Cremona Musica’s Piano Experience 2024 – Constantly Evolving Perspectives

In the end of September, the annual Cremona Musica 2024 exhibition, a significant global event, takes place providing novel insights into the music industry. As a member of the Media Lounge, Piano Street is pleased to offer a pianistic perspective on key events.

Cremona Musica takes place across three expansive exhibition halls at Cremona Fiere and features outdoor stage performances as well. The Piano Experience, Cremona Winds and Mondomusica showcase a diverse range of instruments and genres.
The event includes special concerts and events held in historic locations within the city center of beautiful Cremona, “The City of Violins”. The three-day event featured 450 exhibitors from 35 countries, offering a diverse range of musical products and services. The extensive event calendar included over 200 appointments, encompassing concerts, performances, presentations, round tables and masterclasses by esteemed artists and industry experts.

Cremona Musica offers a dynamic blend of commerce and culture, and brings together representatives from the music market, students, established musicians and music lovers.
Artistic advisor Roberto Prosseda highlights the event’s growing significance as a cultural and artistic platform, in addition to its commercial role. This year’s program culminated in the finals and finalists’ concert of the Piano Link International Amateurs Piano Competition at the renowned and exuberant Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli and the festive Cremona Musica prize ceremony took place at l’Auditorium G. Arvedi of Museum of Violins.

World Famous Guests

Among the guests were renowned flautist Sir James Galway, violinist Roby Lakatos, and pianists Marc-André Hamelin and Cyprien Katsaris. Galway and Hamelin received the Cremona Musica Award, while Katsaris participated in a roundtable discussion on Charles-Valentin Alkan and served as a juror for the PianoLink International Competition, chaired by Jean-Marc Luisada.

The cultural committee of Cremona Musica International Exhibitions and Festival announced the winners of the Cremona Musica Awards, which was established in 2014 to recognize outstanding individuals and institutions for their contributions to their respective fields.

The winners 2024 included a.o. Paolo Fazioli, who received the “A Life for the Piano” award, while the “Piano Performance” category award was presented to the Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin, who also performed a recital for the occasion at Teatro Ponchielli.

Piano experience

Cremona Musica’s Piano Experience, a hub for the piano industry, was initially conceived by pianist Roberto Prosseda to facilitate dialogue between instrument makers, distributors, buyers, and musicians. The event has since evolved into Europe’s premier exhibition dedicated to pianos and keyboards.

This year, piano manufacturers showcased their instruments through curated series featuring programs with international emerging young pianists providing them with a platform to connect with an international audience and press.

Notable Piano Events

Renowned period instrument builder Paul McNulty, a frequent visitor to Cremona, was present in person. For enthusiasts of historical performance and period instruments, a unique opportunity arose to experience a newly built Pleyel piano replica from 1830.

A brand new grand piano model, F198, intended for beginners, amateurs, students, and concert performers was presented by Fazioli.

Fazioli also presented pianist Inna Faliks in recital and an interesting album presentation. Manuscripts Don’t Burn was released (Sono Luminus) in 2024, and is, according to Faliks, her most personal CD yet, with premieres written for her celebrating the artist’s favorite book; Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita”, her Ukrainian-Jewish heritage, her poetry-music series Music/Words, her home town Odessa, and her newly published memoir, Weight in the Fingertips, A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine o the World Stage.

Last year’s Cremona Lifetime Achievment Award recipient, iconic Angelo Fabbrini, was again presented through a number of excellent grand pianos customised in collaboration with C. Bechstein. A true joy for the visiting pianist to try and experience!
Read an article about Fabbrini’s Bechstein collaboration (from 2023) on bechstein.com

Tracing a Chopin Tradition?
The interesting subject; tracing a Chopin tradition included a notable line-up of competence in a roundtable discussing the art of legendary pianist and composer Raoul Koczalski, student of Chopin’s pupil Karl Mikuli. Koczalski’s playing is well documented on piano rolls and were played on a Yamaha Disclavier grand piano. Furthermore, following the round table, piano rolls expert Peter Philips delivered an enlightening lecture under the title “Italian Musicians on Piano Roll.”
The participants were Pietro Zappalà (What is a piano roll and the University of Pavia’s Piano Roll Collection), Peter Phillips (Digitizing piano rolls and midi files on Disklavier), Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger (Koczalski and the Chopin tradition), Aleksander Laskowski (Koczalski, Poland, and the Chopin Institute), Federico Foglizzo (Raoul Koczalski’s piano rolls), John Rink (Learning from Koczalski: A Comparison of Recordings).

