite l’anno scorso dell’Associazione musicale Arcangelo Corelli di Ravenna, è stato riproposto dall’Associazione Angelo Mariani nella rassegna “I concerti della domenica” il 25 novembre scorso nella Sala Corelli del Teatro Alighieri. È noto che quest’anno ricorre il 150° dalla nascita di Claude Debussy, compositore del gusto musicale impressionista legato alle parallele esperienze pittoriche e influenzato da richiami esotici e da scale esatonali, per cui non potevano mancare le Images di quell’Autore, prima e seconda serie, scelte come punto di partenza di un viaggio nella cultura musicale fra fine ottocento e novecento dall’eclettico pianista, pronto a trasformare la tastiera in una girandola cromatica in cui sfiora, pennella e scolpisce le note in tridimensione. Stavano ancora sospese nell’aria le suggestioni visive e i giochi sonori d’acqua di Debussy che Taverna era già pronto a immergersi nel clima festoso dell’Austria fine ottocento con Schatz-Walzer di Johann Strauss figlio, danza che riassume vari temi tratti dall’operetta Zigeunerbaron. La composizione si sviluppa su tempi diversi, elogio della lentezza, dell’accelerazione e del delirio vorticoso della danza.
L’arte pianistica di Taverna, energica ed evocativa, ha trasformato la Sala Corelli del Teatro Alighieri, colonnato neoclassico ed enormi lampadari di cristallo, in una cornice decadente mitteleuropea rendendo palpabili le coppie vorticosamente allacciate a ritmo di valzer.
Trois Mouvements de Petrochka di Stravinskij, tratti dalla partitura del celebre balletto, ha segnato nel percorso musicale delineato da Taverna la spaccatura fra l’ultimo decadente ottocento e la nuova creatività espressionista del novecento. Quanta empatia, quanta foga ha saputo imprimere Taverna alle pagine di Stravinskij assestando colpi quasi brutali alla tastiera per ritrovare subito giocosità e dolcezza, nel perenne contrasto fra istinto primordiale e bellezza sublimata che il compositore russo ha inscritto in queste pagine per pianoforte di formidabile energia sonora e di stringente tensione.
Ma il cimento di Taverna non era ancora finito, lo aspettava al varco una selezione da Play piano play (1971), pagine virtuosistiche scritte a scopo didattico di carattere marcatamente contemporaneo dove echi jazzistici si miscelano con vari generi e il ritmo è a tratti talmente veloce da risultare parossistico. Applauditissimo ad ogni pausa, nel finale Taverna è stato sommerso dalle ovazioni per cui, dopo avere completato il suo viaggio, è ripartito da capo con la rarefatta Clair de lune di Debussy, brano sospeso fra passato e futuro. Un programma sostanzioso sostenuto da un filo logico e un’esecuzione che avrebbe fiaccato i più, invece Taverna dopo il concerto si è trattenuto con il pubblico rispondendo pazientemente alle domande e firmando autografi. Se è indubbio che un musicista comunica attraverso lo strumento, è apprezzabile che sia disponibile anche al rapporto diretto con il pubblico e si è convinti che la Musica debba molto ad artisti generosi come Taverna.
Crediti fotografici: Angelo Palmieri e Ufficio stampa Associazione Mariani
Nella miniatura in alto: Claude Debussy ritratto da Jacques-Emile Blanche (particolare)
In basso: il pianista Alessandro Taverna ha entusiasmato il pubblico ravennate
Im Bann eines Klaviermagiers
29-jähriger Pianist brilliert bei Benefiz-Konzert
VON EUGENIE KUSCH
Begeistert das Publikum | FOTO: EUGENIE KUSCH
Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Die Lichter der Orangerie strahlten am Samstag länger als sonst. Das begeisterte Publikum wurde vom Charisma des 29-jährigen italienischen Pianisten Alessandro Taverna schlicht überwältigt. Er ist Preisträger zahlreicher Wettbewerbe, jüngst wurde er vom italienischen Staatspräsidenten mit dem “Giuseppe Sinopoli-Preis” geehrt.
Seine Interpretationen sind unverkennbar – ebenso wie die symptomatische Ähnlichkeit seiner Gesichtszüge mit denen von Chopin oder Liszt. Das Konzertprogramm hätte beiden Klaviertitanen gefallen können: Großangelegte Klavierwerke, denen eine halsbrecherische Technik und ein unbegrenztes Klangpotenzial zugrunde liegen.
Unter Tavernas Obhut kann das Klavier beinahe alles: Dichten, erzählen, malen, singen und gleichermaßen die Zerrissenheit der Gefühle deuten, so zum Beispiel im “Petrouchka” von Igor Strawinsky, einem der klangmächtigsten und anspruchsvollsten aller Klavierwerke. Oder es verfolgt die Sackgassen einer zerstörerischen Leidenschaft wie in Ferruccio Busonis Paraphrase über Bizets “Carmen”. Taverna gelang es, den weiten Bogen der Stimmungen zu spannen, vom lieblichen Farbton der Blumenarie, über den rassigen Reiz der “Habanera” bis zum Übermut des Toreroliedes. Gesteckt sind all die Gefühle im bändigenden Korsett der viersätzigen Sonate. Ein Widerspruch in sich, den der Pianist mit einer liebevollen Ironie veranschaulichte.
Den poetischen Ton der Ballade As-Dur von Chopin traf der 29-Jährige derart, dass man glaubt, er hätte auch Adam Mickiewicz gelesen, einen polnischen Dichter, dessen Verse den Komponisten inspirierten. Beethovens Eroica-Variationen betrachtete Taverna vom den ersten Akkord an unpathetisch. Das lyrische Thema und sogar der leuchtende Schluss blieben wunderbar strukturiert, genauso wie alle verquickten mehrstimmigen Sequenzen des Werkes.
Mit ähnlicher Klarheit, schwereloser Virtuosität und delikaten Tonschattierungen erklang der Zyklus “Images” von Claude Debussy. Der von dem französischen Komponisten bewunderte Chopin fand seine Inspirationsmotive in der Poesie, Debussy selbst suchte sie in der Malerei. Spiegelungen im Wasser, Goldfische und Glockenklänge regten seine kompositorische Fantasie bei der Entstehung der “Bilder” an. Taverna reduzierte diese Musik jedoch nicht auf das Äußerliche. Nicht die schleierhaften Harmonien und verwischten Strukturen kennzeichneten sie, sondern ein analytisches und durchsichtiges Musizieren, bei dem das Wasser kristallklar blieb und die Goldfische sichtbar glänzten.
