Cremona Musica’s Piano Experience – 2022 Edition

The annual music exhibition Cremona Musica is now one of the most important music exhibitions in the world and opened up its 2022 edition more exuberantly than ever. A rich program consisting of 180 events not only displayed the joy of having left the pandemic behind, but also manifested the new worldwide digital reality through a rich digital streaming coverage of concerts, presentations, roundtable panels and artist interviews. The hybrid world is here to stay.

Clearly, the pandemic increased the music world’s knowledge about technological solutions and its products and this Cremona Musica edition communicated a “next chapter and reality” signal through its hybrid oriented programming. For example; a pianist inviting us to a unique Avatar performance in the Metaverse world, another Disklavier composers contest, roundtables discussing new perspectives in music dissemination and new teaching resources for musicians. The generously streamed program coverage offered a full and rich experience, even for somebody not being there in person.

The Cremona Musica fills three large exhibition area buildings at Cremona Fiere and also offers music performances from outdoor built stages. Exhibitors, participants and audience from all over the world and Italy could now skip their face masks and enjoy the concerts, lectures, manufacturers exhibits, roundtable discussions, project presentations and Cremona Musica Award ceremonies. All this along with lovely touristic venues in ever beautiful late summer city Cremona. This year’s program also included concerts at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli and the auditorium of Cremona Museum of Violins, which – with their breathtaking beauty and ambience – is recommended to anybody visiting “The City of Violins”.

Piano Experience

Cremona Musica’s piano section Piano Experience was created and developed in response to instrument makers, distributors, buyers and musicians, as a meeting point to exchange ideas and thus develop new business and forums for discussion and development. It is now the most important exhibition in Europe dedicated to pianos and keyboards. Visitors have a chance to try out a selection of high quality instruments, and in cooperation with the exhibitors a large number of musical performances are offered with Italian and international artists. Every instrument brand offers a series of recital concerts with established artists as well as with younger, who are given a chance to meet an international audience.

The digital reality was represented with an experimental performance by pianist Giusy Caruso utilizing both the Disklavier and Avatar on screen presentation in Metaverse and the Disklavier Composers contest’s compositions used the Yamaha technology as well.

American pianist Inna Faliks presented a program re-imagining Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit”, performing three comissioned composers’ reactions to Ravel’s composition, combined with her own rendition of the original work.

Fazioli – the winning instrument brand at the 18th Chopin Competition in Warsaw – presented the prestigious competition’s 3rd Prize laureate, Martin Garcia Garcia, also a Fazioli performer in Warsaw.

Life long achievements were acknowledged through a 8 CD-box with legendary pianist and teacher William Grant Naboré’s recording legacy and Boris Berman’s 60 years relationship with the Cremona Award 2022 recipient, Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov which was presented in the form of a celebration concert and a double CD of Berman playing Silvestrov.

Instrument presentations of great public interest included the historical Wanda Landowska Pleyel Harpsichord and the brand new Yamaha CFX model.

Notable attention was given the concept of improvisation with a special concert with organist Cameron Carpenter who improvised and performed The Goldberg Variations in organ version.

The Cremona Musica’s Award for communication and outreach was given to the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.

The Media Lounge of Cremona Musica

The International Media Lounge in which Piano Street is a member, hosts 31 Italian and foreign journalists, representing both specialized and general outlets. These journalists, writers, disseminators, covering Cremona Musica, guarantees an international media coverage for artists and exhibitors, and will also be protagonists of two round-tables, “New visions and challenges for music production” and “New teaching resources for musicians”. All roundtables were streamed on Cremona Musica’s FaceBook channel.

Articles and recorded seminars

Roundtable: New vision and challenges for live music productions

Roundtable: New teaching resources for musicians

Boris Berman on Valentin Silvestrov

Boris Berman, book presentation: “Notes from the Pianist’s Bench”

Organist Cameron Carpenter, Improvisations and Goldberg Variations

Pianist Giusy Caruso, Avatar performance in Metaverse

The Disklavier Composers Contest YT Playlist

William Grant Naboré, “Art of the Piano”

Cremona Musica Award – Valentin Silvestrov

Stay tuned for more reports from Cremona. Interviews will follow with, among others; pianists Boris Berman, Giusy Caruso, Inna Faliks and Martin Garcia Garcia, a report from the Disklavier Composer’s Contest, a presentation of The Royal Conservatory’s Celebration Series and its newly released Sixth Edition and “The (technology) blended curriculum”, a EU funded project for forming a base for hybrid instrumental teaching.