Encore, encore.
World-class pianist Francesco Attesti is returning to Boca Grande to reprise his well-received concert from six months ago.
Attesti will appear at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium. Unlike his first free concert, this one requires purchase of a $25 ticket.
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World-class pianist Francesco Attesti
Marta Howell, executive director of the Friends, credits Bob Melvin of Gasparilla Properties for the continued entertainment coup.
Melvin said he met Attesti through the Rotary. "He loves this island like we all do," Melvin said before the first appearance.
The 37-year-old Attesti is considered one of the finest interpreters of the Romantic and early 20th century repertoire. He began practicing the piano at the age of 6 and gave his first concert at 11, performing a transcription of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J. S. Bach.
Fact Box
To Go
Who: Francesco Attesti
What: virtuoso piano concert
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31
Where: Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium
Cost: $25
Contact: 964-2326
According to his website, Francesco met Sergio Perticaroli 21 years ago and he invited him to attend the Summer Masterclass at the Mozarteum of Salzburg. There, Francesco was immersed in the Romantic repertoire, particularly the works of Chopin and Liszt.
He continued to study with Maestro Perticaroli for several years in Rome, winning several national and international piano competitions, including: Ibla Grand Prize International, FIDAPA Competition, Citt di Racconigi, Migliori Diplomati d'Italia, Rovere d'Oro, Citt di Cesenatico.?The Swiss Ursula Stroher Stiftung sponsorship for talented young people was conferred on Francesco Attesti from 2003-2005.
In 1998, studying with Maestro Luigi Tanganelli at the L. Cherubini Conservatory of Florence, Francesco earned the highest grades in piano. He also attended masterclasses with Jacques Rouvier (1998) and Hector Moreno (1999, 2000).
Francesco's first recorded a CD in 1998 on the Rugginenti Editore label. Since then, there have been recordings on labels, such as Agor, Max Research, and Drycastle. Some have been collaborations with composers Silvia Bianchera Bettinelli, Biagio Putignano and Raoul De Smet.
In 2007, together with organist Matteo Galli, he published the first recording of Verdi's Requiem, transcribed for piano and organ, on the Le Voci della Citta label. At the beginning of 2008, Francesco produced a CD on the "Drycastle" label called "Feeling Chopin."
The concert is sponsored by Northern Trust and the Friends of Boca Grande Community .