Und dann waren da noch die Zugaben. Im “Schatz-Walzer” von J. Strauss bewies der Pianist, dass er auch ein Magier des Dreivierteltakts ist. Im 6. Übungsstück aus dem Zyklus “Play piano play” von Friedrich Gulda brillierte er auch als begnadeter Improvisator.
Das Konzert kam als Benefiz-Veranstaltung des neu gegründeten Inner Wheel Clubs in Rheda-Wiedenbrück zustande. Was für eine glänzende und viel versprechende Inauguration!
(English translation) The spell of a piano magician
29-year-old pianist shines at charity concert
EUGENIE OF KUSH
Alessandro Taverna played in the Orangerie.
Rheda-Wiedenbrück. The lights illuminated the Orangery on Saturday longer than usual. The enthusiastic audience was simply overwhelmed by the charisma of the 29-year-old Italian pianist Alessandro Taverna. He is the winner of numerous competitions, most recently he visited the President of Italy, by who was honored with the “Giuseppe Sinopoli Award”.
His interpretations are unmistakable – like the symptomatic similarity of his features with those of Chopin and Liszt. In fact the concert program might have seemed that the two piano titans were back down: large-scale piano works, where it lies a breakneck technique and an unlimited sonic potential.
Under Taverna’s custody, the piano can say almost everything: narrative density, singing, painting, and both suggesting the inner turmoil of the emotions, such as in “Petrushka” by Igor Stravinsky, one of the most powerfully sounding and most demanding of all piano works. Or pursuing the impasses of a destructive passion in Ferruccio Busoni’s paraphrase of Bizet’s “Carmen”. Taverna managed to span the wide circle of moods, from the lovely color of the Flower Romance, through the bloodstained appeal of the “Habanera”, from the arrogance of Toreadors Song. All the feelings are subdued like tamed in a corset in the four-movement sonata. A contradiction in terms, that the pianist illustrated with an affectionate irony.
With the poetic tone of the Ballade in A-flat major by Chopin, the 29-year-old pianist hit such in a way that we would have believed that he had read Adam Mickiewicz, a Polish poet whose verses have inspired the composer.
Taverna looked at Beethoven’s Eroica Variations with pathos starting from the first chord. The lyrical theme and even the brilliant conclusion remained wonderfully structured, as well as all the previously established polyphonic sequences of the work.
With similar clarity, weightless virtuosity and delicate tonal nuances it has sounded the cycle of “Images” by Claude Debussy. While the admirable French composer Chopin took his inspiration motives into poetry, Debussy himself sought them in painting. Reflections in the water, Goldfish and Bells through the leaves led to crystallize his compositional imagination into the creation of “Images”. Taverna didn’t reduce this music only to exteriority: not the veiled harmonies and the blurred structures have marked the structure, but an analytical and transparent music, in which the water was crystal clear and the goldfish visibly shining.
And then there have been the encores. In “Schatz-Walzer” by J. Strauss the pianist showed that he is a magician for three-four time. In the 6th Exercise – taken from the series “Play piano play” by Friedrich Gulda – he excelled as a gifted improviser.
The concert came about as a charity event of the newly established Inner Wheel Clubs in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. What a brilliant and promising Inauguration!
Alessandro Taverna zu Gast im Beethoven-Haus
Von Thomas Kirchhoff
Bonn. Als Stipendiat der Keyboard Charitable Trust in London, mit der das Bonner Beethoven-Haus seit dieser Spielzeit kooperiert, eröffnete der Italiener Alessandro Taverna (Jahrgang 1983) das erste Konzert der Reihe “Young Stars” im Kammermusiksaal.
“Wir müssen zusammen Musik machen”, so angetan war Lorin Maazel nach einem Konzert in New York. In Beethovens 15 Variationen mit einer Fuge Es-Dur op. 35 “Eroica Variationen”, die er “in ganz neuer Manier bearbeitet” hatte, erwies sich Taverna als absoluter Perfektionist.
Jede Phrase, jeder Akzent wirkte genau durchdacht, die Läufe perlten mit größtmöglicher Selbstverständlichkeit dahin. In der finalen Fuge, die Taverna zu einem glanzvollen Schlussakkord führte, deutete sich schon der hohe Gefühlsgehalt an, mit dem er auch Debussys Images (Première et Deuxième Série) begegnete und in “Reflets dans l’eau” ein Naturschauspiel an Formen und Farben entfachte.
Nach einem Ausflug in Chopins filigrane Gefühlswelt mit der Ballade Nr. 3 As-Dur op. 47 erweckte Taverna im zweiten Teil die Gliederpuppe Petruschka in Strawinskis “Trois Movements de Petrouchka” zum Leben. Solch virtuoses Feuer verlangte nach zwei Zugaben: Bezaubernd der Schatzwalzer von Johann Strauß (Arr. Ernst von Dohnányi), jazzig frech ein kurzes Stück von Friedrich Gulda aus Play Piano Play. Standing Ovations.
Il personaggio: rubrica di Antonio Venturin
ALESSANDRO TAVERNA,
PIANISTA APPREZZATO IN TUTTO IL MONDO
Il ventinovenne di Caorle è riuscito ad affermarsi a livello internazionale dopo il perfezionamento iniziato a Portogruaro. Suonerà nella città che lo ha lanciato in occasione del Festival dell’Estate Musicale
Il fascino della musica può portare lontano. Il caorlotto Alessandro Taverna può confermarlo. Tappe bruciate in tempi rapidissimi, successi raccolti in tutto il mondo, in virtù della sua capacità di suonare il pianoforte. Una passione che ha radici profonde: già a sei anni il piccolo Alessandro è sulla tastiera e non serve incitarlo per ascoltarlo. Le dita si muovono sicure e c’è da rimaner incantati per la bravura dimostrata. Gli anni della prima formazione trascorrono fino a quando, a undici anni sceglie di frequentare la Fondazione Musicale Santa Cecilia con Laura Candiago Ferrari, che prende il posto di Cinzia Francescato, e che diventerà per lui un insostituibile punto di riferimento. Il giovane capisce che sta seguendo la strada giusta, l’itinerario che gli permetterà di realizzare il suo sogno: diventare un pianista di fama.
