© Albertina Dalla Chiara - 2022
As a pianist, Albertina Dalla Chiara has received enthusiastic praise from musicians, critics and musicologists alike. They all admire her impressive pianism, the philological rigour of her choices, her intense expressiveness, her impeccable technique, and the elegance of her style. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to perform with her in a piano duo on some occasions, and I can only echo the high praise she has received. I would also like to mention an additional quality that sets her apart: her “state of grace” while performing which ensures a rare connection with her audience.
Antonio Ballista
On invitation of the Bologna Festival, Albertina Dalla Chiara and I held a lecture-concert dedicated to Ravel. After my usual talk, she performed "Gaspard de la nuit" and I was delighted by the delicate, grazing touch of "Ondine" and the gloomy, tolling notes of "Gibet". I wondered how she would perform the obsessive brutality required for "Scarbo". Impressed by the power of Albertina Dalla Chiara's sound, I thought of the profound, yet lesser-known analogy between the opening of that diabolical piece and Bartók's percussive pianism. It so happened that a couple of years later I had the opportunity to listen to Albertina Dalla Chiara again, this time in Verona, in the Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (Antonio Ballista played the other piano). The intuition that had flashed through my mind in Bologna proved to be correct: the percussive and brilliantly dramatic touch of Ravel's piece was revived in the highly controlled aggression of Bartók's piece. And so: “Chapeau” twice!
Enzo Restagno