The 2007 International Web Concert Hall
Competition
(Honorable Mention)
De Stefano (Italy - Piano Duo)
Tell us about your musical background.
Our family is composed of pianists and
musicians. Our parents are professors of music in Italy and we grew up with music
at home all time.
The interest for the love of music was natural process for us… One day
while playing the piano, we broke a key with our teeth! oh no! At
seven years old
we had our first lesson with our parents... and later we also had some
violin lessons. At nine, we won the first prize in a competition in Sicily
and at ten, we gave our first piano duo recital.
Prof. Paul Badura Skoda said: “I gemelli De Stefano sprizzano
musicalità da tutti i pori”
We graduated at the conservatory of Vibo Valentia under Prof. Paolo
Pollice at the age of 15. Under his guidance, we learned the musical
ideas and technique. Later, we were admitted to prestigious
International Piano Academy ”Incontri con il Maestro” of Imola where we
have been studying until 2005.
Here, we studied with Ukrainian Professors, Leonid Margarius and
Anna Kravtchenko. They have encouraged us to understand the emotional and
spiritual aspects of music.
Prof. Pier Narciso Masi has taught us the enjoyment of playing piano duo.
In 2003 we received the diploma with the honorable title, “Master.”
Another important course of the study in this Academy was with Prof.
Antonio Ballista, the partner of famous Italian Piano-duo, Ballista-Canino.
His lessons regarded all details of the performance and more.
Since 2001, we studied with Prof. Vincenzo Balzani of Milan’s
conservatory. He influenced our musical formation at all points of view:
the tone production, practicing methods, the interpretation and
much more. We also studied with Prof. Aquiles Delle Vigne...he guided us
on professionalism on piano playing; and in last
June, we graduated from Hogeschool Voor Muziek of Rotterdam.
Another addition to our success is listening to interpretations of great
pianists like Krystian Zimermann (which we had a meeting with him) and
Grigory Sokolov.
Francesco and Vincenzo sincerely send thanks to all our professors above.
Thank you very much!
How long have you performed as a duo?
We performed together since we were nine years old. At home, we have
three grand pianos. So, we can work separately and together without
any problems.
What are some advantages and disadvantages of playing duo with the same
member of family?
Our personalities are completely different, however, our relationship is
very strong. We share nearly everything together. So… there are
advantages of playing duo with the same member of family.
Uhm..perhaps there may be some disadvantage too… We know ourselves so
well that this can be some what problematic.
How do you select repertoire for
the concerts?
We select our repertory for the concerts based on many factors: the
audience, location, organization request, and above all the maturity of
the work we have reached.
What are some of your upcoming musical project?
We have many projects… concerts in the United States, Bahamas and
South Korea. We also have an engagement with Festival in St. Petersburg.
Many recitals in Italy, including a debut at “Società dei Concerti“ of
Milan and the recital recording for Vaticana Radio.
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| Duo Performing in Japan |
New York Carnegie Weill Hall |
Colony Theater Miami |
How many concerts do you have a year?
We have approximately 30 concerts at year.
What period music do you enjoy playing the most and why?
Generally we prefer to play the 20th century works. The works written in
20th century fits us better. We perform majority of our repertoire from
memory and this is one of our attraction to the public.
In your opinion, what is your strength in your playing as a piano duo?
In our opinion the strength are the synchrony, memory, virtuosity, and
to push and pull the audience.
In your opinion, what
are the characteristics of a good performer?
A full of intelligence, sensibility, culture, spirituality and a good
charisma. … and warm heart and cold mind.
What do you hope to accomplish
as a musician and as an ensemble?
We hope to reveal the musical message to as many audiences as
possible.
And we hope to be happy in everything we do.
Do you like any other forms of
art?
Vincenzo: I like all forms of
art...and I am curious on everything in life. Some of my favorites are
Van Gogh, Picasso, and many Italian artists like Michelangelo and Giotto.
And of course… Monet.
Francesco: I like many forms of art too. I like Italian artists, Dante, Petrarca and also reading the writings of great philosophers.
What do you do for hobby, if any?
Vincenzo: In my free time, I like to spend my time with my girlfriend.
Now days, I am interested in Psychology.
Francesco: I like to read, listen to music, swim, and attend
political debates.
What was the event that changed your life?
Francesco and Vincenzo: Difficult to answer… one of the important events
in our life was winning the top prize in the International M.Dranoff Two
Pianos Competition in Miami. The orchestra director, Stewart Robertson “two new stars are born tonight” – 12/22/2005 final concert.
How did you learn about the International Web Concert Hall Competition?
We use internet a lot and we learned the announcement on this
competition. Francesco and Vincenzo thank you very much.
On be half of the Web Concert Hall, we
would like to thank you for your time and we wish all the success.
To contact De Stefano Duo:
destefanopianoduo@tele2.it
Interviewed by Webconcerthall on November, 2007
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