The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation is set to conclude its 2024-25 concert season with a special performance by Pasquale Iannone, an esteemed Italian pianist known for his accolades as a Bachauer laureate, juror, and mentor to the winner of the 2012 Young Artists Competition.
On April 11 at 7:30 p.m., Iannone will take the stage at the Jeanné Wagner Theatre at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts, presenting a program titled Moments Musicaux. The concert will feature iconic works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff, as well as a piece by Moriz Rosenthal, a Polish pianist and composer who studied under Liszt and made significant contributions to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In addition to his performances as a soloist and chamber musician around the world, Iannone is also a renowned teacher, with many of his students going on to achieve success in international competitions. He made a lasting impact on the Bachauer community when one of his students, Leonardo Colafelice, won the top prize at the Bachauer Young Artists Competition in 2012, 18 years after Iannone himself placed fifth in the 1994 competition. Iannone and Colafelice now both teach at the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory of Music in Bari, Italy.
In a recent interview, Iannone shared his passion for teaching, judging piano competitions, and organizing musical festivals in Italy. “All these activities are incredibly satisfying for me as a musician,” he said. While he describes himself as a strict figure in the classroom, he also values creating positive relationships with his students, particularly when it comes to helping them navigate the challenges of pursuing a career as a concert pianist. Iannone fondly remembers his early years with Colafelice, starting when the student was just 10 years old. Now, as a fellow faculty member, Iannone feels proud of his student’s success.
He believes that students benefit greatly from having a consistent teacher throughout their formative years. Iannone recounted the experience of one of his students, who at age 11, performed Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto at a summer festival he organized, where he also conducted the orchestra for the first time. Many of Iannone’s students have received prizes at prestigious international competitions, including the Bachauer, Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition, and the International Fryderyck Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth.
Iannone also shared his unique approach to judging competitions, revealing that when he served as a juror for the Bachauer International Artists Competition in 2014, he developed a detailed Excel spreadsheet to help assess the performances. His spreadsheet contains 14 essential elements that guide him in determining whether a performance is distinguished. This method has been so successful that he continues to use it whenever he serves as a juror.
For his upcoming recital, Iannone has carefully curated a program that showcases both virtuosic technique and deep emotional expression. In the first half of the performance, Iannone will present two monumental works by Beethoven and Chopin. Opening with Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57), Iannone will embark on a thrilling, emotionally charged journey. This work, widely regarded as one of Beethoven’s most challenging and expressive pieces, will be followed by two works from Chopin’s repertoire: Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61 and Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54. Iannone admires Chopin for his ability to incorporate rubato into his music, blending expressiveness with technical precision.
The second half of the program takes a lighter, more playful turn with Rachmaninoff’s Six Moments Musicaux, Op. 16. These pieces, composed in 1896, mark a turning point in the composer’s career, hinting at the mastery that would later define his Préludes and Études-Tableaux. The evening will conclude with a whimsical flourish in Rosenthal’s Carnaval de Vienne (Humoresque sur des thèmes de Johann Strauss), a piece that showcases the composer’s improvisational brilliance. Rosenthal, a technically gifted pianist, delighted audiences by playing multiple waltzes simultaneously, an approach that captivated the composer of the original Strauss waltzes.
This performance promises to be a memorable and fitting conclusion to the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s season.
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