Earliest sonata opus Ludwig van Beethoven was created during his first years in Vienna. The three sonatas op. 1 published in March 1796, together with the three piano trios op. 1 (published in July 1795), form an impressive series of works that showed Vienna all the creative intensity and energy of the young composer, while also bringing a wide range of technical requirements that demonstrated his pianistic virtuosity, with which he won the admiration of the Viennese audience. Although Haydn expected Beethoven to sign his first series of sonatas as "Haydn's pupil", Beethoven did not do so, but dedicated them to Haydn on the title page. In this way, he paid Haydn back for a number of stylistic characteristics that he - despite his dissatisfaction with his lessons with Haydn - was able to learn from the older composer; first and foremost, it was the thematic unity of all the sonata movements, and the symphonic style of writing. This is best demonstrated by the third sonata of the opus, Sonata no. 3 in C major, Op. 2 no. 3. As usual when he published three works in an opus, one, the most dramatic, was in the minor key, and the last in the opus was usually the most grandiose and brilliant. Another novelty of these first Viennese opuses was the insertion of a scherzo (or minuet) movement within the hitherto traditional three-movement form. The third sonata in C major is indeed a work whose outer movements show a brilliant style, conceived in an orchestral manner, full of tone, of a dense, complex syllable, with a cadence that is inscribed in both the first and last movements. The figurations in octaves are a clear example of the desire to achieve a large sound. The first theme, full of brilliance, with a characteristic thriller-like motif in thirds, is followed by a moving, somewhat capricious minor melody, which develops into a gentle second theme, followed by a luxurious elaboration. The second movement begins with a theme not unlike that of the first movement, colored by a different brightness of E major, whose expressiveness is gradually built from fragments, culminating in the second theme in minor, dominated by elaborate figuration. The figuration becomes a polyphonic accompaniment filled with appoggiaturas, which is built by the effective crossing of the left and right hands. The theme of the scherzo, composed in A minor, is written counterpoint, and the muted dynamics, mobile staccato and rapid polyphonic activity, hide a certain dose of comedy, as does the trio that abounds in dramatic arpeggios. Everything leads to a brilliant final movement, a sonata rondo in which the different flows of the previous movements merge into one magnificent torrent of tones, whose tempo and diverse technical challenges, including the triple thriller at the end, were designed to demonstrate Beethoven's virtuosity.

One of the most important influences on style FroathEric Chopin, along with the folk music of his native Poland, was the influence of Italian opera, which was reflected in his way of constructing form, and especially in ornamentation. The influence was indirect, because it meant the use of stylistic features in a completely different medium, that is, instead of vocal, in piano performance, where the impression of a color overflow was to be created as in vocal coloratura, thrillers, fioritura, cadenzas and other ornaments that were part of the art of singing. From opera arias and duets comes the characteristic writing of melodies in sexts or thirds, which is another element with which Chopin achieves the sweet, yearning note of his melodies. Chopin developed these characteristics early on, still in Warsaw, and they reach one of the most beautiful and sublime realizations in his late work, Barcarolles in F sharp major, Op. 60. The work was written between the autumn of 1845 and the summer of 1846. After the introduction, the accompaniment in the left hand evokes the rocking of a barge, with a typical movement in 12-eighth measure, over which a melody of false simplicity appears, filled with soft alterations and modulations, as well as filigree ornaments, especially thrillers – double, in thirds – which betray its distant singing origin. Although the Barcarolle is one of Chopin's great compositions that carries the least contrast, because its comprehensive lyricism is rarely blurred, due to its complex writing and volume, many perceive this composition as the fifth in a series of Chopin ballads.

Creativity Johannes Brahms, especially in his early creative period, the piano dominated. Like most contemporary composers, he was a trained pianist, but both as a composer and as a pianist he wanted to transcend virtuosity, bringing into his works the richness of the legacy of Bach's and Beethoven's motivic work, the rich harmonies in the footsteps of Liszt and Chopin, and the poetic depth of Schumann. It is therefore unusual that he embarked on composing highly virtuosic works such as Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35It is about the theme of Paganini's Capriccio No. 24 in A minor (itself composed in the form of variations), which many composers - including Chopin, Schumann and Liszt - have used in their compositions. Brahms's variations are among the richest, making diverse demands on the spectrum of pianistic technique. Although he himself premiered them on 25 November 1865 in Zurich, playing from the manuscript (demonstrating his exceptional ability as a pianist on this occasion), he composed them for his good friend, the pianist Carl Tausig, a student of Liszt. Despite their outward affiliations to different camps, Brahms held Tausig in high regard. The two camps - on the one hand, more conservative composers like Brahms, and on the other, more progressive composers like Liszt - profited from each other, embracing the musical innovations to which they contributed in equal measure. Brahms, explaining his friendship with Tausig, wrote to the violinist Joseph Joachim that Tausig could achieve more with his little finger than other musicians with their whole head and all their fingers. Because of the enormous technical requirements in them, Clara Schumann called this work "Hexenvariationen" (witches' variations), and she undertook to practice the work herself. Brahms called them studies, but by giving them an opus number, it is clear that he considered them a work suitable for concert performance. Brahms composed two books of 14 variations each, each of which culminates in the last virtuoso variation.

