Programme:
Alexey Shor
"From My Bookshelf" –
Suite for piano and orchestra No. 2
(Concert version by Michail Pletnev)
Paul Dukas
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
Camille Saint-Saëns
"Danse macabre"
in G Minor, Op. 40
Georges Bizet
Carmen – Suite No. 1
Alexey Shor
"From My Bookshelf" –
Suite for piano and orchestra No. 2
(Concert version by Michail Pletnev)
Paul Dukas
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
Camille Saint-Saëns
"Danse macabre"
in G Minor, Op. 40
Georges Bizet
Carmen – Suite No. 1
Mario Menicagli
From Livorno, he graduated in violin in 1985 at the Pietro Mascagni Music Institute in Livorno, playing violinist activities both in orchestral formations as a shoulder violin and as a soloist. In 2002 he began his career as a conductor, with a wide lyrical repertoire with particular reference to Pietro Mascagni and realism. His repertoire includes many works, including: Silvano, CD produced by KiccoMusic, Amica, Messa di Gloria, Cavalleria rusticana, Pinotta, L'Amico Fritz and the Piccolo Marat by Mascagni, Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, Carmen by Bizet, Rigoletto and La traviata by Verdi, Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutti by Mozart, Britten's Little Chimney Sweep, Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore, Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Madama Butterfly, Tosca and Puccini's La Fanciulla del west. He has written two lyric parodies: Mimì and the Others and Bacchus, tobacco and opera represented in numerous Italian theaters and has composed libretto and part of the music of the pop opera Il Puss in Boots, published by Sillabe Editore and of Cenerentola - the opera pop. He is the author of the opera "Twelve years after" sequel to Cavalleria rusticana which debuted in Sicily in 2021 and this year at the Cluj theater. A film intended for cinemas is currently being made of the work. He also wrote "De relitti e delle quarantene", a comic opera entirely created with the participation of singers and musicians through the use of mobile phones, during the Lock-down. Since 2020 he is general manager of the Goldoni Theater in Livorno.
Alessandro Taverna
Piano
Alessandro Taverna established his international career by winning major prizes at Minnesota Piano-e-Competition, London International Piano Competition, Leeds International Piano Competition and Busoni Piano Competition in Bolzano. Since then he has performed in the most important concert halls including Teatro alla Scala Milan, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Teatro La Fenice Venice, Musikverein Vienna, Konzerthaus Berlin, Gasteig Munich, Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London, Bridgewater Hall Manchester, Salle Cortot in Paris, Philharmonic Hall Liverpool, Metropolitan Theater in Tokyo, Lincoln Center in New York, Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Auditorium Parco della Musica Rome.
He performed with prestigious orchestras such as Filarmonica della Scala, Münchner Philharmoniker, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Bucharest Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber, Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala and Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Taverna also worked with distinguished conductors among these Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Fabio Luisi, Myung-whun Chung, Daniel Harding, Michele Mariotti, Daniele Rustioni, Hartmut Haenchen, Ryan McAdams, Sergey Smbatyan,
Thierry Fischer, Carlo Boccadoro, Claus Peter Flor, Roland Böer, Joshua Weilerstein, Andrew Litton, Gianandrea Noseda.
Born in Venice, Alessandro Taverna studied at the Santa Cecilia Music Foundation in Portogruaro and at the Imola International Piano Academy. After that he specialized at the Santa Cecilia National Music Academy in Rome with Sergio Perticaroli, at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover with Arie Vardi, and at the Lake Como Piano Academy.
Taverna teaches at the the Imola International Piano Academy "Incontri con il Maestro", at the Conservatory of Music “Cesare Pollini” in Padova and at Santa Cecilia Music Academy in Portogruaro.
He has recorded for Sony, Somm, Musicom, RaiTrade, Tzadik and Chandos.
For his artistic achievements and his international career, Taverna was awarded the “Premio Presidente della Repubblica” in 2012.
In April 2021 he has been appointed Artistic Director of the International Music Festival of Portogruaro.