Andrea Padova Plays Lo Muscio Marco Lo Muscio, Andrea Padova & Steve Hackett

• Marco Lo Muscio (b. 1971): 3 American Preludes:
• 13 American Preludes: I. Blue Prelude02:14
• 23 American Preludes: II. Night Song05:31
• 33 American Preludes: III. Blue Ostinato "Homage to Jarrett"05:39
• 2 Ricercari:
• 42 Ricercari: I. Ricercare "the Cathedral of Pienza"03:20
• 52 Ricercari: II. Ricercare Cromatico "the Cathedral of Orvieto"03:15
• Marco Lo Muscio:
• 6In Memoriam04:02
• 7Gymnopédie No. 0 "Homage to Satie"06:07
• 8Prelude in Memory of Debussy "la lune blanche"05:54
• 9Steve Hackett: Horizons02:28
• 10Meditation on Horizons "Homage to Steve Hackett"04:18
• 11"Théodon's Meditation"01:46
• 12"The Knights of Rohan"02:51
• 13Gandalf and Galadriel05:11
• 14"The Book of a Vampire", Homage to Bram Stoker06:00
• 15Vocalise No. 1 "To my Mother"02:51
• Total Runtime01:01:27

Info for Andrea Padova Plays Lo Muscio

Born in 1971, Marco lo Muscio is an organist, pianist and composer who has performed on the great organs of Europe and the US. His own music been performed by the likes of Christopher Herrick, Thomas Trotter and David Briggs. This album focuses on another, more intimate side of his output. There are pieces dedicated to his mother and to the memory of his late father; tributes to both Debussy and Satie; meditations on literary themes from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien in a neo-medieval style; a pair of ricercari originally composed for organ, paying homage to Renaissance-era counterpoint; and to begin with Three American Preludes.

Composed in 2001, the first two of the preludes were also Lo Muscio’s first works intended for the piano. Their bluesy harmonies and ostinato bass lines are inspired by the playing of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. The third of them (from 2009) is a homage to Jarrett, but composed in the style of prog rock – an idiom that the organist adopted with such success that he began to work with the guitarist Steve Hackett, founder member of Genesis.

Since first meeting Hackett in 2008, Lo Muscio has made many transcriptions of prog rock classics (by Genesis and others) in a parallel career to his own compositions.

The two careers intersect here with Horizons, written by Hackett in 1972 for the Genesis album Foxtrot, and itself derived from the Prelude to Bach’s G major Cello Suite. In 2009 Lo Muscio composed his own Meditations on Horizons, which transforms elements of Hackett’s piece with a habanera rhythm Having established a career as a pianist with a speciality in the music of Bach (as winner of the 1995 J.S.Bach International Piano Competition), Andrea Padova has attracted international praise for his performances and recordings. His performance of the Goldberg Variation has won glowing encomia: The Washington Post wrote that he ‘conveys the sense of successfully exceeding the limits of human possibility.’ This is his debut recording on Brilliant Classics.

Marco Lo Muscio is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, he is active as a pianist, organist and composer. As a student of the great Sergio Fiorentino he embarked on an international career as pianist and organist, playing such important venues as Notre Dame (Paris), King’s College Cambridge, Westminster Cathedral and Abbey, Great Hall in St Petersburg, Moscow Cathedral and many more.

The piano works on this new recording show an open and creative mind, with a keen sense for atmosphere, colours and drama.

Pianist Andrea Padova won First Prize in the J.S. Bach International Piano Competition in 1995. Harold Schoenberg called him “A strong personality in conviction, freedom and style”. He recorded Bach’s Goldberg variations. Also active in contemporary music he collaborated with Boulez, Donatoni, Petrassi and Bernstein.

Andrea Padova, piano
Marco Lo Muscio, piano
Steve Hackett, guitar

Andrea Padova
first achieved critical attention when he won the First Prize at the “J.S.Bach International Piano Competition” in 1995. Since then he has concertized throughout the world,appearing in such major venues asCarnegie Hall in New York, Washington Performing Arts Society, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Gasteig in Munich, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Accademia di S.Cecilia in Rome.