Si diploma nel 2001 con il massimo dei voti e la lode. Ha 17 anni, una vita intera per raggiungere qualsiasi meta. Portogruaro, città della Musica, è un punto di partenza che acconsente di migliorare rimanendo a casa, così consegue il diploma di concertismo presso la Scuola di Perfezionamento Internazionale della città con il maestro Piero Rattalino, quindi il diploma di alto perfezionamento presso l’Accademia Pianistica di Imola, sotto la guida di Franco Scala, Leonid Margarius e Boris Petrushansky. Nel 2010 è ammesso alla prestigiosa International Academy Lake Como in cui ha l’opportunità di lavorare con eminenti personalità del mondo pianistico. Ormai il vortice delle note lo ha avvolto completamente, finire alla Hochschule fur Musik di Hannover per l’ennesimo perfezionamento rientra nella logica delle cose.
Il mondo tedesco e quello anglosassone in particolar modo riconoscono il valore della musica e rispettano coloro che dimostrano maestria nei concerti. In Italia questa deferenza verso i concertisti è un po’ appannata, forse perché da noi impera l’opera lirica e il pubblico si indirizza verso questo genere di spettacolo. E’ la sua opinione, ma non contesta i gusti degli spettatori. Il problema nasce in origine, quando si è piccoli la scuola non offre molto, i programmi non sono adeguati e la gioventù non riesce a recepire quanto sia meravigliosa la conoscenza delle note. Lui rappresenta un’eccezione, vede un futuro roseo e spera che non trascorra molto per assistere a uno scenario diverso. Nei suoi trasferimenti ha notato ragazzi entusiasti per la musica, anche in Cina e in Giappone, perché quindi non avere speranze per i coetanei italiani? Alessandro, nella sua spontaneità, ritiene che a volte nella musica e più in generale nell’arte si dia maggiormente importanza alla forma piuttosto che alla sostanza. La gioventù segue il mercato e si fa facilmente fagocitare da un sistema di vita che azzera personalità e individualismo. E’ necessario capire il problema e magari compiere qualche passo verso i giovani, per riuscire a calamitare la loro attenzione. Isolarsi, fare gli esteti non gratifica, anzi limita le soddisfazioni di tanti artisti che potrebbero crearsi motivi forti per proseguire nella carriera.
Questa è la filosofia di un giovane e affermato pianista, ma lui deve principalmente occuparsi degli impegni professionali che sono molti. Decisivi per la sua carriera sono stati i Concorsi Internazionali di Londra, Leeds e Minneapolis che lo hanno lanciato alla ribalta internazionale. Il contatto con l’estero si è reso indispensabile in quanto il gradimento delle popolazioni oltre confine nei confronti della musica strumentale è elevato e la richiesta di ascoltare dei talenti non manca mai.
Esibirsi di fronte a un pubblico raffinato costituisce motivo di orgoglio, ma fa anche paura. E’ necessario dominare la situazione e concentrasi al massimo. Alla fine l’applauso stentoreo degli spettatori scema la tensione e ripaga sacrifici, impegno e quel pizzico di orgoglio personale. Suonare significa non solo esibirsi da solista ma anche fondersi con un’orchestra, ed è importante instaurare una sintonia sempre nuova per ogni formazione orchestrale che si incontra. La Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, la London Philharmonic e la Scottish Chamber hanno certamente rappresentato alcune tra le prove più importanti e impegnative, ma superate tutte senza problemi.
Il premio più gradito? Quello ricevuto direttamente dalle mani del Presidente Giorgio Napolitano e dalla signora Silvia Cappellini Sinopoli in occasione della cerimonia di consegna dei premi “Presidente della Repubblica”. Ma la soddisfazione più grande è quella di aver reso migliore la vita, almeno per il tempo dell’esecuzione agli spettatori rapiti dalla sua bravura. In agosto è in calendario a Portogruaro in un festival consolidato e prestigioso. Sarà uno dei protagonisti maggiormente attesi e potrà ricevere un’altra gratificazione, la più gradita, per lui che si è formato nella Città del Lemene e non ha rinunciato al contatto con la sua gente.
da Erreuno, agosto 2012
Il recital alla Fazioli Concert Hall
La recensione: ALESSANDRO TAVERNA SI ESALTA SUI TASTI CON LE NOTE DI STRAVINSKY
Eddi De Nadai
Straordinario successo per il giovane pianista Alessandro Taverna alla Fazioli Concert Hall di Sacile: standing ovation alla fine del suo recital da parte di un foltissimo pubblico, che ha premiato anche la meritoria idea di Paolo Fazioli di riservare alcuni appuntamenti della sua prestigiosa stagione a giovani talenti italiani, affermati a livello internazionale.
Alessandro Taverna, di Caorle, era giustamente supportato anche da un consistente gruppo di fans concittadini, cui ha dedicato uno dei due brani fuori programma. Ma non aveva certamente bisogno della claque per strappare il consenso di una platea attentissima alle sue qualità artistiche che emergono sin dalle prime pagine delle imponenti 15 Variazioni e Fuga op. 35 di Beethoven.
Appare assai evidente in questa composizione, non facile all’ascolto, la lucidità di analisi dell’interprete il quale riesce a creare una continuità carica di tensione nella sequenza variativa che si placa, liricamente, solo nel tempo lento prima della fuga per riprendervi immediatamente con seriosa espressività.
Forse più debole dal punto di vista del lirismo è stato lo Scherzo n. 4 di Chopin, dove ci saremmo aspettati maggior dedizione all’aspetto poetico del brano.
Nella seconda parte Taverna riesce ad esaltare, con un virtuosismo tecnico eccezionale, l’immaginifica scrittura della Sonata n. 10 di Scriabin e dei teatrali Tre movimenti da Petrushka di Stravinsky. Immaginifiche sono anche le possibilità del pianoforte in queste pagine, che viene trattato non come riduzione dell’orchestra bensì come risorsa inesauribile di timbri e colori.