Triptych of sonatas – sixth, seventh and eighth – in the opus Sergei Prokofiev, also called "war sonatas". The Seventh Sonata in B flat major, op. 83, premiered in January 1943 by Svjatoslav Richter. He later recalled the experience: “The audience clearly understood the spirit of the work, which sustained their deepest feelings and concerns. With this work we are brutally transported into the threatening atmosphere of a world that has lost its balance. Chaos and uncertainty reign. Deadly forces are out of control. But this does not mean that the way we lived before has disappeared. We still feel love. The whole range of human feelings is before us. In the indescribable struggle of these forces, we find the strength to affirm the unstoppable force of life.”
The war theme, the brutal violence of the rough gestures of the first movement – ​​like repeated tones that echo like gunfire, is especially evident in the first movement of the sonata. But today we know that most of the themes of the three “war sonatas” were written before the war, as early as 1939. Nervousness, aggression, terror, anxiety are certainly in the thread of the first movement of the Seventh Sonata, but their origin is enigmatic. While the Eighth Sonata will later, during the “Zhdanovshchina”, be banned (along with some other unfavourably assessed works by Prokofiev), the Seventh remains performed and becomes the most popular of the three “war sonatas”. One of the reasons is the second movement, Andante caloroso, whose melody, in the rhythm of a painful waltz, is colored by slightly dissonant harmonies, which add the smell of rot to the sweet perfume of the old-fashioned salon piece. The final Precipitate is a fast toccata, a tireless ostinato in seven-eighth time, bringing back the chaos and brutality of rapid chord collisions, which thicken in a virtuosic, explosive triumph.

Zrinka Matić

"I really liked Ilaria Loatelli's playing, she created such a wonderful variety of sound and colors, and her rhythmic energy, expression and tone were simply beautiful. Her playing was very moving and sincere. She is truly one of the best young artists I have heard in recent years."

Catherine Rollin, Composer, Carnegie Hall

"Ilaria has found a natural touch, a touch that shows that the greatest need not worry about technical obstacles. She performs a terrifying Prokofiev Toccata at a pace that only Argerich can afford."

Arena

Launched as a child prodigy, pianist Ilaria Loatelli was a guest artist at the Golden Key Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2016.

In December 2023, her CD Variations for the virtuoso, featuring Bach/Busoni chaconne, complete Brahms Paganini Variations and Liszt's paraphrases Rigoletta i Don Giovanni, published by the national music magazine SuonareNews.

She recently made her debut in Japan at the Musa Kawasaki Hall in Tokyo, with the Tokyo Tagen Symphony Orchestra, performing PI Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

In recent months, she has given solo recitals in China (in the cities of Chengdu, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Zhengzhou), at Festival dans La Rue in Aix-en-Provence, and in a magical atmosphere Sepino Piano Festival in Italy, in the ancient Roman theater.

As a chamber musician, she joined Ost-West Musikfest in St. Polten (Austria) where she played in a piano quintet and at the festival Harmonies of the Island on the Aeolian Islands (Italy).

In 2022 she joined the Classical Philharmonic from Bonn on tour in halls such as Konzerthaus in Berlin, Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Die Glocke in Bremen, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, with the amazing soloists Ervis Geg and Alexander Hülshoff, performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 65.

Then she was invited to join Schubertiade Schnackenburg with world-class musicians such as Emil Rovner, Vladimir Bukac, Leonid Gorokhov, Ilya Konovalov and MRIYA Orchester.

She has given solo concerts throughout Europe, China, North America and Australia at festivals such as the 69th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, BRIBE September Music, Coimbra Music Festival, Musical Festivals in Crans Montana, Yamaha Festival in Milan, Friends of Campo Lo Feno on Elba and in prestigious concert halls such as Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Teatro Goldoni in Florence, Teatro Vittoria in Turin, Teatro Verdi in Pisa, Teatro Académico Gil Vicente in Coimbra, Palacio Foz in Lisbon, Hong Tai Hall in Xiamen, York Theatre in Sydney, Lywenyll Hall in Canberra, Ateneu in Bacau, Montekristo in Malta.

Throughout her career, she has performed as a chamber musician with great artists such as Michel Dalberto, Ramon Jaffè (cello), Valeria Zorina, Ervis Gega, Wolfgang Schröder, Reggie Clews, Marco Fornaciari (violin) and with the MPO string quartet.

She also participated in the Chopin Marathon in Milan with the legendary Ivo Pogorelić, which was filmed for the Italian TV channel Mediaset.

At the age of nine, she performed as a soloist with an orchestra for the first time. She performed several times with Orquestra do Norte, Orchestra della Fondazione Arena di Verona, Filarmonica Mihail Jora from Bacău, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the Alessandria Chamber Orchestra, the Italian Philharmonic, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Orchestra and the Master Orchestra.

During the development of her career, she won a silver medal at the 4th Southern Highlands International Piano Competition in Bowral (Australia). She also distinguished herself at several other international piano competitions such as the 6th International Piano Competition Mr. Pecar in Gorizia (1st prize and special prize for the best Mozart performance), 11th International Piano Competition L. Gante in Pordenone (2nd prize), 5th International Piano Competition Rhodos, 1st Piano Competition Alkane - Zimmerman in Athens.

During her career she has recorded for Radio Classic, Radio Nacional Do Portugal, ABC Radio Australia, for Mediaset, Euroclassical, TV Bacău and many other Italian TV channels. Her first solo CD album Kaleidoscope was published in Portugal in 2014 for Flamme Records.

She graduated. cum laude at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome with Sergio Perticaroli, she received the award Vittoria Sir Antonio Pappano as the best graduate of 2013.

She began studying piano at the age of six at the Conservatory. FE Dall'Abaco in Verona with prof. Laura Palmieri.

As a professor, Ilaria Loatelli earned the title of principal piano professor at the Conservatory. Umberto Giordano in Foggia, Italy. He also runs his own class on International Music Academy Talent Music Master Courses in Brescia.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata no. 3 in C major, Op. 2 no. 3

Allegro con brio/Adagio/Scherzo/Allegro Assai

Frédéric Chopin: Barcarola in F sharp major, Op. 60

Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35 (Book One)

Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata no. 7, Op. 83

Allegro inquieto/Andante caloroso/Precipitato