Pianist Giovanni Bertolazzi - songs by Franz Liszt - CD Review, the 3rd of November 2023

Totentanz, the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor, the Spanish Rhapsody.

On the 29th of September, the Italian pianist Giovanni Bertolazzi released a double disc of solo piano songs created by his favourite composer, Franz Liszt. The pianist offers a selection that includes, among other songs, etudes, preludes, Hungarian rhapsodies and other miniature songs. They showcase the virtuosity, energy and outstanding technical skills of this musician, who has so far released two albums, both dedicated to Franz Liszt: the first one was released last year and the second was released this autumn as part of the Borgato Collection and it received five stars from the Pizzicato publication.

The pianist Giovanni Bertolazzi, one of the most highly regarded Italian pianists of the younger generation, was born in Verona in 1998. He studied at the Venice Conservatory and at Catania Musical Institute. He has won more than 40 prizes during international competitions, the most important being the second place of the 2021 edition of the Franz Liszt Competition held in Budapest, where he was esteemed as one of the best interpreters of Liszt's music. A year later he received the Tabor Foundation Prize during the Verbier Festival. Giovanni Bertolazzi is supported by the Cultural Association "Musica con le Ali" and he has a great artistic activity. So far, he performed on prestigious stages in Italy - La Fenice Theatre in Venice, Sala Verdi of the Milan Conservatory, in concert halls of Palermo, Florence and Rome, as well as in London, Budapest and Tallinn. He has also collaborated with the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symfonic Sicilian Orchestra and the Bellini Theatre Orchestra, establishing himself as a complete performer with a varied repertoire.