NOVEMBER 3
The Nis Symphony Orchestra Hall, 8pm
Mauro Paolo Monopoli, cello (Italy)
Leonardo Pierdomenico, piano (Italy)
PROGRAME
L. Boccherini, Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major (G 4)
Allegro
Adagio
Affettuoso
E. Grieg, Sonata for Cello and Piano op. 36
Allegro agitato
Andante molto tranquillo
Allegro molto e marcato
I. Stravinsky, Suite Italienne
Introduzione
Serenata
Aria
Largo
Tarantella
Minuetto e Finale
Mauro Paolo Monopoli
CELLO
Born in June 2000, he began studying the cello at the age of 5 years, obtaining the Cello Final Degree at the age of 17 at the Piccinni Conservatory of Bari, with 10/10 Magna Cum Laude (110/110 cum laude and Honorable Mention), never assigned before to a cellist in the history of the Bari Conservatory. Also in 2013 he made his debut as a soloist with the Niccolò Piccinni Orchestra of the Bari Conservatory performing Niccolò Paganini’s Variations on the theme of Rossini’s Moses.
In August he performed in the presence of the Minister of Cultural Heritage Massimo Bray receiving enthusiastic praise. Also in 2013 he was admitted to the prestigious High-Level Courses of the Academy of the Stauffer Foundation of Cremona with the applause of Maestro Rocco Filippini for his musical and technical skills, to be the youngest cellist ever admitted, only 13 years old.
In 2014 he made his debut at the Curci Theater in Barletta and in the same year he won the First prize and the scholarship at the „Talents of Music – International Association of Lions Club“ and the Second Prize at the „Tournoi International de Musique de Paris „(TIM Competition). In 2015 he debuted for the Camerata Musicale Barese in an acclaimed concert for cello and piano and at the Teatro Forma in Bari as a soloist in the concert for cello and orchestra 1925 by Nino Rota. In 2016 he made his debut at the Teatro Giordano of Foggia for the „Amici della Musica“ of Foggia. On June 22, 2016 he received from the Italian President of the Parliament the Medal of Merit for his artistic merits in the national and international field.
In May 2017 he performed in concert at the Concert Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and at the Concert Hall of the Tchaikovsky House Museum in Klin for the Tchaikovsky Spring Festival – Tchaikovsky Competition Stars. In June 2017 he was Prizewinner and Laureate at the X Tchaikovsky International Competition for young musicians. The only Italian musician awarded in the history of the Competition, Mauro Paolo wins among over 400 candidates from all over the world, judged by a jury composed of Sergey Roldugin, Kirill Rodin, Boris Andrianov, Laszlo Mezo, Martti Rousi, Ravil Kulmametov, Unil Jin, Na Mula.
In September 2017 he performed as a soloist, accompanied by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, at the 5th International Russian and Italian culture festival „Oci ciornie“. In May 2018 he performed as a soloist at the 2nd Tchaikovsky International Festival in Moscow at Gnessin Concert Hall. In February 2019, invited from Sibelius Academy he performed like soloist to Cellofest at Musiikkitalo Concert House in Helsinki.
Mauro Paolo has performed as soloist with orchestras such as the Orquestra Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela (Rococò Variations by Piotr Tchaikovsky) and the Astana Philharmonic Orchestra (Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante at 16 years old).
His chamber music partners have included Lorraine Campet, Simone Gramaglia, Alessandro Deljavan, Benjamin Baker, Anastasia Ushakova, Lisa Yasuda, Eyal Kless and many others.
He has been the pupil of Rocco Fillipini since he was 13 years old.
In 2021 he was the only Italian cellist admitted to the final phases of Geneva International Cello Competition.
Leonardo Pierdomenico
PIANO
Winner of the “Raymond E. Buck” Jury Discretionary Award at the 2017 Van Cliburn international piano competition, Leonardo Pierdomenico is described by the critics as “a pianist where highly developed technique and cultivated sound are combined with imagination and thoroughgoing, scrupulous musicality” (Patrick Rucker, Gramophone UK).
He is also the first prize winner, at just 18 years old, of the 28th edition of the “Premio Venezia” piano competition, held in Teatro La Fenice: hence the collaboration with orchestras such as the Fort Worth Symphony, Orchestre Royal De Chambre de Wallonie, Teatro La Fenice Symphony Orchestra, LaVerdi Orchestra in Milan, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic and with conductor like Yves Abel, Diego Matheuz, Nicholas McGegan, James P. Liu and Jan Kucera, among the others.
Leonardo is regularly invited in the most important Italian and international concert halls and festivals, including: Sala Verdi of the Conservatory and Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Salle Moliére in Lyon, Maison de la radio in Paris, Chopin Festivals in Paris and in Nohant, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw, Flagey in Brussels, Liszt Festival in Utrecht, Bass Hall in Fort Worth (TX), Merkin concert hall in New York, Qin’tai concert hall in Wuhan, Bologna Festival, Fazioli concert hall.
Among the highlights of the 2022 season there is the debut in the chamber music season of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, with the italian premiere of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms in Shostakovic’s arrangement for piano duo and choir, and the recording for Brilliant Classics of Dvoràk piano concerto with the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Vahan Mardirossian.
He has already released three albums with the label Piano Classics: his debut album, dedicated to works by Franz Liszt, earned him an Editor’s Choice from Gramophone UK magazine and a nomination for recording of the year at the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik ( the prize of the union of German music critics).
Born in Abruzzo, Italy, Leonardo studied at the Conservatory in Pescara and in 2017 concluded the piano master’s degree with honors at the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome in the class of M° Benedetto Lupo. In 2016 he won a scholarship to attend the Music Academy of the West in California, collaborating with Maestri Jeremy Denk, Jean–Yves Thibaudet, Jerome Lowenthal, Julian Martin and Leon Fleisher. He continued his studies at the Foggia Conservatory, under the guidance of M° Alessandro Deljavan, and is currently a student of William Grant Nabore’ at the Lake Como International Piano Academy.
A fervent chamber musician, Leonardo collaborates regularly in duo with the cellist Erica Piccotti.
He is often a guest of the Italian national radio RaiRadio3 and his recordings and live performances have been broadcast also by Medici.tv, RTBF (Belgium ) and Radio France. Leonardo is currently a piano professor at the Foggia Conservatory of music and the Avos Academy in Rome.