CRAMER, JOHANN BAPTIST (1771–1858)

Hailed by critics as one of the most accomplished and charismatic musicians of his generation, Deljavan—a Cliburn semifinalist—won the first John Giordano Jury Discretionary award. He recorded his first CD at the age of 15 for the Stradivarius label, and while still a teenager took top prizes at several national and international competitions. He has performed extensively at piano and music festivals around the world, both as a recitalist and with chamber music ensembles, including the Takács Quartet, the Sine Nomine Quartet, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Verdi.

Gianluca Luisi has won many national and international piano competitions, including the Casella International Competition in Italy, and first prize at the Fourth J.S. Bach International Piano Competition in Saarbrücken. He has performed in leading international music festivals and appeared in some of the world’s greatest concert venues, including the Carnegie Hall, New York, and the Musikverein, Vienna. Mr Luisi has been featured on a number of recordings.

Giampaolo Stuani was awarded first prize at the Scottish International Piano Competition, International Alfredo Casella Piano Competition, International Rina Sala Gallo Piano Competition in Monza, the International V. Bellini Piano Competition at Caltanissetta and the National A. Speranza Piano Competition, Taranto. He also won major prizes in the Busoni, Ciani, Pozzoli, Viotti, Bachauer, Kapell, Cleveland, Pretoria, Hamamatsu and Epinal International Piano Competitions. He has given numerous recitals in Italy and abroad, and appeared as a soloist with major orchestras. Mr Stuani has recorded for the Dynamic, Olympia, OnClassical, Azzurra music and Fontec labels.

The son of an Italian musician father and a German pianist mother, Ferruccio Busoni represented a remarkable synthesis of two differing attitudes to music, while winning an outstanding reputation as a piano virtuoso.

Johann Baptist Cramer established a formidable reputation as a pianist. He made his first appearance as an infant prodigy at the age of 10 and three years later, in 1784, joined Muzio Clementi, briefly his teacher, in a sonata for two pianos. In 1788 Cramer embarked on his first European tour, which took him to Paris and to Berlin, while in London he made his name as one of the leading pianists of the day and as a successful teacher. As a composer he had been prolific, and he had also been involved in music publishing and in the sale of pianos, his name continuing its commercial connection in London well into the twentieth century.