Antonio Di Cristofano completed his piano studies in 1986 at the Conservatory “L.Cherubini” in Florence, under the supervision of M° Bacchelli. He has perfected with M° Damerini.
He performs either as a piano soloist or in different musical ensembles; he played as a soloist with the Orchestra of the University of Milan, Strings Orchestra “Cantelli” of Milan, Chamber Orchestra of Florence, Symphony Orchestra of Lecce, Magna Grecia Orchestra, Sicily Symphony Orchestra, Solisti Aquilani, Milano Classica Orchestra, Radio Orchestra of Bucarest, Orquesta Sinfonica de l’Estado de Mexico, University Orchestra of Houston, Radiotelevision Albania Orchestra, Istanbul Chamber Orchestra, Praga Radio Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philarmonic,LamontSymphony Orchestra Denver,Czech Philarmonic Orchestra,Izmir Symphony Orchestra, Iasi State Philarmonic,Wiener Mozart Orchestra, Toronto Sinfonia, Philarmonique de Montreal, Jerusalem Symphony, Slovak Filharmonie, Kaerntner Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, FVG Mittleuropa Orchestra, etc. with conductors like G. Taverna, F. A. Krager, O. Balan, M. Bosch, M. Ancillotti, M. Alsop, N. Arman, C. Schulz, M. Zanini, C. Olivieri-Munroe, L. Svarovsky, A. Chernushenko, and many others. He played, in Italy, for the most important Festival: the “Verdi Theatre” in Florence, the “Festival dei Due Mondi” in Spoleto, “Asolo Musica”, the Theatre of Alessandria, the “Bibbiena Theatre” in Mantova, the “Puccini Hall” at the Conservatory “G.Verdi” in Milan, “Politeama Theatre” in Palermo, “Auditorium San Barnaba” in Brescia, etc., in Romania (Aeteneum and Radio Bucarest, ecc.), Espana (Festival de Vigo, Madrid, Jeunesses Musicales de Sevilla), Mexico (Belles Artes Palacio, Revueltas Auditorium), USA (Moores Opera House of Houston, Newman Center in Denver, Washington International Piano Festival, ecc), Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir and Adana), Croatia (Dubrovnik – Rector Palace), Czech Republic (Praga – Smetana Hall and Dvorak Hall), Russia (Ciaikovsky Conservatoire), South Korea (Seoul – Leeum Auditorium), France (Nancyphonies Festival), Austria (Konzerthaus – Klagenfurt), Germany (Gasteig – Munich), Chopin Society Warsaw, Canada (Toronto – Glenn Gould Studio), Kotor Festival (Montenegro), Shangai International Piano Festival (China), Swiss, Albania, Israel, England, Portugal, Bulgary, Ukraine, Belgium, Brasil, ecc.
He recorded one cd with Schubert’s music and recently a newone with music of Brahms, Berg and Scriabin. In 2006 and 2007 he mades the debut in Carnegie Hall – New York and in Konzerthaus and Golden Hall MusikVerein in Wien. He is often invited as a judge in international Piano Competition (Compositores de Espana – Madrid, Varallo, Cantù, Osijek, Gante – Pordenone, Parigi, Viardo – Belmont, Rachmaninov – Moscow, Iturbi – Valencia, Parnassos – Monterrey, Astana Merei International Competition – Astana, Baltic Piano Competition – Gdansk, ecc) and to teach in Ciaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, in the Shangay Conservatoire, in the Summer Academy in Dubrovnik, in Denver University, in the SMC Academy in Seoul,in the Valletta International Piano Festival, in Thessaloniki Conservatoire and in many USA University. Recently he received the Paul Harrys Fellows from Rotary Club.
