Francesco Piemontesi: Wigmore Hall, May 2026

Just occasionally I might mention another pianist, and this evening Monday 4 May 2026 at the Wigmore Hall in London I heard Swiss Italian Francesco Piemontesi (b.1983 Locarno). He played Schubert's Sonata in G Major D894 followed by Liszt's Années de pèlerinage, première année, Suisse S160. I think it is one of the best piano recitals I’ve heard in 40 years of attending concerts. He also treated us to two encores, one of which was beloved of Jorge Bolet: Chopin/Godowsky, Étude in A flat major: 3rd version from Étude in A flat major, Op 25 No 1. The other was Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV645, arranged by Wilhelm Kempff. I was delighted to hear the Godowsky, and was genuinely surprised because of its rarity value. It's certainly one of the most beautiful arrangements Godowsky made.

Incidentally, two years ago (12 June 2024) I heard in the same venue during a lunchtime recital the whole of Godowsky's Java Suite. You can’t turn down an opportunity to hear that. The pianist in question Julian Chan played as an encore the same composer's arrangement of Saint-Saëns, The Swan, and one was suddenly aware of a composer who really had what Stravinsky might have called “The Fairy's Kiss” of melody!

Piemontesi's voicing of the various strands of the music, his tone colours, his sensitivity to modulations, his pianissimos in the Schubert all reminded me of the incomparable Alfred Brendel and I was not surprised afterwards to find that Piemontesi had studied with him. Shamefully, I had bought a CD of FP playing two Mozart Concertos 19 and 27 during COVID-19 lockdown but never got round to listening to it. I will now.

What a treat it was to hear this recital, not least because I had only checked what's on in London this week on Bachtrack this very morning when I woke up, and suddenly thought: I like the look of that. And I’m jolly glad I went! I will also be following this young man’s career now…