Recommended piano related round tables

Charles-Valentin Alkan

French composer Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813 – 1888), a contemporary and friend of Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. The discussion delved into Alkan’s life, his musical influences, particularly his relationship with his teacher and mentor Zimmerman, and his enduring legacy in the 21st-century music world. The title of the panel was Charles-Valentin Alkan: Roots, Influences and the Performance of his music in the 21st century and was presented and moderated by Constantine Carambelas-Sgourdas . The speakers were Marc-André Hamelin, Emanuele Delucchi, Jed Distler and Yasushi Ueda.

Alberto Firrincieli presents his innovative piano method “Think in Music”

Over the course of my two decades of teaching music across European and Asian countries, I have had the privilege of interacting with numerous students. Through these encounters, I have come to recognize certain crucial aspects that are often overlooked in modern music education. Specifically, I emphasize the importance of three fundamental elements: improvisation, counterpoint, and composition, alongside the traditional study of repertoire. This realization led me to develop the “Think In Music” method.

Tavola rotonda “New Music Markets”

Join us for a fascinating roundtable discussion with industry experts as they explore the vibrant landscapes of the UAE, Vietnam, and Thailand. These nations are experiencing a surge in classical music interest, and our panel will shed light on the opportunities and challenges shaping this exciting new era. Panelists: Alberto Firrincieli, Assistant Professor, Assumption University of Thailand, Michele Gelmini, Dubai-based music entrepreneur and composer, Nguyen Huy Phuong, Chairman, Vietnam National Academy of Music’s Council, Chanyapong Thongsawang, Assistant Professor, Princess Galyani Institute of Music, Bangkok. Roberto Prosseda, moderator.

International Cooperation in Higher Music Education

This promises to be a fascinating conversation about fostering collaboration and innovation in music education across borders. Join us as a distinguished panel of experts from across the globe share their insights and experiences: Ingo Dannhorn (Germany): Professor of Piano, University of Music Trossingen, Ha Mai Huong (Vietnam): Director, Hue Academy of Music, Vladimir Gorbach (Australia): Professor, Guitar Program Leader, Sydney Conservatory, Michail Lifits (Germany): Head of Piano, Franz Liszt Musikhochschule, Weimar, Sarah Meltzer (Israel): Jerusalem Academy of Arts, Giuseppe Modugno (Italy), Director, Conservatorio “Vecchi-Tonelli” in Modena, Peter Maté (Iceland): Director of Instrumental Studies, Iceland University of the Arts. Moderated by the Roberto Prosseda.

Monza International Piano Competition Rina Sala Gallo Presentation

Founded in 1947 by renowned pianist Rina Sala Gallo and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, the Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition in Monza has established itself as a cornerstone of the international music scene. As a member of the World Federation of Music Competitions and the Alink-Argerich Foundation, the competition attracts the most talented young pianists from around the globe. The 27th edition, scheduled for September 29th to October 5th, 2024, introduces significant changes to the regulations. These changes include greater flexibility in repertoire selection for the preliminary rounds and a strict prohibition on jury members having any familial or professional ties to the candidates.

All round tables were streamed on facebook.com/mondomusicacr/live_videos

Piano Link International Amateurs Piano Competition 2024

Included in the program, Cremona Musica let the finals of the 2024 edition of PianoLink Intenational Amateurs Piano Competition take place on September 28 at the famous Ponchielli Theatre in Cremona (where even W. A. Mozart performed). Of the 33 competing pianists, 10 finalists were selected by an international jury, presided over by Jean Marc Luisada.

The Media Lounge of Cremona Musica

The International Media Lounge, of which Piano Street is a member, brings together 31 Italian and international journalists from both specialized and mainstream media outlets. These journalists, writers, and influencers covering Cremona Musica, ensure extensive international media coverage for artists and exhibitors. They also often participate in round-table discussions.
Stay tuned for more articles and interviews from Cremona Musica 2024!