R E P U T A T I O N S
Alfonso Soldano is a great pianist promise, supported by outstanding instrumental skills, as well as a musical sensitivity out of ordinary. Alfonso Soldano comes from Apulia region (Italy), and therefore belongs to a land that is and has always been a nursery of first-class artists. Wish with all my heart!
Aldo Ciccolini
I had the chance to listen piano performance by Alfonso Soldano (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 op.30), and I was very impressed by his great temperament and his executive incisiveness.
I wish him a prestigious career because his talent deserves!
Adam Harasiewicz
R E V I E W S & P R E S S
“Alfonso Soldano is rewarded as a pianist of refined sensibility, has shown great interpretative art of the great composers of all time, joining his virtuoso exceptional artistic quality, capturing the wide acclaim from critics and audiences“
(Vittorio Barbagiovanni, Maison des Artistes of Rome, Best Artist 2013 Award Ceremony at University ”La Sapienza” - Rome)
“Talents from Bari model export : Alfonso Soldano, the pianist who captivates audiences all over the world“
(Carmela Formicola, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, an italian major newspaper)
“..Countless wonders of romance and tenderness and sensivity exciting in Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto n. 3 in the monumental interpretation of the Italian pianist Alfonso Soldano, because of its size and its expressve power. The resources of the italian maestro have created charm with beautiful sound and musical elegance, which gave to the Rachmaninoff’s Concerto a particular scent. The audience was enthusiastic and
rightly standing..“
(Vasile Pruteanu, newspaper of Bacau, in the event of the George Enescu International Festival of Bucarest 2013)
…On CD DDA 25142 Bortkiewicz Piano Music
"This is Volume 12 in Divine Art's Russian Piano Music series, and it joins other fine recordings of this composer, whose music will appeal immediately to anyone who enjoys the music of Rachmaninoff. I recently reviewed many of the same pieces played by Nadejda Vlaeva (Hyperion 68118, July/Aug 2016). I have also reviewed six of the nine discs by Jouni Somero on the Finnish FC label (9723 & 9736, Sept/Oct 2012; 9740, 9741, 9742, Jan/Feb 2013). Soldano's work here and the recording and booklet qualities all stand up fully to the other recordings. Soldano (b. 1986) is one of the last longtime students of Aldo Ciccolini. He clearly has an great affinity for this music and has also written a biography of Bortkiewicz. I have enjoyed this many times..”
James Harrington (American Record Guide, USA)
"..Recently is appeared a CD that is an ideal mean and has an interpretation in which the music of Bortkiewicz is played optimally. This is thanks to the pianist Alfonso Soldano, which expresses this music with such devotion and deep intensity such as to enchant each listener. Soldano is also a pianist whose technical skill plays a sovereign role, and not have any problems with the performance of highly virtuosic music. The touching emotion that permeates the 'interpretation of Soldano is simply disarming..”
Grete Catus, (The New Listener, Deutschland)
"...Alfonso Soldano, who is new to this Divine Art series of Russian piano music, is a young, prize-winning Italian pianist blessed with Mediterranean good looks and a phenomenal technique, the latter of which I’m sure he worked at long and hard to achieve. This is absolutely a fantastic disc. If you're not already acquainted with Bortkiewicz—and I wasn't either, except for his Piano Concerto No. 1 on Volume 4 of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series—prepare to be transported to a place of spell-binding splendor.
I notice that in addition to the concerto, Stephen Coombs has also recorded two discs' worth of Bortkiewicz's solo piano works which are now available in a Double set, but if you happen to have those CDs, rest assured that there are no duplications between them and this new Divine Art program by Soldano. If I could, l'd buy up every copy of this album and send it to every Fanfare subscriber; that's how much I love it. If you're as susceptible to this music as I am, you will love it too; I promise..*****"
Jerry Dubins (Fanfare), USA
…On CD DDA 25152 Castelnuovo-Tedesco Piano Works
"By the time of his death in 1968, Castelnuovo-Tedesco was a respected and prolific composer...
Italian pianist Alfonso Soldano has dedicated years to researching, studying and performing the piano music of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. The results of his labors can be enjoyed in his new album, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Piano Works(Divine Art 25152).
Nicely packaged by Divine Art’s Stephen Sutton, splendidly engineered by Christian Ugenti, intelligently annotated by Attilio Cantore and, most important, played to perfection by Alfonso Soldano..the album is a gem.
Listening to each of the 16 tracks in this CD – roughly one hour and fifteen minutes of music – one cannot help but marvel at the variety of moods in this ever-changing music. Some of the titles give away at once the ideas behind the music: Notturno in Hollywood (Hollywood Nocturne), Alt Wien Rapsodia Viennese (Old Vienna – A Viennese Rhapsody), Vitalba e Biancospino, fiaba silvana (Vitalba and Biancospino, a sylvan fable), Cielo di Settembre (September Sky),Sonatina Zoologica (Zoological Sonatina) ...
Whatever the mood, whichever technical hurdles need to be met, no matter how esoteric the material, Alfonso Soldano proves himself a masterful interpreter of this music, managing to both respect the composer’s wishes and imprint the music with his own individuality.
One need only note the touch of turn of the century Viennese Schlag with which he freely lingers on the second or third beat of the waltz tempo in Old Viena on the second track. Note by contrast the amplitude and judicious pedaling he brings to the Canticle of St. Bernard, and the light touch, agility and humor he dispenses on Zoological Sonatina.
Alfonso Soldano is a pianist of the first order and his Castelnuovo-Tedesco album a thing to treasure."
Rafael de Acha - RafaelMusicNotes - Florida(USA)
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
SEPT
24-25
September 2018
Theatre Curci - Barletta(IT), Recording session
Music by Rachmaninov
OCT 15
15 October 2018
Masterclass in Ukraine
National Kotlyarevsky University of the Arts Kharkiv,Ukraine
OCT 29
26 October 2018
Lectio/Concerto with Attilio Cantore. Conservatory S.Cecilia, Academic Hall with
,Rome,IT
Music by Castelnuovo-Tedesco
N E W S
CD with solo piano works by SERGEJ RACHMANINOV for Divine Art Records (USA), partner Naxos of America received 5 stars from American Record Guide (Donald Vroon)
IS AVAILABLE the first world biography of the Ukrainian composer Sergej Bortkiewicz, by Alfonso Soldano, published by "Florestano Edizioni" - The book is available for purchase at
Il Confine dell'Inganno