On 6 February (9.00 pm) at the Ebe Stignani Theatre in Imola Francesco Nicolosi, an extraordinary Italian pianist, will perform in an interpretation of an ancient dare between two great pianists: Sigismund Thalberg and Franz Liszt.
Thalberg and Liszt were two virtuosos of the piano with a perfect technique and a really personal interpretation. They met in Paris in the palace of Princess Belgiojoso, where a challenge was organized: who, between Thalberg and Liszt, would have won? The duel, according to the chroniclers, was surprising. The princess Belgiojoso the next day decided: “Thalberg is the best in the world; Liszt is unique “. So, the duel left only winners, music and epic beauty.
Francesco Nicolosi, who will bring the famous duel-meeting to the audience of Imola, graduated very young at seventeen, and then moved to Naples where he met the Maestro Vincenzo Vitale. He became soon one of his best students, so much to be considered one of the leading exponents of the Neapolitan pianistic school. He has performed in the most important concert halls in the world, has toured as well as in Europe, in Iceland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Singapore, Japan and China; and performed in the most exclusive festivals. The critic and musicologist Paolo Isotta wrote about him: “(…)he must be considered one of the best living pianists.”