Francesco Attesti, The Goldberg Variations

The Rotary Clubs of Gallipolis, Ohio and Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia are please to present Italian pianist Francesco Attesti on the stage of the historic Ariel Opera House were he will perform The Goldberg Variations BWV 988. The Goldberg Variations is a work written by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form. The Variations are named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the first performer.

Francesco Attesti (Cortona, June 6, 1975) is an Italian pianist of international acclaim. Among his generation of musicians, he is considered one of the finest interpreters of the Romantic and early Twentieth Century Repertoire.

He began practicing the piano at the age of 6 and gave his first concert at 11, performing a transcription of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J. S. Bach. When Francesco was 16, he met Sergio Perticaroli who, impressed by the youth’s capabilities at the piano, invited him to attend the Summer Masterclass at the Mozarteum of Salzburg. There, Francesco was immersed in the Romantic repertoire, particularly the works of Chopin and Liszt. He continued to study with Maestro Perticaroli for several years in Rome, refining his skills and winning several national and international piano competitions, including: Ibla Grand Prize International, F.I.D.A.P.A. Competition, Città di Racconigi, Migliori Diplomati d’Italia, Rovere d’Oro, Città di Cesenatico. The Swiss Ursula Stroher Stiftung sponsorship for talented young people was conferred on Francesco Attesti from 2003-2005.

In 1998, studying with Maestro Luigi Tanganelli at the “L. Cherubini” Conservatory of Florence, Francesco earned the highest grades in piano bestowed by that institution. Soon thereafter, he attended masterclasses with Jacques Rouvier (1998) and Hector Moreno (1999, 2000). With Maestro Moreno, he explored the chamber repertoire for piano, as well as several contemporary composers.

Francesco’s first opportunity to record a CD came in 1998 when the “Rugginenti Editore” label asked him to record contemporary music ,the text being Edoardo Sanguineti’s poetry. Since then, there have been many recordings on several labels, such as “Agorà”, “Max Research”, “Drycastle”. Some have been collaborations with such contemporary composers as Silvia Bianchera Bettinelli, Biagio Putignano, Raoul De Smet. The epitome of Francesco’s collaborative work to date is his performance with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague, performing the Italian premiere of “Chiavi in Mano” by the Pulitzer Prize winning composer Yehudi Wyner.

In 2007, together with organist, colleague and friend Matteo Galli, he published the first recording of Verdi’s Requiem, transcribed for piano and organ, on the “Le Voci della Citta” label. At the beginning of 2008, Francesco produced a CD on the “Drycastle” label called “Feeling Chopin”. That work was devoted entirely to the great Polish composer. In 2013, with “Drycastle”, he published a new CD, “Virtuoso Sentimento”, with works by Bach, Schubert and Beethoven. The last year, with the same label, he published a CD with clarinet player Pietro Tagliaferri entitled “’900, French repertoire for clarinet and piano.” At the beginning of 2016, he recorded a DVD with title “Deeply Mozart” featuring piano concerto KV 449 and KV 488 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Orchestra OIDA of Arezzo and conductor Paolo Belloli.

In 2012 he was awarded as “Artist changing lives” by the city of Edinburg (Texas – USA) and the city of Diamante (Argentina) conferred him the honorary citizenship. In 2013, McAllen (Texas – USA), and in 2015 the city of Hornell (New York – USA) conferred him the “Key to the City” for his artistry and human skills.

Always drawn to the perfection of phrasing and the sound of the instrument, he has developed very special and unique expressions. Maestro Perticaroli himself has said: “Francesco Attesti’s piano playing is unusual. Everything that happens in the sound, in the phrasing, and in the musical conception, starts from an aesthetic and musical conviction and it brings the performance out of every formal and consumistic prevision.”

Currently, Francesco Attesti performs regularly in internationally prestigious concert halls like: Philharmonia Hall of Saint Petersburg, Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow, Mozarteum of Salzburg, Philharmonie Essen, International Piano Festival of Warsaw, Sarajevo Winter Festival, Cambridge University, Leicester University, Columbia University in New York, Denver University in Colorado, and the Conservatory “G. Verdi” in Milan.

J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750): Goldberg Variations BWV 988

• Aria
• Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 2 a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 3 Canone all’unisono a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 4 a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 5 a 1 ovvero a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 6 Canone alla seconda a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 7 a 1 ovvero a 2 Clav. al tempo di Giga
• Variatio 8 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 9 Canone alla terza a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 10 Fughetta a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 11 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 12 a 1 Clav. Canone alla quarta in moto contrario
• Variatio 13 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 14 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 15 Canone alla quinta a 1 Clav. – Andante
• Variatio 16 Ouverture a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 17 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 18 Canone alla sesta a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 19 a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 20 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 21 Canone alla settima
• Variatio 22 a 1 Clav. alla breve
• Variatio 23 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 24 Canone all’ottava a 1 Clav.
• Variatio 25 a 2 Clav. – Adagio
• Variatio 26 a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 27 Canone alla nona a 2 Clav.
• Variatio 28 a due Clav.
• Variatio 29 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.
• Variatio 30 a 1 Clav. Quodlibet
• Aria da Capo