Biography
Praised by The Daily Telegraph for “his beautifully light touch and lyrical grace” and called by Gramophone “one of the more original thinkers of his generation”, Federico Colli has been rapidly gaining worldwide recognition for his compelling, unconventional interpretations and clarity of sound. The remarkable originality and highly imaginative, philosophical approach to music-making have distinguished Federico’s performances and recordings as miraculous and multidimensional. Federico’s first release of Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, recorded on Chandos Records for whom he is an exclusive recording artist, was awarded “Recording of the Year” by Presto Classical. The second volume of Scarlatti’s Sonatas was named “Recording of the Month” by both BBC Music Magazine and International Piano Magazine and it has been chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the best classical albums released in 2020.
Following his early successes including the Gold Medal at the 2012 Leeds International Piano Competition, the International Piano magazine selected him as one of the ‘30 pianists under 30 who are likely to dominate the world stage in years to come’. Henceforth, Federico went on to perform with renowned orchestras including the Mariinsky Orchestra and St Petersburg Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre national d’Île-de-France. He has also worked with esteemed conductors including Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Temirkanov, Juraj Valčuha, Ion Marin, Thomas Søndergård, Ed Spanjaard, Vasily Petrenko, Sir Mark Elder, Dennis Russel Davies and Sakari Oramo.
One of the most prolific and intriguing recitalists, Federico showcased his mastery in some of the world’s most famous halls such as Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Munich Herkulessaal, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, London Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Prague Rudolfinum, Paris Philharmonie, Rome Auditorium Parco della Musica, Tokyo Nikkei Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, Seoul Kumho Art Hall, New York Lincoln Centre and Chicago Bennet Gordon Hall. He has appeared in festivals such as Klavier Festival Ruhr in Dortmund, Dvorak International Festival in Prague, Chopin and his Europe International Festival in Warsaw, Lucerne Festival, and Ravinia Festival in Chicago.
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Reviews
“This level of artistry indeed feels as if it’s transmitting the divine. And Federico Colli is utterly in command as he channels that source of magnificence. What a gift it is that those in attendance on Sunday got to bear witness to such mastery.”
“Federico Colli…charms the audience with a new sound, brilliant and full of passion. His touch, light and lively, always emerges from the rich orchestra and it grows naturally in all the hall.
The phrasing, captivating and passionate, has its climax in the big original Cadenza of the first movement where the lines of the piano sound like an improvised toccata thanks to the apparent freedom of play.”
“Never for a moment does Colli play within controversial parameters. His pianism could hardly be more vibrantly alive or brilliantly etched, offering him a dynamic range from the merest whisper to a blazing forte.”
“Whatever he plays, whatever he does, Colli compels attention. (…) Indeed, I’d place this D major Partita as the album’s real transcendent experience. It’s here that the clarity of Colli’s fingerwork brings the most benefit, along with his engineering skills. Every movement is carefully weighted to form part of a whole, from the grandiose flourishes opening the Overture to the three-minute sprint of the final Gigue. On this album, you get three dimensions, sometimes more.”
“His captivating ability to illuminate even the most densely packed musical terrain emerges as a structure of supreme logic.”
“There’s no doubt that Federico Colli is one of the more original thinkers of his generation.”
More Reviews
“For Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto in C major, Italian pianist Federico Colli had been invited. It was a happy choice, for in Colli’s hands, Beethoven’s melodies were transformed into pure light, they were weightless, carried only by gentle currents of air, where every note, every phrase was conjured up with a unique lyrical sense. The collaboration between Colli and the orchestra with the American conductor Case Scaglione was telepathic and agreeable (…)The audience’s standing ovation was an expression of genuine enthusiasm – and well deserved.” (Nordjyske)
“We are in an Olympus of sought-after perfection, where nothing appears truly spontaneous but everything reveals an almost threatening depth. It is a transfigured Mozart, in which even the passions are so sublimated as one feels, even more than in the Fantasia in C, in the Adagio in C 356, that to listen it seems a distant galaxy, enigmatic in its apparent immobility. (…) in Mozart [Colli] really has something interesting to say. From his attention to detail, from his maniacal control of the keyboard, in fact, cold and aseptic interpretations are not born, but on the contrary full of life, even if of a secret life (…)” (MUSICA)
“It is always precious to hear this pianist perform live with his unique “perlage” of sound. Yes, “perlage”. The sound of the piano becomes like a pearl necklace. (…) Colli ’s interpretation of Beethoven 4 was deep in the lightness. And in his touch: that very first G major chord, an incredible deep but transparent sound under his hands, was a poetry which he let fade in the air for a moment. Then the pearl necklace spreads out, but there is no danger of aestheticism because Federico is intelligent and awake and the result is actually a musical drama, in thousands inner voices in the interrupted dialogue between piano and orchestra.” (Opera Click)
“His beautifully light touch and lyrical grace make the music shine.” (The Telegraph)
“We seem to be listening to music unravelling and Colli’s delicacy at such points is miraculous.”(The Times)
“It’s a monumentally well-paced performance that grips from each moment to the next.” (The Guardian)
“Whatever he plays, whatever he does, Colli compels attention. (…) Indeed, I’d place this D major Partita as the album’s real transcendent experience. It’s here that the clarity of Colli’s fingerwork brings the most benefit, along with his engineering skills. Every movement is carefully weighted to form part of a whole, from the grandiose flourishes opening the Overture to the three-minute sprint of the final Gigue. On this album, you get three dimensions, sometimes more.” (Geoff Brown, The Times)
