presents

Concert at Bertinoro Castle

The Cloister: Monday June 27, 8:30pm


  • Domenico Scarlatti:
    Andante from the Sonata in B minor L.147;
    Allegro from the Sonata in G major L.209

  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in C-sharp minor op. 27 n.2 (Moonlight): Adagio sostenuto; Allegretto; Presto agitato

  • Fryderyk Chopin:
    Two Nocturnes from the op.27: nr.1 in C-sharp minor, and nr. 2 in D-flat major;
    Ballade n.1 op.23 in G minor;
    Two Etudes from the op. 10: nr.1, and nr.9
    Three Etudes from the op. 25: nr. 1, nr. 2, and nr. 3;
    Scherzo nr. 2 op. 21
Sandro De Palma, piano


According to a recent quote in Italy's Piano Time, Sandro De Palma is considered to be "one of the most important and original exponents of Italian pianism by virtue of his special treatment of sound and through his depth and vision of interpretation."

Born in Naples, Sandro De Palma studied under Massimo Bertucci and Vincenzo Vitale and made his recital dèbut in this city at the age of ten playing works by Bach and Schubert. Thereafter, he was invited by Nikita Magaloff to attend the prestigious Conservatoire in Geneva and, at the age of 19, won the First Prize at the Alfredo Casella International Piano Competition. Two years later, he won the Bruce Hungerford Foundation First Prize in New York, which led to his American recital dèbut at the Carnegie Hall. Other awards include prizes at the Clara Haskil and Dino Ciani Competitions in Montreux and Milan respectively. In 1993, he took a pause from his engagements to study in London with Alice Kezeradze-Pogorelich.

Sandro De Palma has played concerts in every European country as well as throughout the former Soviet Union and recently in Japan. In his native Italy, he continues to play regularly both recitals and concerts with the major Italian orchestras including La Fenice, Rome, Milan and Naples Radio Orchestras. He has also played with the San Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras and the Monterrey Symphony Orchestra. He plays chamber music in duo with violinists Boris Belkin, Pierre Hommage and Ilya Grubert, and in quartet with the Salzburg Piano Quartet, the Prazak Quartet and with winds and strings of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

In 1983, his performance of Chopin's 24 Etudes at the 20th Brescia and Bergamo International Piano Festival prompted a prominent Italian music magazine to comment: "He hasn't many rivals in his rendering of the Etudes: no more than can be counted on the fingers of one hand, perhaps less."

In February 2004 he played Franck's Quintet at the Kammermusiksaal der Philarmonie in Berlin with the Amarcorde Quartet, consisting of members of the Berliner Philarmoniker, and with the strings of the famous Orchestra played a very successful performance of Shostakovich's 1st Concerto for piano, trumpet and orchestra.

Sandro De Palma made his first recording at the age of sixteen of works by Liszt and participated in the world's first recording for Fonit Cetra of Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum - a recording which won the 20th Italian Critics Award. He has also recorded works by Cilea and Brahms. His next CD will be dedicated to the age of Beethoven by including masterpieces of Moscheles, Hummel and Clementi.

Sandro De Palma is currently Artistic Director of Maggio della Musica Festival in Naples and President of the Associazione Muzio Clementi in Rome.