22 Sep PIANOFORTE IN FOUR HANDS – PIANO DUO “SCHIAVO-MARCHEGIANI”
PIANOFORTE IN FOUR HANDS
“PIANO DUO SCHIAVO – MARCHEGIANI / 20 YEARS AS A DUO!”
The piano duo, already featured in previous editions of the Festival, returns to Varenna with a programme ranging from Rossini to Schubert and Dvořák
A welcome return to Varenna for Sergio Marchegiani and Marco Schiavo, the piano duo who, after captivating audiences in previous editions of the Varenna Festival, return to perform in the seventh edition of the event with a concert bearing a particularly significant title: “20 Years as a Duo!”
Since 2006, Sergio Marchegiani and Marco Schiavo have formed a permanent duo, building over the past twenty years an artistic journey of remarkable distinction. Their performances have been praised by audiences and international critics alike for their distinctive style, natural musical expression, beautiful sound, intensity, and the exhilarating energy of their interpretations.
For their return to the Varenna Festival, the two pianists have chosen a programme bringing together some of the most brilliant and fascinating works in the four-hand piano repertoire, in a journey entirely dedicated to Rossini, Schubert and Dvořák.
The evening will open with the Overture to Gioachino Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, followed by Franz Schubert’s Allegro in A minor, D. 947, “Lebensstürme.” The programme will continue with Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville, Schubert’s Variations on an Original Theme in B-flat major, D. 968a, and three celebrated Slavonic Dances by Antonín Dvořák: Op. 72 No. 2 in E minor, Op. 72 No. 5 in B-flat minor, and Op. 46 No. 1 in C major. The concert will conclude with Rossini’s Overture to La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie).
A brilliant and engaging programme in which the duo’s virtuosity and extraordinary rapport meet Rossini’s vitality, Schubert’s expressive depth, and Dvořák’s rhythmic and melodic richness.
TWENTY YEARS OF MUSIC, MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND CONCERTS
Over the course of twenty years, the Schiavo-Marchegiani partnership has achieved milestones of the highest distinction. The duo has given more than 1,000 concerts around the world, performing in some of the most important international concert halls, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin; from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna to the Mozarteum in Salzburg; and from Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and Milan’s Sala Verdi of the Conservatory to prestigious institutions in Prague, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Montreal, Washington, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Johannesburg and Singapore.
Throughout their career, they have also collaborated with major international orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic, the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra, the New York Symphonic Orchestra, the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional of Brasília.
THE PARTNERSHIP WITH DECCA AND MICHELE PLACIDO
Sergio Marchegiani and Marco Schiavo are Decca artists, and with the prestigious label they have undertaken a number of important recording projects.
In 2014, their first CD was released, entirely devoted to Schubert. In 2018, it was followed by a second recording featuring the 21 Hungarian Dances and the 16 Waltzes, Op. 39 by Brahms. In 2020, they released a CD featuring Mozart’s Concertos for Two Pianos, K. 242 and K. 365, together with Kozeluch’s Concerto for Piano Four Hands, recorded in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Their most recent recording project is the complete works for piano four hands by Mozart, recorded at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and released by Decca as a two-volume set in 2021 and 2023.
Since 2022, the duo has also collaborated with Michele Placido on the production “Il sosia. Vita pubblica e privata di Franz Schubert, musicista” (“The Double. The Public and Private Life of Franz Schubert, Musician”), written specifically by Stefano Valanzuolo. This collaboration forms part of an artistic journey in which music also meets theatre and the spoken word.
A RETURN THAT STRENGTHENS THE BOND WITH VARENNA
The return of Schiavo-Marchegiani is particularly meaningful because the duo has already been featured in previous editions of the Varenna Festival, leaving a particularly positive impression on audiences.
Their renewed presence therefore also confirms the relationship that the Festival has built over the years with artists of the highest calibre and with performers capable of combining international prestige with a strong ability to communicate with audiences.
The Varenna Festival is commissioned and funded by the Municipality of Varenna and organised by the Elysium Chorus Association, with artistic direction by Maestro Maurizio Moretta. The festival was created with the aim of offering a high-quality musical programme and of showcasing, through live music, the cultural heritage and extraordinary beauty of
