Last Thursday evening Chiara Bertoglio celebrated her 25th birthday holding a 4 hours long recital in Turin at a small venue near downtown. Here is the pantagruelian program:

Mozart: Fantasia K.397
Schumann: Papillons op.2
Mozart: Sonata K.331

Beethoven: Sonata op.111
Schumann: Carnaval op.9

Debussy: 12 Preludes, Book 1
Chopin: 12 Etudes op.10

Schubert: Sonata in A major D.959
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

I could attend only the third and fourth parts and was the first time I listened to Chiara live. Well, I was impressed by the boundless energy and the fabulous concentration easily disguised by her unassuming air. Her enthusiasm is infectious and after the concert she remained at length in the hall chatting with friends and casual concert goers as well. She played wonderfully but in the Pictures she really surpassed herself in a powerful and at the same time extremely detailed performance. I'd like to hear it again on a concert-grand and in a bigger venue. For the curious among you I've uploaded a short clip of the concert on YouTube (which I am going to delete in a few days). At the marathon I met up with Mr Duffy and Sandro, who audio and video recorded all the event. Happy Birthday, Chiara!

Thanks for sharing this, Alfonso. Wow - she is something else! Amazing.

And I didn't know you all lived so close to each other. That is so nice. Did any of you take an pictures at this gathering? What does our mysterious Mr. Duffy look like? For a time, I thought he was actually the same person as Sandro - like Sandro using an alias.

Indeed.



Hehe, they are 2 different people. Very different, by the way, of almost opposite character I would say. Yet, as I said, Mr Duffy is not Sandro's doppelgänger... On the other hand, one Sandro is enough, don't you think?

Yes, I took some pictures of him, but I won't divulge them if Mr Duffy doesn't want me to do so.

i had planned to arrive at the concert at half past eight and was a little bit worried as i had never been in that auditorium, but eventually i found it, in a nice though apparently desolate part of the town, right in time for the second half of the concert. little auditorium, a warm and relaxed atmosphere, on the stage Sandro tuning up the camera, and alf speaking with him. that was a very good idea, for our little representative of pianosociety to meet at this particular concert! we took a seat in the centre of the hall, and soon the music begun.

i was prepared to listen to Chiara because i already knew her recordings, but what impressed me most, on thursday evening, were her strength and enthusism. not only she played such a long and difficult program (and all from memory), but she also played encores at the end of each part, and (as a perfect landlady) she also gave short speeches in the intermissions, thus helping Sandro go on the stage to change the handycam cassettes the peculiarity of the concert itself accounted for the warm and maybe not perfecly silent public, but she always looked at ease and relaxed. Ist Book from Debussy's Preludes, with marvellous De pas sur la neige, Ce q'a vu le vent d'Ouest and an impressive, hieratic performance of La cathedrale engloutie. after this, the complete Chopin Etudes op.10 (marvellously sung No.5), and as an encore, a witty nice piece where the left hand played with only one finger. then, Schubert's Sonata D959 with a magic, restrained 1st part of the Andantino. and after this the Mussorgsky. from the stunning beguinning with a firm Promenade, through the sharp differences between Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle (even a child would understand!), it was as if the Pictures were part of herself. again shivers in 'Cum mortuis in lingua mortua', where tremolos were like rattling bones. and how beautiful it was, to look at Chiara smiling in Tuileries or in the Ballet des petits poussins dans leurs coques... really, a wonderful performance. time for another encore: Schubert's Impromptu op.142 No.2, 'like a prayer'. at the end of the concert, it was nice meeting Chiara... you wouldn't tell she had played for the previous five hours or so

as he was driving me home, Sandro told me about the Arietta and Mozart's Fantasia i had lost, and about his week. we decided for a dinner together, at half past midnight, with some pasta with cream and smoked salmon



please do! this funny misunderstanding probably dates from the time Sandro came to visit me and uploaded some recordings without logging out
bye, Mr Duffy

..... though apparently desolate part of the town,


Desolate? It's the green heart of the "Crocetta", the most
exclusive quarter of Turin. There the homes costs about as in Manhattan...
But I agree with the rest of your words. Also for me all played at a very good level but
the "Tableaux" (and near them Debussy) were from another planet.
Sorry for this question of your identity confused with mine; a bad problem for you...
All best,
Sandro