Filippo Gorini: A musician and a Mensch

Besides, obviously, the language of the piano, there are quite a number of tongues flying around the PPI office. Bill converses comfortably and flamboyantly in French and Italian (excitedly, jokingly and musically enunciating the word “im-bo-tig-liat-tore” – bottler of wine – when he starts spinning yarns about the Trasimeno Music Festival), Robin is equally at home in Advanced Telephone Tact as in English (not to mention fluent in Organizational Expertise), while I try my best to keep my South African English and American English grammar rules in separate mental compartments, away from the Afrikaans, Dutch, German, French and Greek vocabulary. Throw in the general polyglot nature of the “International” in our name, and what we have at our disposal is an vast dictionary of terminology to articulate our experiences. Which makes being at a loss for words all the more unusual, and yet, inescapable, when confronted with the types of genius we encounter in our interactions with our artists. Let’s just say that my jaw nearly dropped on the floor when I recently opened Instagram, to hear Filippo Gorini confidently address his audience in Japanese. Is there anything in the world that this guy cannot do? (The answer, to my mind, is no.)

But here’s the thing. He’s not just a marvellous musician, a mastermind, a man of multiple talents. He’s a Mensch: one of those luminous souls who are equally at home in the realms of the extraordinary and the ordinary. He’s as comfortable having deeply intellectual conversations about mathematics and symmetry in music as when drinking a beer with friends. He’s also a self-proclaimed chocoholic, an avid hiker and swimmer, and a lover of pioneering projects. Delving into Bach’s “The Art of the Fugue” started as a pandemic pastime and evolved into a four-year-long exploration which brought him not only a lot of post-pandemic exposure and acclaim, but also lead to another birlliant and innovative endeavor: Sonata for 7 Cities. Unlike the typical concert pianist, who zips around the globe somewhat haphazardly, playing a recital on this continent one day and on the other side of the globe the next, Filippo wanted to hit “pause”. Connect to his audience. Get to know the communities outside the concert halls. Be in the world, not above it. In his own words: “Of course the core of my life is to perform music, the music I love, for people, so the center of each residency will be two concerts: a recital, and a concerto with orchestra. But I also believe very strongly that music is meant to be a source of good for the world. Not just beauty: beauty and good coming together.” (Read the full interview on Interlude.hk here)

It's this coming together of beauty and good that will bring Filippo to us in March next year: not just for the concluding concert of our 2025-2026 season on March 22nd, but also as the fourth stop in the seven intended residencies of the “Sonata for 7 Cities” project. We cannot wait to welcome him! With master classes, chamber music, a radio interview, house concerts, performances at penitentiaries, private lessons and concerto recitals in the forecast, we’re promising a host of exciting events all over the state. Tell your friends. Invite your neighbors. Inform your previous co-workers who have moved to Bend. And then, please buy tickets. Bitte kaufen Sie Tickets. Si prega di acquistare i biglietti. Acheter des billets, s’il vous plaît. チケットを購入してください. Because no matter what language you speak – Filippo will speak to you!