Alessandro Taverna ne spinge la ricerca all’estremo trascinando l’ascoltatore in un vortice inebriante di figura sonore.
Non meno brillante la Sonatina ‘super Carmen’ di Busoni, anche se a tratti invero un po’ troppo lontana dall’originale di Bizet.
Rassegna di concerti di primavera promossa dall’associazione ‘Conoscere la musica’
Venerdì 20 aprile 2012 alle ore 21,00 prosegue in la rassegna primaverile di Concerti promossa dall’Associazione ‘Conoscere la Musica‘.
Il quarto appuntamento vede la presenza del giovane pianista Alessandro Taverna. Taverna è vincitore di importanti premi in numerosi concorsi pianistici: tra gli altri il premio speciale ‘Alfredo Casella’, il Premio Pianistico Internazionale ‘A. Scriabin 2003’, il premio speciale al 7th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Giappone, il 2° Premio al London International Piano Competition, il 1° Premio al Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition, il 3° Premio al Leeds International Piano Competition e, recentemente, il 5° Premio alla 58esima edizione del Concorso Pianistico ‘F. Busoni’ di Bolzano, riconoscimenti che lo confermano uno dei pianisti di spicco della sua generazione. Ha scritto di lui il quotidiano The Independent: ‘Quando Alessandro Taverna ha dato inizio al Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra n. 1 di Chopin il pubblico, all’improvviso, è stato pervaso da una solenne bellezza: sono stati impeccabili minuti di intensa poesia!’
Programma
Taverna propone, nella prima parte della serata, di C.Debussy Images (Deuxième série), di S.Rachmaninov Preludio in La minore op.32 n.8, Preludio in Do minore op.23 n.7, Preludio in Re maggiore op.23 n.4 e Preludio in Si bemolle maggiore op.23 n.2, di C.Debussy L’Isle Joyeuse. Nella seconda parte eseguirà di J.Strauss-E. Von Dohnany Schatz-Walzer, di F.Busoni Kammer-Fantasie über Bizets Carmen e di F.Liszt Tarantelle di bravura d’aprés la Tarantelle de ‘La muette de Portici’. Programma davvero impegnativo
NON SACRA MUSICA, MA RUMORI D’ASSALTO
dal sito www.chiesa un’analisi di Sandro Magister sulla situazione della musia sacra, con una recensione di Alessandro Taverna.
CAPPELLA SISTINA: UNA RECENSIONE CRITICA
di Alessandro Taverna
La nomina di don Massimo Palombella alla guida della Sistina aveva colto un po’ di sorpresa gli ‘addetti ai lavori’, che l’hanno creduta di motivare leggendovi un attestato di fiducia e di stima nei suoi confronti da parte del Santo Padre e del suo segretario di Stato cardinale Tarcisio Bertone.
Molte erano le speranze: la principale era che il nuovo direttore potesse risuscitare una tradizione musicale gloriosa progressivamente esauritasi, specialmente negli ultimi dieci anni, unitamente al perfezionamento di una qualità vocale del coro, non sempre encomiabile.
Ebbene, benché la Cappella Sistina sotto la direzione di Palombella abbia il merito di aver recuperato la prassi dell’esecuzione palestriniana (prima completamente dimenticata nelle messe papali), bisogna riconoscere che il livello vocale del coro è scaduto e peggiorato ulteriormente.
In particolare si coglie l’incapacità da parte dei cantori di sostenere un ritmo accettabile. La velocità di esecuzione diventa spesso lenta in modo esasperato, come nel caso del ‘Tu es Petrus’ di Palestrina. Estendendosi praticamente fino al saluto iniziale della messa, si è ultimamente deciso di farlo terminare a ‘ecclesiam meam’, per accorciarne la lunghezza.
L’uso delle trombe d’argento all’inizio della celebrazione (retaggio del rito della cappella papale di un tempo) è assai discutibile nella forma in cui oggi è stato ripristinato, tant’è vero che – anche qui – il prolungarsi della Marcia di Domenico Silverj ha determinato non poche difficoltà: più volte il pontefice, avendo già raggiunto la sede, ha dovuto aspettare che fosse terminata anche un’esecuzione affrettata dell’introito.
Ultimamente il ‘Tu es Petrus’ di Palestrina è stato abbandonato per quello, più breve e troncato anch’esso, di Maurice Duruflé: si è così lasciato spazio a un’esecuzione dell’introito più articolata nelle strofe.
Circa il gregoriano, i problemi si fanno ancora più evidenti. Non si capisce, ad oggi, il motivo che spinge a lasciare la ‘schola cantorum’ sempre sguarnita dell’accompagnamento dell’organo, col risultato che i cantori – incapaci di mantenere da soli la tonalità – calano in modo vistoso e drammatico, un calare che viene palesato ogni volta che l’organo interviene per accompagnare l’assemblea dei fedeli.
C’è da dire che anche la scelta del coro-guida dell’assemblea è infelice. Un tempo costituito da sole voci maschili, oggi è in prevalenza femminile, e ogni volta assesta il colpo esiziale alla già precaria intonazione della ‘schola’.
Inviterei a riascoltare il canto delle Litanie dei Santi eseguite il giorno dell’Epifania per rendersi conto che dall’inizio alla fine i cantori sono calati di ben tre toni.
È evidente, a questo punto, che l’attuale coro della Sistina non dovrebbe permettersi di fare a meno, nel gregoriano, dell’accompagnamento dell’organo, utilizzato invece per sostenere gli interventi dell’assemblea. In quest’ultimo caso, d’altra parte, le armonie impiegate dall’organista hanno un sapore alquanto decadente e quasi ‘jazzistico’, con l’impiego massiccio di settime, che stridono ancora di più con la scelta fatta poco prima dalla ‘schola’ di cantare a cappella. Personalmente, trovo che il fraseggio dell’organo non è sempre comprensibile, alla luce dell’oggettività e della semplicità che dovrebbero caratterizzare la monodia gregoriana.
C’è inoltre da aggiungere che la dislocazione dei numerosi microfoni non giova alla comprensione delle armonie eseguite nel canto polifonico, che risultano poco chiare, specialmente nel canto dei falsobordoni, sia nell’Ordinarium Missae che in altre occasioni, come negli inni e nei salmi dei Vespri.
