Alessandro Cesaro began to study music very early when he showed his interest in musical composition. Then he completed regular piano studies with Franco Angeleri at Padua’s Conservatory where he graduated with top marks and special mention when he was 16. Later he attended classes with Paul Badura-Skoda and Aldo Ciccolini. He was soon awarded in several National and International Piano Competitions including Premio Venezia and Yamaha Prize in Stresa. His achievement at the 48th CIEM Geneva is especially important and places him in evidence at the age of 18. His recitals throughout Italy are countless and he usually plays also in Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, Mexico and Croatia. He often collaborates with many notable musicians including Claudio Scimone, Paul Badura-Skoda, Anton Nanut and Pedro Ignacio Calderòn. An uncommon feature of his personality is the extraordinary versatility which allows him to have in his repertory all the major composers from Haydn to the moderns. He has recorded with Velut Luna, Rivoalto and Azzurra Music. He is equally active also as a composer and his output includes piano music, chamber music with various combinations and some orchestral works. His eclectic but personal style is significantly changed during the years from neoclassicism to atonality, from aleatory to structuralism.
The Preludes for two pianos (2004) are a cycle of three pieces of a free character: – Andantino– Allegro– Andante Catalogue ACO-025Duration: ca. 7 min.First public performance: Limena (Italy) 2004
The Fantasies (2003) are a cycle of 6 structurally free pieces each based on a tone of a hexatonal scale: – Andante (in C)– Andantino (in D)– Allegretto vivace (in E)– Allegro moderato (in F sharp)– Allegro vivace (in G sharp)– Allegretto (in B flat) Catalogue: ACO-024Duration: ca. 8 min.
Allegretto with Variations for piano (2002) is a cycle of 8 variations above an original theme: – Tema: Allegretto– Var. I– Var. II– Var. III– Var. IV: Recitativo– Var. V: Tempo primo– Var. VI: Recitativo– Var. VII: Tempo primo– Var. VIII: Recitativo Catalogue ACO-023Duration: ca. 7 min.
The Waltzes for piano four hands (2002) are a cycle of 8 characteristic pieces: – Animato– Tranquillo– Spiritoso– Sostenuto– Brillante– Ostinato– Lento– Maestoso Catalogue: ACO-022Duration: ca. 11 min.First public performance: Padova (Italy) 2004
The Movements (2001) for piano have a relationship with the sonata form and they explore and develop the same material in different ways. – Andante (exposition)– Allegretto vivace (development)– Adagio (recapitulation divided into three parts) Catalogue: ACO-021Duration: ca. 10 min.
“Giocattoli” (Toys) (1999) is a piano suite constituted of eight little pieces characterized by the same base material but with different meters and tempos. The two pieces without meter suggest a Recitativo style. Allegro vivace – Allegretto – Andante sostenuto – Allegro Moderato – Allegro – Allegretto – Tempodi Valzer – Allegro molto The cycle […]
“Pensieri” (Thoughts) (2000) is a piano piece divided into seven sections which explore and develop the same material by different means: Preludio – Quasi valzer – Ostinato – Moto perpetuo – Sviluppo – Ripresa – Coda The piece starts with a short prelude followed by the main theme like a Valzer. A secondary idea follows […]
The Piano Fantasia (1999) hasn’t the character of an improvisation, although the notation without meter gives the idea of a long Recitative. The two main elements of the Exposition are given one to the left hand and the other one to the right hand. The development part is predominant: here the previous material is processed […]
The Sonatina for piano 4 hands is a single movement work which displays a certain affinity with a Sonata’s first movement. The work is clearly divided into two parts by means of a general pause. The first part suggests two main ideas, whereas the second one combines them in a Development followed by a varied […]
The Caprice (1998) has the character of an improvisation and it should be played with freedom and fantasy. It is divided into continuous sections: it starts with percussive elements, then, the same elements become more and more calm till the last section where a sense of stillness gives to the music a vague and suspended […]
This is a cycle of six variations without theme. A short Prelude consisting of a trill with an internal rhythm leads directly to the 1st variation. All the variations are in some way thematically related and they share a common starting point. From 1st to 4th variation there is an ever greater complexity, 5th variation […]
