The Italian Embassy in Lebanon and the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut present a free-for-all concert in the framework of the Al Bustan International Festival of Music and Performing Arts.
Andrea Cicalese, Violin
Massimo Spada, Piano
Program:
Schubert, Sonatina No.1 in D major, Op.137, D. 384
Grieg, Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
Franck, Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
Artists Bio:
Andrea Cicalese – Violin
CLEARLY A STAR IN THE MAKING” – Pianist Magazine, London.
The Munich based Violinist Andrea Cicalese was born in Napoli on 08.08.2005. Despite his young age, Andrea has a quickly rising presence in the musical world in Europe and in the United States. Andrea is currently performing on a violin built by Guarneri Del Gesù (Cremona, 1731), whose loan was made possible thanks to the cultural and philanthropic initiative “Adopt a Musician”, promoted and sponsored by MusicMasterpieces SA – Lugano (CH).
The upcoming season 2024/2025 include recitals in Europe with pianists Alexander Malofeev, Eric Lu, Filippo Gorini, Massimo Spada and many others, as well as his debuts at Ravello Festival, Dvořak Festival, Lerici Music Festival, Festival della Tuscia and Associazione Opera Prima in Italy, as well as his debuts at Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival and Mosel Musik Festival in Germany.
Followed by his debuts at the festivals, Andrea will be performing Bruch’s violin concerto with Munich Symphony Orchestra and their chief conductor Joseph Bastian.
Andrea will give his recital debut at Tonhalle Zurich, followed by concerts across Europe and he will appear in the United States of America as a soloist with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and their multiple GRAMMY-winning music director JoAnn Falletta performing Glazunov’s Violin Concerto.
|In 2023 Cicalese was the first violinist who – after decades – gave a public performance on the iconic Ex-Menuhin ‘Prince Khevenhuller Stradivarius’ violin (Cremona, 1733). In October 2022 Andrea Cicalese played for the first time in the United States an outstanding recital with Alexander Malofeev – the audience praised the two young musicians with a long-lasting standing ovation and 5 curtain calls.
Furthermore ‘Pianist Magazine’ (London, GB) reviewed: “The creative energy of the duo was more than the sum of its formidable parts. Violinist Andrea Cicalese brought an effortless command of communicative possibilities and natural charisma to the program of Beethoven, Schubert, and Grieg”.
Andrea is the youngest guest in the history of the film series “Living the Classical Life”, with three appearances on the program in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Andrea Cicalese began violin studies at age seven with Rudens Turku in Munich, Germany and at age 11 he was the youngest student ever to be admitted to the Perosi Academy in Biella, Italy, where he attended masterclasses of Ana Chumachenco. Since 2020 he studies with Josef Rissin at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Karlsruhe.
Massimo Spada – Piano
Born in 1986 in Rome, Massimo Spada began studying piano at the age of six and graduated with top honors in 2005 with Pieralberto Biondi at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. He continued his studies at the prestigious Imola Piano Academy “Incontri con il Maestro,” with Boris Petrushansky and Riccardo Risaliti. He later pursued further training at the Santa Cecilia Academy with Benedetto Lupo and Stefano Fiuzzi. He attended various international advanced masterclasses with Lazar Berman, Elisso Virsaladze, Joaquin Soriano, and Andrea Lucchesini. In 2009, he graduated with honors in Music History from Sapienza University in Rome.
He regularly performs both as a solo recitalist—where his repertoire often includes not only classical works but also lesser-known or rarely performed composers such as Albéniz, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Catoire, Medtner, Villa-Lobos, and Barber—and as part of chamber music ensembles, including duos and trios. Among the musicians he has collaborated with Beatrice Rana, Ettore Pagano, Andrea Obiso, Andrea Oliva, Roberto González-Monjas, David Romano, and Diego Romano.
His extensive concert activity has taken him to numerous festivals abroad and throughout Italy, including performances in Rome at the Parco della Musica, in Turin at the MiTo Festival, in Assisi for the “International Peace Festivals,” at the “Sagra Malatestiana” in Rimini, and at other prestigious events in Venice, Padua, Bologna, Cuneo, Matera, La Spezia, Sulmona, Catania, Syracuse, Campobasso, and Aosta.
He is also active in promoting and performing contemporary music, frequently presenting works dedicated to him. Since 2011, he has been the pianist of Ensemble Novecento, conducted by Carlo Rizzari, with whom he has focused on promoting works by emerging composers.
In addition to his concert career, he is deeply engaged in teaching. He is currently a piano professor at the Morlacchi Conservatory in Perugia. Since 2020, he has also been teaching in Rome at the Avos Project, a school he co-founded and where he serves as artistic director.
He is artistic director of Festival della Tuscia.