Biography
Francesco Mazzonetto entered the world in Turin during 1997, joining a cohort of magnetic teenage prodigies whom Sony Classical recruited in the mid-2010s under the belief that youthful performers might draw younger audiences to the catalog. His first public appearance took place at age twelve inside the city’s historic Circolo della Stampa recreation hall, after which he quickly began performing throughout Turin and additional cities across northern Italy. Although reviewers took note of these recitals, the pianist, still completing high school, concentrated primarily on competitions, securing first-place awards even against international entrants and generally steering clear of age-restricted events. One early success arrived in 2009 when he claimed top honors at the Concours Musicale de France held in Aix-en-Provence; he repeated that victory and, across the following five years, accumulated further triumphs over adult competitors. His training occurred at the Piano Academy of Turin under Maria Golia.
Those competition results opened larger performance platforms. An appearance at an international piano festival staged at Casa Verdi in Milan earned favorable critical attention, and during the same period he performed a Haydn keyboard concerto alongside the Chamber Orchestra of Florence. The Milan engagement attracted the notice of a Sony executive, resulting in a recording contract. Mazzonetto also participated in master classes led by Muriel Chemin, Alessio Cioni, Riccardo Risaliti, and Boris Petrushansky. Still under twenty, he issued his debut album, Italian Piano Works, in 2017. Its program, spanning keyboard pieces by Baldassare Galuppi through Nino Rota, constituted adventurous selections for a newcomer. “They have no reason to envy Mozart or Beethoven,” he remarked to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, adding, “With this album I want to introduce Italian music to the world.” Once high-school obligations ended, he turned to daily practice sessions lasting as long as eight hours. While his technical command grew formidable, Mazzonetto simultaneously pursued an innovative approach to concert presentation by incorporating brief spoken commentary on the composers’ biographies and works.
Those competition results opened larger performance platforms. An appearance at an international piano festival staged at Casa Verdi in Milan earned favorable critical attention, and during the same period he performed a Haydn keyboard concerto alongside the Chamber Orchestra of Florence. The Milan engagement attracted the notice of a Sony executive, resulting in a recording contract. Mazzonetto also participated in master classes led by Muriel Chemin, Alessio Cioni, Riccardo Risaliti, and Boris Petrushansky. Still under twenty, he issued his debut album, Italian Piano Works, in 2017. Its program, spanning keyboard pieces by Baldassare Galuppi through Nino Rota, constituted adventurous selections for a newcomer. “They have no reason to envy Mozart or Beethoven,” he remarked to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, adding, “With this album I want to introduce Italian music to the world.” Once high-school obligations ended, he turned to daily practice sessions lasting as long as eight hours. While his technical command grew formidable, Mazzonetto simultaneously pursued an innovative approach to concert presentation by incorporating brief spoken commentary on the composers’ biographies and works.
Albums