Giuseppe Guarrera, Piano Recital

Program:

Johann Sebasian Bach (1685–1750): Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Minor (from the Well-Tempered Clarier, Book I)

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Major, Op. 87, No. 21

J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in F-Sharp Minor (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II)

D. Shostakovich: Prelude and Fugue in A Major, Op. 87, No. 7

Johann Sebastian Bach-Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924): Chaconne in D Minor (from Violin Partita No, 2, BWV 1004, transcription by F. Busoni)

Hans Werner Henze (1926–2012): Ode al dodicesimo apostolo (1966)

Franz Liszt (1811–1886): Two Episodes from Lenau's Faust—Nocturnal Procession and Memphisto Waltz No. 1

Biography:

Italian pianist Giuseppe Guarrera has won major international awards, including prizes at the Cleveland (2024), Rubinstein (2023), and Montréal (2017) competitions, and has been recognized as a Rising Star at Klavier-Festival Ruhr as well as a recipient of the Tabor Award at the Verbier Festival. Giuseppe Guarrera’s curiosity and versatility make him equally at home in recitals, chamber music, concerti, and contemporary music. He is acclaimed for “his domain of all styles” (Scherzo) and “impetuosity of temperament” (Bachtrack).

Guarrera has performed as a soloist at prestigious international venues including Wigmore Hall (London), the Louis Vuitton Foundation (Paris), the Herkulessaal (Munich), the Scherzo Foundation (Madrid), the Teatro La Fenice (Venice), the Dvořák Festival (Prague, stepping in for D. Barenboim) and has appeared with major orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Vasily Petrenko), the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (C. P. Flor), the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice (D. Kitajenko), and the Cleveland Orchestra (R. Reinhardt). Also active in the contemporary music scene, he has been a member of the Boulez Ensemble, working with conductors including J. Widmann, D. Cohen, and L. Shani. A defining moment in his career was an invitation from Daniel Barenboim to perform at the opening concert of the 2017–2018 season at the Pierre Boulez Saal. He subsequently returned for four further performances and joined the faculty of the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

Recent engagements include multiple appearances across North America, including a spring tour of Canada, with performances at Bourgie Hall and the Canadian Opera Company. His chamber music collaborations have taken him to leading venues and festivals including the ECHO Tour with Ben Goldscheider (Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie Köln, L’Auditori Barcelona, Casa de Musica Porto, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden), the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, the Konzerthaus Wien (with J. Rachlin), the Tokyo Spring Festival (trio with Goldscheider and Kanagawa), and the Heidelberger Frühling.

Guarrera’s upcoming engagements include a residency at Kent State University in Cleveland, where he will present his new project, “The Art of Listening.” He will also embark on a tour of Japan, including his debut with Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 conducted by Erina Yashima, as well as duo recitals with violinist Mayumi Kanagawa at Musashino Civic Cultural Hall and Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo.

He is also a former YCAT artist. His former teachers include S. Gadjiev, E. Nebolsin, and N. Goerner, to whom he remains deeply grateful.