Sant'Apollinare
international piano festival
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F. Chopin Concerto No.2 Op.21
London Symphony Orchestra
Adolfo Barabino, piano
On June 23- 30, took place the first edition of the “Sant’Apollinare International Piano Festival”, aimed at setting, in the natural-
An artistic project intended to combine culture and nature, bringing out, at the same time, both the musical afflatus, absorbed in wonderful and suggestive locations, and the landscape appeal of the context, which could possibly boost the number of touristsright thanks to the realisation of this venture.
The 2021 edition included three dates wholly dedicated to Piano Music. In order to realise this event, three internationally renowned soloists have been selected.
Three concerts created in order to offer the audience just as many skit nights, drawing attention to the manifold expressive possibilities of the piano, wandering from the most dramatic and disruptive richness of this instrument up to itsmost gentle hints and shades of sound.
Since the 2022 edition the repertoire has been extended to chamber music.
The concerts are held outdoor, on the forecourt of the millennial church of Sant’Apollinare, offering a vi
Artistic Director
Adolfo Barabino
Artistic Director
Adolfo Barabino
Artistic Director
Adolfo Barabino
Artistic Director
Adolfo Barabino
Video - Summary 2024
Video - Summary 2023
00:00 – Adolfo Barabino – Liszt – Funerailles (Excerpt)
01:55 – Adolfo Barabino – Liszt – Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este (Excerpt)
04:06 – Adolfo Barabino – Chopin – Polacca op. 26 (Excerpt)
06:19 – Trio (Joseph Wolfe & Jonathan Ayling & Adolfo Barabino) – Ravel – Kaddish
11:12 – Trio (Joseph Wolfe & Jonathan Ayling & Adolfo Barabino) – Dvořák – Dumky Trio (Lento maestoso excerpt)
12:30 – Trio (Joseph Wolfe & Jonathan Ayling & Adolfo Barabino) – Dvořák – Dumky Trio (Vivace excerpt)
13:35 – Valentina Igoshina – Rachmaninoff – Six Moments musicaux n.2 Allegretto (Excerpt)
14:57 – Valentina Igoshina – Rachmaninoff – Six Moments musicaux n.5 Adagio sostenuto (Excerpt)
16:39 – Valentina Igoshina – Rachmaninoff – Six Moments musicaux n.6 Maestoso (Excerpt)
All Concerts Will Start At 20:30
Free Admission – Responsible donation
Reservations required: info@berceuse.org & 3933690463
The shuttle service will be available free of charge on the route from San Bartolomeo to Sant’Apollinare from 18.45 to 20.00. It will be reactivated once the concert is over at around 22:30.
In case of rain, the concerts will be held at the Teatro Sociale di Camogli
Dates And Performers edition 2026:
Adolfo Barabino , piano
30 June 2026
Music by:
Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt
Adolfo Barabino, a pupil of Emilio Bonino, is an artist who combines a refined touch with a profound musical interpretation and the “Musical Opinion” describes him “…with a sound so rich in nuances that make him one of the most interesting Chopin interpreters of his generation.”
He lives between Italy and England where he recently debuted with the London Philharmonic Orchestra recording for BBC Radio.
With the London Symphony Orchestra he recorded Chopin’s Second Concerto and the disc was nominated for the Grammy Awards.
Among his upcoming engagements, he will perform all five Beethoven’s Piano Concertos in London at the Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra, corcerts to be repeated later on tour in England, Italy and Japan and recording with an important record company is planned. In 2003 he received the nomination of Steinway Artist. His portrait his placed in the gallery of the Steinway headquarters in London.
He got a ten-year contract of concerts in Japan where he has recently realised the 13th tournée and regularly plays in major venues such as Suntory Hall, Tokyo Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, Kitara Hall-Sapporo, Minato Marai Concert Hall-Yokohama, Aoi Concert Hall- Shizuoka, also making several radio recordings.
In 2016, he participated in the Piano Narapi Festival in Nara, Japan, recorded live by MBS TV.
One fo the most evocative experience was the performance of Liszt’s Concerto No.1 for piano and orchestra in Sendai, where he was the first pianist to perform this concerto in a Buddhist temple.
For his artistic value in London in 2013 he was awarded the “Copy of Freedom-City of London” previously awarded by the tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
In 2018, his debut in the United States at Aspen, Colorado.
In addition to his concert activity, Adolfo is recording in England the complete Chopin’s works and hold masterclasses in Italy, England, Usa and Japan.
Since 2019 he has been a member of the jury of the “Concours International de piano Nice Côte d’Azur” and President of the jury for the final of “Steinway & Sons European Piano Competition”.
