Alessio Masi at Palazzo Caetani Cisterna di Latina ‘Latin blood ignites and illuminates his musical heritage’
Collard and Collard piano of 1889 that once stood in the Savoy Hotel in London but above all a masterly Sicilian pianist playing not only his own compositions but even more importantly the works of Nino Rota. Justly famed for his film scores but his classical compositions are practically unknown.
Opening his programme with an early Sonata by another unknown Italian composer of two centuries ago Lodovico Giustini. Played on this very mellow sounding single strung Collard and Collard it had a refined elegance of its age and was played with a rhythmic elan and great sense of character. A scintillating ‘joie de vivre’ to the ‘Corrente’ was followed by the expressive gently moving ‘Sarabande’ of subtle beauty. The dynamic drive of the ‘Gigue’ was diffused by the elegance and refined beauty of the ‘Minuet’. Played with great authority and conviction by a young man who listens carefully to all he does and with long agile fingers and an intelligent sense of style can bring this early work vividly to life and make one wonder why this composer is so unjustly neglected.
Two centuries later Rota was to pen his Fantasia in G during the war years. It is a tone poem of dramatic Lisztian power combining also the typical nonchalant simplicity of a composer who was also to be revealed as a supreme melodist. Alessio played it with fearless bravura and power combined with a poetic sensibility of a young artist who truly understands this very particular Italian landscape.
