The sixth edition of the Piano City
concerts will open on May 19 at Milan's Modern Art Gallery with
Canadian pianist and producer Chilly Gonzales, who will perform
pieces from his album Piano Solo II.
A total of 450 free piano concerts have been scheduled in
over 250 locations across Milan and in 24 cities in Lombardy for
the music event, which runs through May 21 and includes
performances during the day and in the evening.
Performers will include one of Britain's most celebrated
composers and musicians Michael Nyman, as well as up-and-coming
artists and students, who will play in diverse settings, from
theaters to courtyards.
The aim of Piano City is to make music accessible to everyone
in Italy's financial capital, a city that is "deeply
international and deeply supportive", Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala
said Thursday presenting the event.
Events will also be held outside the city for the first time,
in 24 municipalities around Milan.
They will include a new initiative, 'piano lessons' to be
held at Teatro dell'Arte by Gonzales and Nyman.
And Nyman, who moved to Milan a few months ago, composed for
the festival a new version of The Otherwise Very Beautiful Blue
Danube Waltz, which will be performed by 100 Milanese children
with 50 toy pianos.
Daniele Lombardi has also composed a piece, 'Sembrava una
Nuvola (it looked like a cloud), inspired by a character
invented by writer Aldo Palazzeschi (1885-1974), which will be
performed for the first time on May 21 in Milan's CityLife
district.
Overall concerts have been scheduled day and night, including
an homage to US composer Philip Glass by pianist Nicolas
Horvath, who will perform all his piano concerts at the Prada
Foundation during an 11-hour concert.
Students from the conservatory of Bergamo will also be
performing all of Ludwig van Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas while
'Piano Nights' will include music by German composer Karlheinz
Stockhausen.
And for those unable to attend events, eight 'piano-a-porter'
concerts have been scheduled during the festival aboard a van,
which will drive around Milan and the suburbs to reach as large
an audience as possible.
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