In 2020 he founded the “Sant’Apollinare International Piano Festival” of which he is the Artistic Director in collaboration with the Berceuse Association.
He made his debute in Greece in amphitheatre in Pyrgos West Mani, with a recital dedicated to F. Chopin.
Joseph Wolfe , Violin
Adolfo Barabino , Piano
3 July 2026
Music by:
Mozart, Ravel, Beethoven, Boulanger
Joseph Wolfe enjoys weaving together a career in conducting, chamber music and teaching.
Joseph studied the violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London and later in Dresden at the Hochschule Carl Maria von Weber. Whilst in Dresden, he founded and conducted the Dresden Kammersinfoniker from 1990 – 1994.
After completing his studies in Germany, he returned to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During this time, he led the Johannes Ensemble. With a clear passion for chamber music, he studied extensively with the Amadeus, Aeolian, Allegri, Borodin, Endellion and Tacaks Quartets. Soon afterwards Joseph was appointed Co-Principal of the Academia di San Giorgio in Venice where he led various chamber ensembles in concert series in and around Venice.
He was also a member of the English Chamber Orchestra for many years. During this time, he also developed his conducting and was invited to be a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Centre. Alongside conducting, his passion for chamber music continued with the formation of the Wolfe Quartet, the Duo Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcon and most recently the formation of the Tier 3 Trio. As a conductor, Joseph has since performed in the major concert halls of the world establishing himself as an artist of great musical integrity and sensitivity.
He has worked with first class orchestras and soloists, recording for Bavarian Radio and Radio 3. Highlights include: Barbican Hall, Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Copenhagen Opera House and Munich Gasteig with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Birmingham Symphony, Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan, Netherlands Radio, Bamberg Sinfoniker, English Chamber, Scottish Chamber and Munich Chamber Orchestras.
His work in education includes projects at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as chamber music coach for advanced students and conductor of the Post Graduate Orchestra, as well as tours with the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra in Germany. Last summer he conducted the Lydian Orchestra of Kent and returns in the Autumn. He enjoys teaching at his home in East Sussex. Joseph plays on a violin made by Paolo Castello of Genova dated 1770.
Michele D' Ambrosio , piano
7 July 2026
Music by:
Respighi, Prokofieff, Musorgskij
Michele D’Ambrosio studied piano with Viviana Buzzai at the “S. Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome, where he graduated in Piano with highest honors and distinction. He subsequently pursued advanced studies with Aldo Ciccolini, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Hans Leygraf, and Kazimierz Morski.
He studied Composition with Boris Porena and Ada Gentile and has also written articles for the music magazine Piano Time.
Winner of numerous national and international piano competitions, he has performed extensively in Italy—including at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’s Sala Accademica in Rome, the Petrassi Hall of the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Teatro Grande in Brescia, the Teatro Rubini in Bergamo, the Teatro Lauro Rossi in Macerata, the Teatro Orfeo in Taranto, and the “Quadrivium” Hall of Palazzo Ducale in Genoa—and abroad, in Germany (Justus Liebig Haus, Darmstadt), the United Kingdom (Ardingly College), the Netherlands (Leiden University), Croatia (Hall of Mirrors, Dubrovnik), China (Tianjin Conservatory), and the United States (Hunter College, New York), among other venues. His concert activity has included performances as a soloist, in various chamber music ensembles—including with Luciano Giuliani and the Helbig Trio, with Alberto Mina and Carlo Onori—and with orchestras, including the Filarmonica Marchigiana and the Orchestra della Magna Grecia.
He has recorded the complete piano works of Alfredo Casella in a three-CD set for Brilliant Classics and, in a world-premiere recording, the complete piano works of Ottorino Respighi, released as a two-CD set, also by Brilliant Classics. Both recordings have received widespread critical acclaim. In 2001, on the centenary of the birth of Joaquín Rodrigo, D’Ambrosio recorded a CD devoted entirely to the Spanish composer’s piano works. In 2005, he released the monographic CD Tempi DiVersi, dedicated to the Italian composer Davide Farace.
He has given masterclasses in Italy—including in Norcia, Foligno, and at the Campus delle Arti in Bassano del Grappa—as well as abroad, notably in China.
Since November 2022, he has held the position of Professor of Piano at the “S. Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome. He previously held piano professorships at the “F. Torrefranca” Conservatory in Vibo Valentia (1995–1996), the “G. da Venosa” Conservatory in Potenza (1996–2017), the “F. Morlacchi” Conservatory in Perugia (2017–2019), and the “O. Respighi” Conservatory in Latina (2019–2022).
Pianoforte Steinway & Sons, Modello D Gran Concerto, provided by:
Gallery
Association Berceuse President
Nadia Putzu : 393 3690 463
info@berceuse.org
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