Per chi ascolta alla televisione, questo inconveniente mette ancor di più in evidenza i problemi di cui si è parlato poc’anzi, anche perché sembra che vi sia come un’insistenza – specie nelle nuove composizioni proposte – su armonie dissonanti che non hanno nulla di sbagliato in se stesse, ma che appare azzardato affidare a un coro che presenta i limiti suddetti (si riascolti, ad esempio, il ‘Tu es Petrus’, versetto all’Alleluia, eseguito lo scorso 19 febbraio in occasione del concistoro).
Parlando ancora del ruolo dell’organo, mi sembra che si sia promosso un indirizzo generale che ha portato a una sostanziale sua abdicazione, a favore di altri strumenti, quali la ‘fanfara’ degli ottoni che ci siamo abituati ad ascoltare all’ingresso e all’uscita del pontefice. Manca del tutto, duole ammetterlo, l’approfondimento e la promozione di una consolidata prassi organistica, che spazi dall’improvvisazione alla grande letteratura italiana ed europea.
Il 15 ottobre scorso Palombella ha rilasciato un’intervista al ‘L’Osservatore Romano’, nella quale tra l’altro affermava che, facendo tesoro dell’eredità consegnataci dalla vocalità del Novecento, i cantori avrebbero dovuto migliorare l’intonazione secondo un metodo ‘scientifico’, basato in particolare sull’intonazione delle terze e delle quinte.
Bisogna però riconoscere che proprio riguardo all’intonazione non si vede alcun progresso, ma piuttosto una generalizzata e inarrestabile involuzione, con un ulteriore difetto che molto spesso si avverte, e cioè che si sentono i cantori ‘urlare’.
Risultati, dunque, che per adesso non corrispondono ai propositi formulati in quell’intervista.
Il sito web dell’autore della recensione, pianista di fama internazionale:
L’articolo completo è reperibile qui: http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350206
MUSICAL OPINION March-April 2012
Alessandro Taverna at WIGMORE HALL
On February 8 Alessandro Taverna got better, indeed much better, as he went on. He used plenty of pedal in Bach’s English Suite No.5 yet the multiple lines were fluent, the dances fairly well characterised. In Mendelssohn’s Sonata Op. 106 there were deliberate echoes of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata (his Op. 106) and of Weber’s Oberon and there was much evidence of the 18-year-old composer’s precocious knowledge and skill. Yet as one movement succeeded another there was a certain monotony to Taverna’s phrasing and inflections, only the Scherzo standing out.
That he was more at home in the 20th century was made immediately apparent by his decisive view of Messiaen’s Regard de l’Esprit de Joie from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jesus. A virtuoso peak of the first half of this great sequence, Taverna made it clear that he fully understood the progressively more powerful versions of what the composer called the ‘theme of joy’. Further significant contrasts followed, starting with two of Ligeti’s Etudes, Fém and L’escalier du diable. Though his music grew out of that of Bartók, Ligeti’s Etudes, written between 1985 and 2001, take some of their inspiration from sub-Saharan music and such features as the simultaneous appearance of totally different tempos make them demanding for pianists yet were lucidly controlled by Taverna. He was able to show that they stand (with Maurice Ohana’a comparable works) as the most distinguished ventures of their kind since Debussy’s Etudes.
Facing in very different directions came Scriabin and Stravinsky. The former’s Sonata No.10 is especially rich in themes, there being six main ideas. These are closely, indeed tightly, linked yet Taverna made it fully evident that he comprehended their fertile differences of musical character. Although Stravinsky always maintained that his Trois Mouvements de Petroushka was not in any ordinary sense a transcription of his ballet, it remains a summit of advanced keyboard writing, especially the concluding Semaine Grasse, yet Taverna’s mastery here beautifully capped the evening.
Max Harrison
The Public Review: Alessandro Taverna and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – Leeds Town Hall
Conductor: Christian Lindberg
Pianist: Alessandro Taverna
Music: Nielson, Grieg, Sibelius
Reviewer: Nicola Harrison
As part of Leeds International Concert Season we are truly privileged to be a part of this remarkable celebration of Scandinavian classical music. The Scandanavian theme includes works from three of the most distinguished composers, Nielson, Grieg and Sibelius, all of whom are considered to be most influential and prodigious in their time. Lead by the expert Maestro Christian Lindberg, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra deliver a stunning performance of three works with guest solo pianist, Alessandro Taverna.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1840 is the UK’s oldest surviving professional symphony orchestra and tours extensively throughout the UK and internationally giving world premiere performances. They have a comprehensive recording catalogue. Christian Lindberg is the Chief Conductor of the Nordic Chamber Orchestra and the Swedish Wind Ensemble and tours regularly around the globe as a trombone soloist. As well as being a conductor and composer, he is regarded as one of the five greatest brass players in the world. Alessandro Taverna has won acclaim through the numerous awards achieved in international competitions including the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2009. This has lead to a variety of engagements throughout the UK as well as recordings for radio and TV.
The evening’s programme begins with Denmark’s greatest composer, Nielsen (1865-1931). Nielsen’s Overture: Helios Op 17 (1903) is a great show piece for orchestra and is one of his most popular works. It was inspired whilst on holiday in Athens as he marvelled, as a true Scandinavian sun-worshipper, at the sun rising and setting over the Aegean Sea. Nielsen wrote of the score: ‘Silence and darkness – then the Sun rises with a joyous song of praise – it wanders its golden way – and sinks quietly into the sea.’ This wonderful imagery is depicted from the outset by the sustained pedal note on C reminiscent of the opening darkness, drawing the audience in towards the first signs of light, heralded by gentle horn calls and the coming of dawn as the strings, horns and woodwind sound a melody. As the sun reaches its highest elevation the music rises to a full orchestra. There is a reprise of the original theme and fanfare before the music subsides as the sun sets quietly over the sea. Lindberg’s interpretation of this work is very moving and an exultation of the power of the cosmos. His exuberant relationship with the orchestra makes the music appear effortless and forms a memorable start to the evening.
Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 16 (1868) was one of the first works to be influenced by his new nationalistic style. Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian pianist and composer and is best known for this work. Performed spectacularly by Taverna, this Concerto marks the climax of the evening. Taverna’s ease with the concert venue and command of the platform gave the impression he could have been performing in his own living room! Under Lindberg’s masterful direction this work had warmth and was truly remarkable from start to finish. Taverna clearly enjoyed every moment and relished exploiting his virtuosity. The first movement, Allegro molto moderato begins with the familiar dramatic piano entry. The rich tone maintained by Taverna filled the concert hall whilst the orchestra supported the piano with themes in a variety of keys. The dramatic solo cadenza performed at the end of the movement is an essential part of the Concerto. The second Adagio movement is in contrast lyrical in style and is one of Grieg’s most poetic pieces of music. The piano provides a melody around different themes accompanied mainly by strings with sporadic woodwind and horn solos leading to the final Allegro moderato movement. There is drama from the outset. The second theme introduced is lyrical in mood and performed with great style by solo flautist, Cormac Henry. Taverna clearly enjoys the solo passages and the brass section enhance the dramatic tones. A culmination of piano, full orchestra and a drum roll expertly delivered by timpanist, Neil Hitt round the work off to a magnificent conclusion.
Taverna delighted the audience with an encore piece, Strauss’ ‘Schatz Walzer’, playful, quirky and virtuosic in style before the second half of the concert ensued and we are pleasured with the sonorous sounds of Sibelius’ Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 43 (1901/02). Sibelius (1865-1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic period and set himself apart from earlier symphonic writers believing that a symphony was not a symphonic poem and should be based on music, not literature. Despite Sibelius’ declaration the opening Allegretto movement non the less is reminiscent of the finish landscape by night and there is rich, colourful orchestration throughout. The second Andante movement is performed by the orchestra with great joy, a magnificent brass section and beautiful woodwind solos on the flute (Cormac Henry, Fiona Paterson) and oboe (Jonathan Small). The final Vivacissimo movement has been likened at different times to Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ in its effect, a series of climactic passages building to a majestic fanfare in the brass section ending the concert with triumphant exaltation.
It is without doubt that all artists in this concert were of outstanding calibre but through Lindberg’s magnificent crafting of three important works the music took on a new and exciting dimension. Totally immersed in the music and its purpose, his sense of humour and passion, it was an honour to be a part of this vision.
‘Star of the future’ takes to the concert stage in city
Fans of classical music are being offered the chance to see a rising star of the concert stage at the City Hall on February 25.
Venice-born Alessandro Taverna will play Grieg’s Piano Concerto, one of classical music’s best-known pieces as the centrepiece of a programme of 19th century music that also includes Borodin’s Prince Igor overture and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
Taverna, 28, has been winning awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including in the Leeds International Piano Festival, and will be fresh from an acclaimed recital at London’s Wigmore Hall earlier this month. “A serious and potentially major talent” were among the critics’ accolades.
“Alessandro has been making a big impression wherever he goes,” said Andrew Penny, now in his 30th season as the Hull Philharmonic’s musical director. “He’s at the start of a very promising career and this will be an opportunity to see a performer who is capable of being one of the major names of the future.”
The Piano Concerto, written in 1868 when Grieg was 24, with its dramatic opening and lyrical passages, will provide a showpiece for Taverna and the orchestra. The opening, which has been used in the film industry and by advertisers, is one of the most memorable in the repertoire.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Alessandro Taverna for this popular concert, which will appeal greatly to our core audience and, we hope, to new listeners,” added Mr Penny.
Hull Philharmonic’s concert season continues with the groundbreaking Sounding the Deep contemporary music project on March 17.
The Yorkshire Post – Published on Friday 17 February 2012
Sculpting soundworlds with Alessandro Taverna
If you’ve ever been to Wigmore Hall, you’ll know that they’re pretty hot on concert etiquette. Next to an easel sporting a canvas depicting a huge mobile phone and a giant red cross (which doesn’t exactly complement the extraordinary pre-Raphaelitesque cupola or the curves of the Steinway), before the performance an impeccably-dressed gentleman appears on stage urging the audience to check their phones and to ‘have a good cough’. I’m all for it. In fact, I wished he’d gone on to say ‘no kipping and absolutely no breathing through constricted nasal passages’. Alas, he did not.
So it was with the irritating accompaniment of a napping gentleman’s nose percussion that Alessandro Taverna began his recital with JS Bach’s English Suite no. 5 in E minor. This young Venetian pianist certainly knew how to tame the Steinway and harness the remarkable acoustic of Wigmore Hall, so that Bach’s contrapuntal subtleties flourished rather than vanished in a potentially glorious but destructive mush of sound. Even the most die-hard of early music evangelists could not question the beauty of Taverna’s performance, in which a general lightness of touch, combined with a masterly control of voicing, brought out each line’s autonomy despite the resonance of the hall. It was a supremely controlled interpretation of Bach’s music, both highly intelligent and original.
The contrapuntal was quickly replaced by the chordal as Mendelssohn’s Sonata no. 3 in B flat major began with a regal, processional fanfare, rising up the keyboard in a military dotted rhythm that dominates the entire movement, despite the playfulness of the second phrase. The ensuing scherzo, with its prolonged rapid passages in octaves, evoked spooky images of running around helter-skelter in subterranean passages, trying to escape the clutches of ghosts and ghouls. At least, it did for me, though there was nothing ‘Scooby Doo’ about it – just lots of energy, atmosphere and dexterity. The tension was counterbalanced by a beautifully lyrical third movement, complete with occasional references to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Here Taverna went to town on the rubato: slightly overindulging, I felt, as indeed he had over-relished in Bach’s ornamentation. This is a small criticism though – after all, everyone loves rubato, really. The lyricism turned tumultuous as it led into a carousel-like beginning to the final movement, reminding me of a silent film improvisation: now dissolving into dreams (soft arpeggiated passages with sostenuto pedal); now tiptoeing (staccato paired notes); now fluttering off into the sky as the credits roll.
