Contact info
Address
c/o Teatro Grande
25121 Brescia
Italy
http://www.festivalpianistico.it/
Info
Tel: +39 030 29 30 22
Fax: +39 030 24 00 771
info@festivalpianistico.it
http://www.festivalpianistico.it/
c/o Teatro Grande
Via Paganora 19/a
IT-25121 Brescia
Administration
Tel: +39 030 29 30 22
Fax: +39 030 24 00 771
info@festivalpianistico.it
http://www.festivalpianistico.it
Festival Pianistico Internazionale di Brescia e Bergamo
One of the leading piano-festivals of Europe. Recitals and concerti with symphony orchestras, vocal and instrumental chamber music (always with the piano in the headlight) are proposed with a large variety of repertoire.
This festival has been an EFA member since 1987.
Festival Programme
Each EFA member manages its own Calendar. In case there is no programme availabable for this year, please visit the festival's own website.
History
The Festival Pianistico Internazionale di Brescia e Bergamo is one of the most important world events specifically dedicated to the piano both as a solo instrument and as a protagonist accompanied by a great orchestra. The festival started in 1964, through Mr Agostino Orizio’s initiative and has marked the step for international piano concerts for over 40 years hosting many famous soloists and orchestras using the splendid ‘Teatro Grande’, in Brescia and ‘Teatro Donizetti’, in Bergamo as a backdrop.
At the festival many great pianists have appeared including Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli for the first five editions, others include such great names as Magaloff, Richter, Arrau, Pollini, Ashkenazy, Radu Lupu, Zimerman, Brendel, Martha Argerich, Evgenij Kissin, Grigory Sokolov, Lang Lang and instrumentalists, singers and directors of calibre, Mstislav Rostropovich, Mischa Maisky, Uto Ughi, Luciano Pavorotti, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, Gergiev, Giulini, Sawallisch, Solti, Maazel, Chung. The following orchestras have also participated: the Berlin Philharmonic, The Vienna Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra.
One of the characteristics of the festival which distinguish it from other events are its themes, which concentrate each time on one particular author, historic period or cultural environment. Amongst some of the most successful editions of the festival are those that are linked to the following composers: Schumann, his works dedicated to the piano; Debussy, Chopin and Brahms, the complete works, and Beethoven and Mozart’s monographies.
In 1986 the Festival received the Italian Award “Premio Abbiati” from the Italian music critics and “The Liszt Medal” an Award from the Hungarian Minister of Culture.
The Festival is patronised by the President of the Italian Republic and in 1992 by the President of the European Parliament. Since 1987 the Festival is a member of the European Festivals Association, moreover, it is also one of the founding members of Italiafestival.
The festival over the last few years has undergone changes in artistic direction from Mr Agostino Orizio to his son Pier Carlo and Mr Andrea Gibellini as president, replacing Mr Filippo Siebaneck. Under the guidance of Pier Carlo Orizio, the Festival has undertaken a new dimension which unites contemporary music and classical repertoire. Both the 2007 and 2008 festival editions, dedicated to Beethoven and Arvo Pärt and Chopin and Bernstein respectively, are testimony to these changes.
