Local composer to enjoy world premiere in US

It is quite unusual for a living composer based in the UK to have one of his major works given its world premiere in the USA. But this is the plan for Hastings-based composer Polo Piatti, whose Bohemian Concerto for piano and orchestra will be performed at the prestigious Sandler Centre for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach in October. Nick Terdre reports.

Polo Piatti’s work was first discovered by internationally renowned concert pianist Thomas Pandolfi, who then set things in motion to perform it with the Symphonicity Orchestra, conducted by maestro Daniel W Boothe. The work will be given its world premiere on Sunday 13 October, in Piatti’s presence.

Bohemian Concerto is a very romantic work that requires not only virtuosity of the pianist, but also a great deal of sensitivity in order to extract all the subtleties, emotions, vigour and passion encapsulated in the work, the composer says.

Regarding the intriguing title, Piatti explains: “This concerto is all about the Bohemian life of an artist, a life full of ups and downs, of ecstatic highs and devastating lows, of constant hopes and broken dreams, near misses and silver linings. The work goes from happiness to pain and from desperation to success, describing an artistic life lived to the full and without safety nets.”

Piatti has written, produced and arranged music extensively, mostly for the concert hall, theatre and film. Born in Argentina, he embarked on an international career as a concert pianist at an early age. He completed further studies in Paris and Berlin, before moving to work and perform in London.

He has lived in Hastings for over 12 years where he founded and is the artistic director of the International Composers Festival and the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra. In 2017 he opened the Opus Theatre, a concert hall in the town centre capable of seating up to 700, with the intention of offering world-class performances accessible to everyone.

Other Piatti works will receive their world premieres in 2020, including his multi-faith oratorio Libera Nos with the London Mozart Players, in conjunction with the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra, and his Christmas Concerto for guitar and orchestra. Most recently he has been commissioned to write a concerto for cello and orchestra. Piatti is a member of the Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain.

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