Reviews
“Interiormente sentite le pagine di Chopin, rivelatrici di un pathos spesso drammatico…………molto sensibile e pertinente l’esecuzione……….chopiniano convinto……..brillante successo” (Cima, La Provincia, Como 2004)
“La interpretacion del pianista fue trasparente y cristallina (Mozart)…………Sonata op. 1 de Berg………….Di Cristofano traduco magistralmente esta joya de transicion………La fine sensibilidad del pianista nos regalò, con Berg y Scriabin, dos modernas maravillas”(Lopez, ABC, Siviglia 2005)
“…difficoltà tecniche più elevate…….ma che Antonio Di Cristofano sembra non notare, con la sua scioltezza sulla tastiera. Con il suo creare suoni caldi e corposi…..”(Di Matteo, Napoli 2005)
“Di Cristofano scava con il suo suono cantabile nella scrittura beethoveniana e ne segue con lucida tensione interiore ogni insenatura……….” (Michielon, Mestre 2004)
“The capacity audience listened raptly as Di Cristofano performed the Polish composer’s…………..Scriabin’s hothouse exoticism and highly coloured harmony found an excellent exponent in the italian instrumentalist (Best, Londra 2003)”
“……delicato il tocco del pianista che ha fornito una pregevole interpretazione, consona alla prassi esecutiva mozartiana…………mettendo in risalto il pianismo e l’indole brahmsiana” (Cima, La Provincia, Como 2003)
“….a excelat in Do minorul beethovenian prin tehnica sa pusa la punct si printr-o interpretare brianta”(Fabian, Craiova 2004)
“…ne ha sviscerato con disinvoltura la brillante scrittura pianistica…..performance condotta con equilibrio e proprietà stilistica……..”(Garberini, Napoli 2007)
“……ha interpretato con il necessario virtuosismo il concerto n. 2 di Rachmaninoff…….ben evidenziato i vari contrasti tematici e la suggestiva invenzione melodica….” (Erba, La Provincia, Sinfolario 2006)
“……perlender und carter anschlag arbeitete sie lebendig heraus und auch den mittelsatz in seiner einfachen leidform vermittelte er sehr kantabel und leicht………….wie jemand eine ballade vorliest der den grusel moglichst raffiniert vorbereiten will. Zugaben von Chopin und Skrjabin als „Bonbon” (Oberhausen, Fedrizzi 2007)
“……el solista Antonio Di Cristofano apareciera en el escenario para ejecutar con gran maestría al piano y acompañado de la OSEM, la obra creación de Mozart titulada “Concierto N. 21 en Do Mayor, KV 467”, para piano y orquesta…….” (Mexico City, El Sol de Toluca, Gabriela Ranger, 2007)
“……le tout porté par une parfaite maitrise technique et une finesse d’exécution savvament dosée. Le son en devient cristallin….L’équilibre des mains associé à une sensualité naturelle donne un rendu tout simplement limpide, et tout aussi magnifique…. ” (Nancy, L’Est Républicain 2007)
“….l’esecuzione apparsa cantante, distesa, di preziosa limpidezza sonora, esemplare la esaltazione dell’equilibrio con cui emotività e raffinate tendenze mondane si intrecciano nella partitura… ” (Bari, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno 2008)
“…………le note italiane fanno sempre un particolare effetto e Piatra Neamt ha potuto gustarle ancora una volta. Il pianista Antonio di Cristofano, grande artista italiano……………….” (Piatra Namt, Sette Giorni 2008)
“…………Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Featuring the enormous talent of guest pianist Antonio di Cristofano, the performance touched every emotion in the musical lexicon. Its touch was secure, bold and assured, as well as gentle. Di Cristofano is a pianist of monumental proportion. The gentleman literally commanded the piano with the calm assurance of an admiral balanced by the sure power of a chief boatswain’s mate. …The pianist caught the composer’s “Russianness,” his love of the melancholy, especially in the second Adagio movement. He did so without ignoring the lyrical, melodious, exotic and expressive aspects of Rachmaninoff’s musical personality so dominant in the Allegro third movement. The guest performer, in recognition of the lengthy thunder of the audience’s standing ovation, then performed an encore, Scriabin’s Prelude to be played with one hand. What di Cristofano did with one hand would easily flummox a pianistic octopus….” (Lafayette, Daily Advertaiser, Ray Blum 2008)
“Antonio Di Cristofano si è rivelato un pianista capace di restituire a Chopin quella contabilità e quella ricchezza di fraseggi………….” (Zambonini, La Provincia, Lecco 2009)
DI CRISTOFANO ANTONIO
born: Grosseto 05/01/1965
Address: Via Etiopia, 25 – 58100 Grosseto (Italy)
tel/fax +39 0564 452544– mobile +39 334 6608436
C.F. DCR NTN 65A05 E202B
lav. spet. N° 16024 04/07/1991 (Roma)
n° Enpals 08/1133699