Nilan to host Piano City concerts

(ANSA) - Milan, May 5 - 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.