He has been called "one of the most interesting figures of contemporary piano scene" by the magazine Insound that in 2008 awarded him as best Italian pianist.

Considered as one of the most innovative Bach interpreters by the authoritative musicologist Harold C. Schonberg (who acknowledged him "a strong personality, conviction, freedom, style") Andrea Padova is as well at ease as an interpreter of the classical and romantic repertoire, and his repertoire includes sixty concertos for piano and orchestra, from Bach’s complete concertos to the twentieth century.

In addition he worked as an interpreter in the field of contemporary music collaborating with composers such as Pierre Boulez (Festival d’Avignon – Radio France, 1988) and Leonard Bernstein (with Orchestra Nazionale di S.Cecilia, 1989) and he is himself a composer awarded in many international competitions (Wiener Wettbewerb für neue Musik, “A.Casella” of the Accademia Chigiana di Siena, Wiener Masters, “Malipiero”, “G.Contilli”, “MusMA, Music Masters on Air”).

Andrea Padova recorded for the labels Stradivarius, Ewe, Limen Music. His recording of Bach’s Fantasias was considered by the magazine “CD Classics” as one of the best piano CDs of 1997, together with Schiff and Perahia.

In 2005 his cd dedicated to Ferruccio Busoni received acknowledgements, between the others, by the authoritative review “Gramophone” that wrote: “He creates some of the same dark, sustained, organ-like tone that marks Rubinstein’s hypnotic 1934 recording. An ideal advocate for Busoni”.

In 2009 was released his cd dedicated to rare works and masterpieces by Robert Schumann, for which the critic recognized to Andrea Padova an “unsurpassed mastery” (MF).

His long-awaited cd with Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Stradivarius, 2015) recorded during tour in Japan, received enthusiastic approval: “beautiful tonality and emotionally sensitive playing… ornamentation is unfussy, elegant, and natural sounding… superb poise of the interpretation”(Fanfare). About his live performance of this masterpiece, the Washington Post wrote that he "conveys the sense of successfully exceeding the limits of human possibility."

Following the release of the CD / DVD dedicated to Mozart's Quartets with piano, recorded for the Limen label together with the soloists of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, he is currently engaged in the recording of Mozart's Complete Piano Sonatas. for the same label.

He is Professor of Piano and Historical Piano at the "A.Boito" Conservatory of Parma. Often invited to give piano and composition master classes all over the world, he has been President of the Jury or Juror at the "J.S.Bach International Piano Competition", “S.Thalberg” (Naples) “E.Porrino” (Cagliari) “Liszt-Zanfi” (Parma) “Città di Osimo” International Piano Competitions.

Marco Lo Muscio
was born in Rome on October 23 1971. Marco is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation: organist, pianist, composer. Marco cooperates for recordings and concerts with renowned artists as Kevin Bowyer, David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generaor), John and Steve Hackett (Genesis).

He graduated in piano with full honours “Cum Laude” at "Licinio Refice" academy of music guided by Maestro Tonino Maiorani, and later studied for three years with the great pianist Sergio Fiorentino (1927-1998) attaining the Diploma of Advanced Studies with full honours at the academy "Bartolomeo Cristofori". He also graduated in Pedagogy "Cum Laude", guided by prof. Giulio Sforza, in the University of "Rome Tre" (degree thesis on Keith Jarrett and Glenn Gould), and in organ with prof. James Edward Goettsche (Main Organist of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican). Marco is the first musician who has brought transcriptions of 'progressive music' into the concert halls and cathedrals, thrilling audiences with music by composers like Kieth Emerson, Rick Wakeman and Steve Hackett (Genesis) in this acoustic way. Marco's compositions are similarly 'progressive' in their own way.

Booklet for Andrea Padova Plays Lo Muscio