Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Pietro De Maria Wows at Key Biscayne Piano Festival

Pietro de Maria performing at the Key Biscayne Piano Festival November 15 (Key News/Maria Iriondo)

The Key Biscayne Piano Festival kicked off its second season Friday with a delightful evening of classical music from acclaimed Italian pianist Pietro De Maria. 

In partnership with the Miami International Piano Festival, the event brings a little cultural prestige to the island, courtesy of resident Amaryllii Fridegotto and co-hosted by the Village of Key Biscayne and the Italian Consulate in Miami.

Born in Venice in 1967, De Maria studied piano with Giorgio Vianello and Gino Gorini. He won first prize at the Alfred Cortot International Piano Competition in Milan at age 13 and graduated from the Conservatory of Venice, continuing his studies with Maria Tipo at the Conservatory of Geneva, where he obtained the Premier Prix de Virtuosité with the highest honors in 1988. Presently he is an Academic of Santa Cecilia and teaches at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is also a member of the Scuola di Maria Tipo teaching team organized by the Academy of Music in Pinerolo.

There was a full house at Crossbridge Church Key Biscayne Friday, where tickets sold for $35 and guests enjoyed prosecco as the consul general of Italy Cristiano Musillo introduced himself and Mayor Mike Davey highlighted the importance of fostering artistic endeavors on the island. “It’s events like this that bring culture to this island,” said Davey, “something we’ve been wanting for a long time.”

Opening with Chopin’s first-published waltz for solo piano, Valse brillante in E flat major op. 18, De Maria effortlessly eased the crowd into an enrapturing series of waltzes which, unlike their Viennese counterparts meant for dancing, were composed strictly for concert performance.

Before playing Nocturne Op. 27 No.2 in D flat major, De Maria shared some fascinating facts about Chopin’s days as the most sought-after piano teacher in Paris. He explained how the Polish composer had left behind music books with his own penciled-in instructions and notes, like those from his Scottish pupil Jean Sterling, which revealed something intriguing. 

“The opening theme is written as piano dolce, but the second time Chopin added a diminuendo so that the theme reappears as a pianissimo,” explained De Maria. “And the third time he crossed out a diminuendo and wrote a big crescendo instead, which proves Chopin never liked to play the same melody twice or three times the same.”

After a brief intermission, De Maria skillfully mastered Rachmaninoff’s 9 Études-tableaux Op 39, a series of demanding short compositions that beguiled the audience, receiving a standing ovation and repeated cries of “bravo” as the last notes rang out. 

“I think he’s extraordinarily competent and charming too,” enthused Key Biscayner Vera Goldstein. “What a splendid concert.”

Closing his recital, De Maria paid special tribute to his hometown of Venice, recently devastated by disastrous floods, with an Aria of the Godlberg Variations by Bach. A fine finishing touch to a fabulous evening.

For information on upcoming events, visit keybiscaynepianofestival.com. For information on the pianist, see pietrodemaria.com.