Agenda

Contrasts and Passions
The Sonata and Beyond, Between Form and Poetry
Music by Giustini, Clementi, Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms
Paolo Zentilin, piano

This program was born from the desire to narrate, through music, the contrasts and passions that inhabit the human soul: the constant dialogue between rigor and freedom, light and shadow, impulse and tenderness.

I sought a common thread that could unite works of very different character, and found it precisely in this tension between form and poetry. The sonatas by Giustini, Clementi, and Beethoven, together with the Ballades of Chopin and Brahms, thus become milestones in a musical journey that spans different eras and styles, all bound together by expressive intensity.

From the historical roots of the sonata with Lodovico Giustini – a composer especially dear to me, whose complete works I have recorded – to the brilliant virtuosity of Clementi, the contemplative serenity of Beethoven, and the passionate lyricism of Chopin and Brahms, the program unfolds as a weaving of emotions and contrasts.

Each piece was chosen for its ability to evoke inner worlds and translate them into sound: a journey that moves me every time and that I wish to share with those who listen.

Program
Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743)
Sonata in F minor, Op. 1 No. 10
I. Allemanda: Affettuoso, II. Canzone: Tempo di Gavotta, III. Allemanda: Grave e Affettuoso, IV. Corrente: Allegro assai

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata No. 15 Op. 28 “Pastoral”
1. Allegro, 2. Andante, 3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace, 4. Rondo: Allegro, ma non troppo
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Ballade No. 1 Op. 23

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Ballade Op. 10 No. 4

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Sonata Op. 25 No. 5
I. Più tosto allegro con espressione, II. Lento e patetico, III. Presto

Other soloists: Paolo Zentilin, pianoforte

Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743)
Sonata in Fa Minore, Op. 1 No. 10
I. Allemanda: Affettuoso, II. Canzone: Tempo di Gavotta, III. Allemanda: Grave e Affettuoso, IV. Corrente: Allegro assai

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)
Notturno Op. Post in Do# minore
Mazurca op 17 n. 4

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
L’Isle Joyeuse

Other soloists: Paolo Zentilin, pianoforte

Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743) 
Sonata G Minor Op. 1 No. 1
I. Balletto: Spiritoso, ma non presto, II. Corrente: Allegro, III. Sarabanda: Grave, IV. Giga: Presto, V. Minuet: Affettuoso
Sonata in B flat Major Op. 1 No. 6
I. Preludio: Grave, II. Allegro Assai, III. Dolce, IV. Giga: Allegro.
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 1 No. 10
I. Allemanda: Affettuoso, II. Canzone: Tempo di Gavotta, III. Allemanda: Grave e Affettuoso, IV. Corrente: Allegro assai

Muzio Clementi  (1752-1832) 
Sonata Op. 25 No. 6
1. Presto, 2. Un poco andante, 3. Rondò: Allegro Assai

Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Scherzo n. 1 Op. 20

Other soloists: Paolo Zentilin, pianoforte

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata K32 L423 in D minor - Aria
Sonata K 11 in C minor - Allegro
Sonata K 515 (L255) in C major - Allegro

Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743)
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 1 No. 10
I. Allemanda: Affettuoso, II. Canzone: Tempo di Gavotta, III. Allemanda: Grave e Affettuoso, IV. Corrente: Allegro assai.
Sonata in G Major, Op. 1 No. 12
I. Sarabanda: Largo, II. Canzone, III. Siciliana: Affettuoso, IV. Giga: Presto assai, V. Minuet: Allegro.

Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956)
Nenia (1902)

Carlo Corazza (1978-)
Isonzo/Soča (Piano version, 2020)

Paolo Zentilin (1987-)
Studio sul tocco (2022)

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Sonata op. 25 n. 5
I. Più tosto allegro con espressione, II. Lento e patetico, III. Presto