Refined and elegant, Francesco Piemontesi stands as one of the brightest musicians of his generation as he takes the stage at Alicante’s Principal Theatre on October 14 at 8 PM. This concert opens the second recital in the Alicante Concert Society’s 2024-25 season. The program includes works by Beethoven and Schubert among others, underscoring his devotion to classical repertoire. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
Born in Locarno, Switzerland, he is recognized as a leading interpreter of classical and German Romantic repertoire. A regular guest with the world’s most prestigious orchestras in concert halls and festivals across the globe, he has directed artistic programming since 2012 as the artistic director of the Settimane Musicali di Ascona festival. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
His expansive repertoire spans Bach and Handel to Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, Rachmaninoff and Schoenberg, as well as Messiaen and Chin. Among his musical influences are teachers Arie Vardi and Alfred Brendel, and most notably the French pianist Cecile Ousset who preserves the French piano tradition. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
His discography is widely praised by critics, including late Schubert sonatas, Debussy preludes, and Mozart piano concertos with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Manze. His most recent release on Pentatone features two of the most demanding works in the piano literature: Liszt Transcendental Studies and the B minor Sonata. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
Collaborations with major ensembles include the Berlin and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestra dell Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Vienna, Chicago, Boston, and London symphonies, NHK, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
Regularly collaborates on projects with distinguished conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda, Fabio Luisi, Antonio Pappano, Daniele Gatti, Daniele Rustioni, Lorenzo Viotti, Robin Ticciati, Iván Fischer, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Marek Janowski, Joana Mallwitz, Thomas Søndergård, Daniel Harding, Roger Norrington, Karina Canellakis, Paavo Järvi, Zubin Mehta, Nathalie Stutzmann, Elim Chan, and Maxim Emelyanychev. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
As a chamber musician he has performed with Renaud Capuçon, Tabea Zimmermann, Leonidas Kavakos, Martha Argerich, Janine Jansen, Daniel Müller-Schott, Augustin Hadelich and Jorg Widmann. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.
Francesco Piemontesi brings a lucid touch and thoughtful phrasing to the piano, inviting listeners into a world where clarity and warmth meet in intimate musical conversations. The Alicante concert reminds North American and European audiences that the classical and romantic piano repertoire remains vital in the hands of a musician who communicates with immediacy and insight. — Sociedad de Conciertos de Alicante.