I did feel sorry for Mendelssohn at the interval. Sandwiched as it was between Bach and Messiaen, his sonata didn’t really stand up to comparison. On the other hand, not much can compare with Messiaen’s insanely virtuosic (both for composer and performer) ‘Regard de l’Esprit de Joie’ from his Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. This is a truly breathtaking piece in which a menacing, dramatic, low opening bursts into jazzy chords switching over cross-rhythms, which in turn succumb to descending chromatic tripled scales. This then fused into a staggering passage in which the superimposition of unrelated chords and the convergence of the pianist’s hands from the extremities of the keyboard depict the coming together of Heaven and Earth in Jesus Christ. Messaien’s ‘Spirit of Joy’ is wild, explosive, Dionysian joy, blinding you with its brilliance, whirling you round in a mad dance, consuming you with its energy. Taverna’s energy, however, was far from consumed – his performance shone with exuberant passion, and despite the incredible strain Messiaen’s writing puts any pianist under, I got the feeling he could go on all night.
The second half of the concert showed he could. Two studies by György Ligeti were infused with perpetual motion through a rapid ostinato rhythm in which accented notes created a pulsating energy, and a continuous movement up the keyboard (Ligeti’s ‘Devil’s Staircase’) created an immense tension that was only released as the last notes were left to reverberate until all sound had rung itself out. Scriabin’s Sonata no. 10 followed, an almost post-impressionist spiralling, swirling wash, often evoking Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faun. But if Debussy’s Faun is a light, lazy hallucination, this piece is a full-blown, intensely vivid musical trip – the sort that leaves you wondering where your head’s been at for the last fifteen minutes. The familiar sound of Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka disorientated me further; apparently, I was in a crazy Russian fairground. Taverna’s inconceivable energy surpassed all expectations, riding Stravinsky’s manic piano-writing like a true master, only to return to the stage twice for high-octane encores. Although my ears were begging for a break after all that Stravinskian key-bashing, this dedication, passion and enthusiasm delighted a rapturous audience, some of whom showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.
Alessandro Taverna is a true talent, one whose musical intelligence equals his mastery of the instrument. He’s certainly not to be sniffed at, thank you very much.
Submitted by David Fay on 11th February 2012
http://www.bachtrack.com/image-in-this-sculpting-soundworlds-with-alessandro-taverna
The Guardian – Alessandro Taverna at Wigmore Hall
Alessandro Taverna first got himself noticed in the UK at the 2009 Leeds Piano Competition with a performance of Chopin’s E minor Concerto that was exceptional for its strength and grace. Many people expected him to walk off with first prize, though he ultimately came third. Three years on, Taverna’s somewhat belated Wigmore debut confirmed those initial impressions of a serious and potentially major talent. This was a tremendously exciting evening.
It began rather awkwardly, however, with a heavy-handed performance of Bach’s Fifth English Suite, in which a sense of ruminative introspection intruded on the music’s linear clarity. But the weightiness that seemed unsuited to Bach worked surprisingly well in Mendelssohn’s Third Sonata. The piece is usually played with some restraint, when in fact it’s a big, at times iconoclastic work that aspires to high drama as well as lyrical refinement. Taverna then brought the first half to a close with Regard de l’Esprit de Joie from Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, played with an ecstatic violence that took everyone’s breath away.
The dawning realisation that Taverna has the potential to become a major interpreter of 20th-century music was borne out by what came after the interval. He hurled out Ligeti’s Etude No 13, L’Escalier du Diable, with a dexterity that was almost shocking. Scriabin’s Tenth Sonata, which followed, was all ravishing colours and intense sensuality. Finally he gave us Stravinsky’s Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka: dazzlingly done, yet mining the music’s emotional depths. His encores – Dohnányi’s transcription of Strauss’s Schatz-Walzer and Friedrich Gulda’s jazz-influenced PlayPianoPlay – brought the already enraptured audience to its feet.
Tim Ashley
The Guardian, 10th February 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/feb/10/alessandro-taverna-review
The Daily Telegraph: Alessandro Taverna’s recital at Wigmore Hall
Alessandro Taverna, Wigmore Hall, review
Ivan Hewett reviews Alessandro Taverna at the Wigmore Hall.
By Ivan Hewett
When the multi-prizewinning Italian pianist Alessandro Taverna came on stage, he seemed the perfect embodiment of the pale and interesting aesthete: 28 years old , slender of frame, long of hair, otherworldly in demeanour.
The first two pieces added severity and gravity to the picture. He launched the evening with Bach’s E minor English Suite, etching the interweaving parts of the Prelude with assertive seriousness, bringing out the play of left against right hand in the Passepied.
It was all superbly confident, but it had a slightly pedantic feel, as if Taverna was visiting foreign territory and was determined to show us how well he’d learnt the language.
Something of the same feeling clung to Mendelssohn’s B flat major Piano Sonata. This is one of those pieces where Mendelssohn aspires towards a Beethovenian grandeur, but spoils it by rounding off the big gestures with finicky neatness. Taverna captured the dichotomy with superb control, but again I felt he was presenting the piece rather than inhabiting it.
With Messiaen’s Regard de L’Esprit de Joie , the slender-wristed aesthete suddenly showed a different side of himself. He brought a blazing energy to Messiaen’s great, ringing chords, the right hand adding touches of radiance like light catching the colours in a stained-glass window.
It was a shrewd move on Taverna’s part, to begin his recital with the smallest pianistic palette and then make it bigger and more showy by degrees. The process continued after the interval, with two of Ligeti’s staggeringly difficult Etudes. I’ve heard more dizzyingly rapid performances of The Devil’s Staircase, but never one that paced it so shrewdly, so that it’s nightmarish, never-ending ascents and sudden pauses accumulated a colossal energy.
All this showed that Taverna is at his best in truly pianistic piano music, the sort where the boundary between dazzling technique and expressive nuance becomes blurred. Which is why the 10th sonata by Scriabin suited him better than anything else in his recital. This piece is really nothing but nuance, a series of fluttering, trilling gestures floating over unfocused harmonies.
In Taverna’s hands the piece took on a sense of unbounded yearning, the human soul floating beyond the bounds of anything human, which Scriabin was surely aiming for.
There was more steely-wristed virtuosity in Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrouchka , and two dazzling encores. But this was the real heart of his hugely impressive recital.