The Three Intermezzi (1996) didn’t originate as a set. The single pieces were assembled later since they shared the same musical style. The overall atmosphere is meditative, hypnotic and each piece focuses on specific details which are expanded and developed. The single pieces have the following main characteristics: – Andante: it is constituted of a […]
The cycle Two Pieces of Ice (1995) continue my interest on the dualism between two contrasting movements. This unusual title refers to an impression aroused after a trip on a mountainous region full of icy landscapes. The idea to relate the geometry of ice with that of music was interesting for me. The two pieces […]
With the Two Bagatelles (1994) a new creative phase starts. After a period orientated towards the improvisation and characterized by a rhapsodic style, here a geometric strictness prevails. The material is simpler and more objective with a greater stress on rhythm, dynamics and articulation. The two pieces (Allegro vivace – Allegretto) have contrasting characters and […]
The Nocturne for Piano (1993) has the character of an improvisation. It aims to suggest a typical night music with an initial sense of stillness and mystery which turns gradually into a storm. The end is vague and suspended. In order to better indicate the character of this composition, a particular notation is used where […]
The Sonata for piano (1989) is written as a single movement divided into sections. Andantino – Allegro molto – Meno allegro – Tempo primo – Allegro molto – Meno allegro An introductory Andantino directly leads into an Allegro molto which contains the main theme and the transition to a more quiet secondary theme (Meno allegro). […]
The Three Preludes (1992) were originated from a series of improvisations which were later condensed and subjected to strict revision. Even if there aren’t “ad libitum” sections, the trait of improvisation should be maintained during the performance. The pieces are set in order of increasing complexity. – Allegro moderato – Andante – Allegretto – Allegro […]
The Improvvisazioni on a Prelude for piano (1991) belong to a new creative phase. It consists of a series of connected improvisations on a Prelude composed by a schoolmate of mine. Several elements of this Prelude are the root of each section, but the piece doesn’t resemble a theme with variations. Only a fragment of […]
This little Suite for piano (1990) is composed of six pieces with baroque flavour. The style is modal. After the completely diatonic Preludio in D, the dances become increasingly chromatic. Preludio (Andantino in D) Allemanda (Allegretto in C) Corrente (Allegro in B) Intermezzo (Allegro moderato in A, with Sarabanda’s rhythm on the bass, but lively) […]
The Sonatina for piano (1989) is composed of three movements in a clear neoclassical style: Allegro vivace (in sonata form) Andante (in ternary form) Presto (a sonata rondo) In order to allow the interpreter as much freedom as possible to express the music as he feels, I chose not to include metronome marks. Pedal is […]
The Trio for flute, clarinet and piano (1998) has to be interpreted as a long Recitative. The intention is to describe a mountain climb with various happenings until the reaching of the summit. The work is divided into sections and it comprehends various combinations of instruments: flute starts alone with the first recitative, then the […]
The Sonatina for Violin and Piano (1990) in four movements is entirely based on a single twelve-tone series which is altered in various combinations but never transposed. Allegro moderato (in Sonata form) Allegro vivace (a Scherzo movement with Trio) Andantino con variazioni (a theme with six variations) Allegro molto (a short Finale in sonata-rondo form) […]
The Rhapsody for clarinet and piano (1991) belongs to a new creative phase. It is a work in one movement divided into sections of opposite character. After a free almost improvised Tempo rubato, a rhythmic Vivacissimo suddenly appears. An Andante sostenuto follows with a melancholic tune. A short and agitated Allegro leads to the final […]
Parafrasi (1995) is a diptych as other compositions of the same period. In this particular case the dualism is also a matter of instruments. The title originated from the double idea to paraphrase different styles and to rework some of my old compositions in order to bring them to a new perspective.The two movements which […]
The satiric piece Grottesca (Grotesque) aims to explore a particular area of humor. It is not programme music, although it depicts with irony the various accidents that can happen during a music performance. A close analysis of the piece should reveal this. For the first performance a sort of pantomime was realized to emphasize better […]
