Pianist Luca Buratto, Honens Prize Laureate Makes New York Debut 10/11
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 13, 2017
Luca Buratto stated, "My program for Carnegie Hall juxtaposes five very different types of works-all great, each having its own perspective and expressiveness: the struggles depicted in the sonatas by Janá?ek and Prokofiev; music of phantoms, angels and hidden voices in the works by Adès and Ligeti; and the distinctive voice of Schumann in his Humoreske. The music of Schumann has, in fact, become almost an obsession with me. Schumann was a tender poet and a stormy romanticist; his work-passionate, intense, lyrical and revolutionary-heralded a new conception of what music could be. Performing and recording his music is always challenging and inspiring, intensely gratifying-a compelling journey into the mind and the art of my most beloved composer. I will be happy and grateful to share the works of all these composers in Zankel Hall."
Luca Buratto was among ten pianists from seven countries, aged 20 to 30, who performed in the Semifinals of the 2015 Honens International Piano Competition. After advancing to the Finals, he was named Honens Prize Laureate, receiving a cash award of $100,000 (CAN) and an artistic and career development program valued at a half million dollars.
Tickets: $35, $25, $15 ($10 students and seniors, at Box Office only), available July 13, 2017, at carnegiehall.org; by calling CarnegieCharge (212) 247-7800; or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.
About Luca Buratto
Following 2015 Honens Prize Laureate Luca Buratto's Wigmore Hall debut recital this January, The Guardian (London) wrote: "Graceful, analytical, meticulous, Buratto is a name to watch."
In addition to his success at Canada's Honens International Piano Competition, Buratto was awarded third prize at the International Robert Schumann Competition (Zwickau) and the special 'Acerbi' prize, awarded to a distinguished Finalist at Milan's Shura Cherkassky Competition, both in 2012. He took inspiration from Italian tennis player Roberta Vinci's upset over Serena Williams at the U.S. Open just hours before his Honens win. "There are many similarities between the psyches of tennis players and pianists," he says, referring to David Foster Wallace's epic novel, Infinite Jest.
Buratto first caught the public's attention at the Conservatory of Milan's Sala Verdi where, for a Holocaust Remembrance Day event in 2003, he performed music of Renzo Massarani, his great grandfather. Massarani (1898-1975), a student of Ottorino Respighi, was a promising young composer whose career was interrupted by the imposition of racial laws in 1938. "My great-grandfather had to stop writing music because he was Jewish," says Buratto. "And in Italy before World War II, his music was banned. Though he survived the war and the persecution, he decided to stop writing music because he was disgusted with mankind." Massarani became a music reviewer in Rio de Janeiro. "This has been a big influence on me. I know that music can be very powerful."
Recent and upcoming orchestral engagements include performances at Milan's La Scala with Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi, Toronto Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia and the London Philharmonic. In the summer of 2016, Buratto performed for the Progetto Martha Argerich at the Lugano Festival (Switzerland), Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival (Canada), Busoni Festival (Italy) and was a resident artist at Marlboro Music Festival (USA). This summer, he returns to the Marlboro Music Festival and performs for the Honens Festival in Calgary.
He has been featured on national radio broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, Classical 96.3, Radio Classica, Radio 3 RAI, WFMT and WQXR. A live recording of his performances from the 2015 Honens International Piano Competition is available on the Honens label. His debut studio recording of works by Schumann was released on the Hyperion label in April, about which BBC Music Magazine wrote "Buratto captures the evolving moods with panache and just enough pomp."
Buratto earned his piano diploma from Milan Conservatory and his master's from Bolzano Conservatory. He was a Theo Lieven Scholar at the Conservatory of Lugano, from which he received his Master of Advanced Studies. His teachers have included Fabio Bidini, Davide Cabassi, William Grant Naboré and Edda Ponti.
Buratto's affinity for the music of Robert Schumann is balanced by his curiosity for works of today's composers such as Thomas Adès. He enjoys jigsaw puzzles and table tennis and has an interest in physics and American post-modern literature. Buratto lives in Milan.
About Honens
Honens discovers, nurtures and presents Complete Pianists-21st century artists for 21st century audiences. The Honens International Piano Competition takes place every three years and is considered one of the world's most prestigious events of its kind. Honens prepares its Laureates for the rigors and realities of professional careers in music and creates opportunities for growth and exposure. The annual Honens Festival is one of Canada's premier piano events. The next edition of the Honens Festival takes place in Calgary, 7 to 10 September, 2017, and the next Honens International Piano Competition takes place August 30 to September 8, 2018.
Esther Honens created a legacy of musical excellence to be enjoyed for generations. In 1991, knowing she was near the end of her life, Mrs. Honens gave $5 million to endow an international piano competition in her hometown of Calgary, Canada. Her generosity, vision and love of music continue to touch the lives of Calgarians, Canadians and musicians and music-lovers around the world. Honens Legacy Partners follow in Esther Honens' footsteps by securing Honens' future. They support achievements in realizing Esther Honens' vision, including wide reaching programming through the annual Festival and enriching community outreach projects.
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