"Enchantment at the piano by Maestro Brusco ... one of the best artists on the national scene "
IL TEMPO Beatrice Boero
" The Italian pianist Sebastian Brusco played beautiful works ... for an international audience that was very enchanted by its great performance ... the performance of this humble and true artist "
Morgunblaðið By Birkir Fanndal Haraldsson
"the Brusco's playing is exceptionally beautiful ..."
Morgunblaðið Ríkarður Örn Pálsson
" Clever, charming, introverted, a talent, that of Brusco, which translates into real pleasure from being generated by to be a musician and the playing of his own piano ... Brusco obtained from the public that spontaneous recognition that worths more than any judgment of a jury "
LA VOCE DI CESENA Sara Briganti
" In the quartet with piano K 493 we had the opportunity to appreciate the piano skills of Sebastiano Brusco, who trained with Maestro Aldo Ciccolini, wonderfully set in the jewel of the musicality of four strings"
Concert at the theater Keiros - Vitadidonna :
Stefano Maria Palmitessa
Castiglione del Lago :
" The Recital of Brusco ended the series of 10 concerts "
" ... Sebastiano Brusco pianist full of sensibility that has brushed soft sounds of the integral of the Schubert's impromptus "
IL GIORNALE DELL'UMBRIA S. Ragni
" Sebastiano Brusco enchants the classical music festival of Castiglione del Lago"
" Convey emotions, to fly the minds of everybody in the immense skies of dreams" .... the professionalism of the young pianist expressed through his fingers, gave birth to an authentic magical night. The young musician has performed works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Chopin. Works very well-known , but everyone felt strong the creativity of the artist, which gave to the pieces something unique, particularly engaging. A cascade of melodies, of real virtuosity, created a magical atmosphere inside the walls of one of the most beautiful and rich of history buildings of Umbria ... "
UMBRIALEFT A. Allegretti
About the CD "Colors and virtuosity of the 900 Italian "
(...) A new integral recording, still in progress, of the eighteen Mozart piano sonatas, made by the Roman pianist Sebastiano Brusco for the Italian record label Aulicus Classics, stands out, in terms of curiosity and interest in the type of sound obtained,
(...) a reading capable of involving the listener in a different way, more adherent, if you will, to what Mozart devised in his time; hence, the clear intention to platonically imitate the melodiousness of the voices present in melodramatic theatre, exalting their due "theatricality"...
(...) the "rubato" are not proposed and performed thinking of the piano instrument, but rather taking up, again on the basis of what Mozart himself maintained, a key closer to the dimension of melodramatic singing, as if the various
tempos of the Sonatas were allegorically arias , duets, romances
(...) In a nutshell, our artist wanted to embody the stylistic and interpretative path of his entire recording dedicated to Sonatas of Salzburger by embarking on a new executive path, repudiating tout court that excessive formal and structural rigidity that leads other readings to remain prisoners in schemes such to emasculate the interpreter's imagination
Music Voice - 16 MARZO 2023 - Andrea Bedetti
“Two Mozart Piano Concertos played with great sensibility by Sebastiano Brusco with string quintet
was given a beautiful sparkling performance the conductor/soloist playing without the score as Mozart himself would have done – probably improvising the cadenza too. The highlight of the two concertos is without doubt the beautifully simple but poignant slow movements played with a freedom and sensibility that only a chamber music ensemble can allow.The very fine Harmoniae Aureae Ensemble followed every note of the soloist as they listened so intently in true chamber music fashion. It was in the slow episodes of the last movement of K 415 where moments of sublime beauty were reached that only the genius of Mozart could capture with so few notes meaning so much.”
MusicCommentary - By Christopher Axworthy (concert of 2022)
In 2019 a concert series that originated in Italy, recently came to China for two performances in Huangshan, Anhui province, and Beijing. Founded by Italian flutist Andrea Ceccomori, the concerts aim to promote peace around the globe through music. For the concert's China premiere, Ceccomori and Italian pianist Sebastiano Brusco first went to Huangshan University on Nov 13 and then performed at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on Nov 16. At Huangshan University, the musicians cooperated with teachers of flute and piano from its School of Arts, and gifted an olive baton to lecturer Zhang Biao. At the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the olive baton was conferred to professor Zhu Wei, who participated in planning the concert. The concerts included classic music pieces by Western classical masters such as Mozart and Beethoven, works composed by the two Italian musicians, and also well-known Chinese pieces such as the Butterfly Lovers. These are Ceccomori's first performances in China, and Brusco came to China for a one-month tour in six cities earlier this year.
By Cheng Yuezhu | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-11-27
Italian pianist tunes to lower frequency at Beijing concert A piano recital usually involves a quiet venue, a musical instrument placed in the center of the stage and a player who moves the audience with perfect music. But the audience was in for a surprise at the concert hall of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing in April, when they saw two grand pianos placed on the stage. Italian pianist Sebastiano Brusco demonstrated how science can be used to complement art in his performances at the university over two days. The two pianos are tuned to different frequencies, one using the modern A440 pitch standard with a frequency of 440 hertz and the other with the classical 432-hertz tuning, a renowned advocate of which was 19th-century Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The Beijing concert was also a rare opportunity for the Chinese audience to attend a live concert with a piano tuned at 432 hertz. Prior to the last century, different frequencies were adopted in tuning musical instruments.
