Music / Andrea Molteni in Recital. At James Fairfax Theatre, NGA, April 22. Reviewed by LEN POWER

With his already formidable reputation, young Italian pianist Andrea Molteni showed in his recital that his reputation is well-earned.

At age 15, Molteni received a special scholarship of the Cercle Wagner Association in France, which allowed him to participate at the Bayreuth Festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner as well as performing in a series of concerts in cities on the French Riviera.

He regularly performs with orchestras in Italy and has performed internationally in the US, Japan, China, Singapore, UK and many European countries.

His recordings of the complete piano works of Petrassi and Dallapiccola, a selection of Scarlatti sonatas and works of Beethoven have received international praise. He is only 28 years old.

The first half of his Canberra recital began with Bach’s Toccata in C minor, moving on to Beethoven’s Sonata in C major Op.53 Waldstein and Petrassi’s Toccata.

The three very different works gave him many opportunities to shine. His precision in the Bach, his sensitivity in the Beethoven and his expert playing of the angular rhythms and shifting accents of the modern work by Petrassi showed that he is, indeed, a superb performer.

After a short break, the rest of the program consisted of three works by Brahms. He began with the composer’s Variations on an Original Theme, bringing out the warmth, colour and subtlety of this introspective work.

With Brahms’ Walzer, Op. 39, Molteni showed his ability to play this melodious work with a charming sensitivity.

He finished his recital with Scherzo in E-flat minor, Op. 4. This early work by Brahms gave Molteni further opportunity to show his command of his instrument with the work’s intense stormy rhythms and dark harmonies.

He played with a quietly confident manner throughout his excellent recital and rewarded the audience with two encores and a winning smile and speech at the end.