Dazzling performance adds more depth to Beethoven
The Nottingham Post, Tuesday, January 17, 2012
AS the audience headed off for their coffee and cakes following the recital by young Italian pianist Alessandro Taverna, the conversation buzzed about the astounding virtuosity he had brought to the final work on his programme, Liszt’s Tarantelle di Bravura, and his barnstorming encore, part of Friedrich Gulda’s frenziedly jazzy Play, Piano, Play.
But there was so much more to him than dazzling technique.
Alessandro is a young man of immense charm who seemed to relish the opportunity to talk to his listeners, introducing his concept of a programme spanning a huge range of moods and emotions – as well as providing insights into individual pieces.
He is clearly deeply sensitive to the spiritual and tonal world of the composers whose work he brings to life, be it the Catholic mysticism of Messiaen or imaginative intensity of Chopin’s 4th Scherzo.
He shared with the audience his vision of Beethoven’s 13th Sonata as a narrative of farewell, anxiety and reunion involving a mother and her soldier son.
The sonata may not need this sort of imagery, but the story suggested Alessandro’s own depth of emotional attachment to the music and further endeared him to the large and highly appreciative audience.
William Ruff
Mike Wheeler listens to Venetian pianist Alessandro Taverna
Alessandro Taverna, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 15.1.12
from Sound and Vision – Mike Wheeler
A few weeks before his Wigmore Hall, London, debut on 8 February, Venice-born Alessandro Taverna, third prize-winner at the 2009 Leeds competition, launched his Sunday morning recittal with Beethoven’s E flat Piano Sonata Op 27 no 1, balancingd the first movement’s serene and playful elements, bringing crisp rhythmic energy to the second movement and navigating the remaining switches of mood adroitly.
He brought great textural clarity to the more mercurial passages in Chopin’s Scherzo No 4, off-setting its dreamier middle section to excellent effect.
A combination of rhythmic control and vitality produced an impressive range of colour in Regard de l’Esprit de Joie from Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus. similarly, liquid finger-work allied to a firm sense of direction caught the fluctuating intensity of Scriabin’s Tenth Sonata.
Finally, it was fun-and-games time with Liszt’s Tarantelle di bravura, Taverna producing a remarkable evenness and fluidity in runs (and there were lots of those).
Some of his spoken introductions tended to be a bit long-winded, but Taverna is clearly a pianistic talent to watch.
http://www.mvdaily.com/2012/01/taverna.htm
The recital at the Leeds College of Music
Alessandro Taverna – Quarry Hill, Leeds
Music: Beethoven, Chopin, Strauss/von Dohnányi, Schumann
Reviewer: Nicola Harrison
‘Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.’
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
Leeds International Chamber Season were delighted to host Italian pianist, Alessandro Taverna, bronze medalist of the 2009 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition. Taverna has won various awards in international competitions and performed across Europe and the US, including recitals through the prestigious keyboard trust in London, New York, Berlin and Hamburg. Engagements in the U.K include debuts with the Royal Philharmonic and Scottish Chamber orchestras.
The evenings programme included works that spanned the Classical, Romantic and early modern eras of music. Taverna opened the concert with Beethoven’s well known and loved Piano Sonata No.14 (Moonlight) written in 1801. The slow opening movement and nocturnal mood are reminiscent of Beethoven’s love for the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. This movement (Adagio sostenuto) is particularly exposed through the repetitive triplet rhythm and requires a sensitive and passionate interpretation. The second Allegretto movement is elegant yet modest in style and its rhythmic syncopation gives it a unique character. Liszt described this central movement as ‘a flower between two abysses’. Taverna performed this in contrast to the first movement with measured control. The final movement, Presto agitato is similar to the first movement with its arpeggio pattern but the tone is dark, agitated and persistant. Taverna performed this purposefully and with technical efficiency enabling the melody in the second theme to provide lyrical contrast before concluding with flamboyant fury.
Chopin, a composer of the Romantic period, is historically known as, ‘the poet of the piano’. His Scherzo No.4, Op 54 written between 1842-43 is one of four scherzo’s, each with their own individual character. In contrast tothe first three scherzo’s which are passionate and dramatic, the fourth is more ethereal and sedate and written in a major key. The scherzo begins with a simple five-note phrase which serves as a theme that repeats, often modified at varying intervals. Taverna’s interpretation of this piece warmed the evening, drawing the audience in as he relished the brilliant lyrical phrases, performing them with elegance and ease. The piece accelerated before a flamboyant finish.
Strauss’ music spans the Romantic and early modern eras. ‘Schatz Walzer Op.418 (Treasure Waltz) was written in 1885. The melodies from the waltz were drawn from his operetta, ‘Der Zigeunerbaron’. In 1928 Hungarian pianist and composer, Ernö von Dohnányi made a virtuoso transcription of Strauss’ ‘Schatz Walzer’. This included greater chromaticism and lavish glissandi. Its technical demands were met with enjoyment and ease by Taverna as he performed the playful utterances with style and panache. The octave leaps worked well as a contrast to the rapid scalic passages before the piece ended with a flourish.
Schumann’s Fantasy in C, Op 17 comprises three movements. Written in 1836 and revised in 1839 before being dedicated to Liszt, it is considered to be one of Schumann’s greatest works for solo piano and is also one of the key works of the early Romantic period. The first movement is both rhapsodic and passionate. Its rich chordal texture and contrasting themes where drama is juxtaposed against more poignant moments were relished by Taverna. The ending was performed tenderly and with thought leading to the more stately second movement. The second movement is a grandiose rondo based on a majestic march with emotions parallel to the first movement. The dance-like rhythmic pattern progresses into the quieter trio section before moving to a development of the original theme and climax of octaves and chords. This was performed masterfully and with virtuosic ease by Taverna. The final third movement in contrast is slow and meditative. It begins cautiously exploring different keys and colours. Taverna maintained a rich tone throughout holding a captive audience until the sensitive and moving conclusion.
No concert is complete without an encore piece and Taverna delighted the audience once more with a performance of Liszt’s Nocturne No. 3 in A Flat Major (published in 1850) exploiting his passion and virtuosic skills with relish. Of the evening’s performance Taverna appeared to warm to the audience as the concert progressed, his ability to perform technically challenging works alongside moments of greater simplicity leaving no doubt that he will continue to be a pioneer of the piano repertoire for many years to come.
The Public Reviews – 19th January 2012