In 1939 and 1955, respectively, the British Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standardization adopted A440 as the global standard. Brusco played the works of three classical masters, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert and Frederic Chopin, and accompanied Italian songs performed by Chinese tenor Zhang Mingyu. The concerts were presented in a format based on the era and mood of each individual piece. Brusco chose between the pianos to achieve the ideal effect. He also performed excerpts of some compositions on both pianos, so the audience could compare and contrast, deciding which tuning they prefer. Brusco says that the 432-hertz music "has less energy and is much more relaxed". "To me, 440 hertz goes into the mind and the brain, but 432 hertz goes directly into the heart," he says. Born in Rome in 1969, Brusco learned to play the piano at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. His fondness for chamber music led him to initiate the Concerti della Sagrestia del Borromini music festival 10 years ago. Brusco says he discovered the charm of tuning his piano to 432 hertz about five years ago, when his piano tuner suggested he should try a lower frequency. He adds that the frequency allows him more space to think about the music he is playing and he feels less tired while doing so. He has since devoted research to 432 hertz, particularly using it to reinterpret Mozart's pieces. The frequency gives more depth to Mozart's pieces for the listeners, he says. "It is also good for all melodic and tonal music unless you need to have more energy and a strict rhythm," Brusco says.
By Cheng Yuezhu | China Daily Global | Updated: 2019-05-09 07:39
" An extraordinary harmony, a safe technique brilliant and vigorous phrasing clear and convincing, a touch sharp and precise, a clever use of the pedal, an absolute respect for the text: everything Brusco - Scolastra allows the duo to play in an appropriate and endearing manner the Italian music of XX century"
Aldo Ciccolini
" Duo Brusco Scolastra in Zurich"
" ... In the series" Barock in Zurich " ZKO House in ... the way in which they interpreted the Fantasy Contrappuntistica of Busoni, requires admiration. With sensuality of sound, a pleasant feeling for the internal energy of the music and a strong grip, built as a monument .. "
" Neue Zurcher Zeitung " Conrad Rudolf Lienert
“Sebastiano Brusco has literally fascinated the audience”
"For this traditional Sainte-Cécile concert, the artistic director and conductor of the Canet Symphony Orchestra, François Ragot, had included in the program the most romantic of Chopin's piano concertos and, what's more, performed by an exceptional pianist.
After an introduction with Brahms' Capriccio in G, a transcription for symphony orchestra produced by François Ragot of a score originally for piano, the audience was able to discover the Italian pianist Sebastiano Brusco, whose unkempt white hair is what strikes at first glance.
Once seated in front of the piano, the orchestra began the introduction to Frédéric Chopin's Concerto No. 1. From the first chord, Sebastiano Brusco captivates the audience and transports them into his world, a world of delicacy without ostentation, a world where a continuous breath carries this extraordinary music to the end.
Heartily applauded, he returns to the stage to perform an improvisation by Schubert alone: the time is suspended in his hands.
Finally, the orchestra performs Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Eduard Grieg alone. Music of contrast with the Andante dolore della morte by Aases and the unbridled finale of In the Lair of the Mountain King. At the request of a captivated audience, Sebastiano Brusco performed the last movement of the Chopin concerto as an encore.
A very pleasant afternoon, appreciated by the large audience of the Jean-Piat theater, which had already sold out three weeks before the concert."
The “Independant” 7 december 2024
In 2019 a concert series that originated in Italy, recently came to China for two performances in Huangshan, Anhui province, and Beijing. Founded by Italian flutist Andrea Ceccomori, the concerts aim to promote peace around the globe through music. For the concert's China premiere, Ceccomori and Italian pianist Sebastiano Brusco first went to Huangshan University on Nov 13 and then performed at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on Nov 16. At Huangshan University, the musicians cooperated with teachers of flute and piano from its School of Arts, and gifted an olive baton to lecturer Zhang Biao. At the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the olive baton was conferred to professor Zhu Wei, who participated in planning the concert. The concerts included classic music pieces by Western classical masters such as Mozart and Beethoven, works composed by the two Italian musicians, and also well-known Chinese pieces such as the Butterfly Lovers. These are Ceccomori's first performances in China, and Brusco came to China for a one-month tour in six cities earlier this year.
By Cheng Yuezhu | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-11-27
Brusco's freedom, which might seem daring compared to current practices, is perfectly consistent with this vision of Mozart's music: one senses the intention to imitate the melodiousness of operatic voices, highlighting their theatricality and exploiting the full potential of the modern piano.
An original Mozart is presented, without betraying his spirit and the incessant flow of harmonies: the timbres, dynamics, and use of the pedals thus seem to arise from a desire for sweetness and pleasantness of sound, rather than from adherence to academic practice.
To achieve the goal of imagining, through the piano, the sound of other musical instruments, the modern piano used for Sebastiano Brusco's recordings is adjusted to achieve a less percussive and more singable sound.
In keeping with this interpretative practice, Brusco chooses the "Golden Tuning" with the A at 432 Hertz, whereas today it is usually higher at 440-442 Hertz or even higher.
He prefers a less tense tuning,
to maintain a more reflective and contemplative vision than the excessively energetic contemporary spectacularization, which demands power and impact in large concert halls and aims to hold the audience's attention.
In conclusion, Sebastiano Brusco's recording venture arouses great interest among critics and audiences because, for the first time, all eighteen Mozart Sonatas are recorded on a modern piano tuned to 432 Hertz. This tuning has been discussed for many years and is supported by extensive philosophical and scientific literature on the potential benefits it could have on the mind.
Lorenzo Tozzi
