ABOUT
Enrico Maria Polimanti enjoys playing a wide range of solo and chamber music repertoire spanning from Lodovico Giustini to Caroline Shaw. “The communicative qualities of his performances as well as the beauty of his sound” (Jeremy Siepmann) originate from a heartfelt, cultivated and holistic approach to piano-playing. In his interpretations the intellectual and the instinctive aspect blend together in a natural manner, true to the composer’s vision.
Enrico Maria Polimanti has played throughout Europe and in the United States and he has worked with Adrian McDonnel, James Lockhart, Massimo Pradella, Flavio Emilio Scogna, Trio Ludwig, Monesis Ensemble, Francesco Dillon, Andrea Noferini, Giulio Plotino, Marco Serino, Claudio Cavalletti, Luciano Giuliani, Fausto Anzelmo, Mark Kroll, Costantino Mastroprimiano, Marcello Nardis, Lydia Easley, Anna Clementi, Ermanno Veglianti, Angelo Colone, Consorzio Liberi Musicisti, Sandro Cappelletto, Giovanni Scifoni.
He has recorded to critical acclaim (American Record Guide, Fanfare, Classics Today, Fono Forum, Klavier.de, Record Geijutsu, Musica) for the labels Naxos, Brilliant Classics, Da Vinci and Tactus and his performances have been recorded and broadcasted in Italy (Radio Tre, Radio Vaticana, Radio Classica, Radio Cemat), France, England, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania and Austria.
Discover the discography of Enrico Maria Polimanti
Deeply engaged in the diffusion of musical culture, Enrico Maria Polimanti is regularly invited to give lecture-recitals in public schools, universities and music institutions like “Sapienza” University of Rome, University of Torino, University of Macerata, Italian Federation of Music Therapy, Conservatory of Santa Cecilia and Conservatory Pergolesi of Fermo. He also took part to Law and the Humanities, a cycle of international conferences organized at University of “Roma Tre”, with lesson-concerts on music and law interpretation.
He has edited and translated into Italian Charles Rosen’s Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas and John Daverio’s Robert Schumann and translated Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger’s Chopin vu par ses élèves.
His brief essay The Earth has many keys – five Italian contemporary composers and the poetry of Emily Dickinson – has been selected by the American Literary Scholarship (Duke University Press) among the foreign contributes on American culture.
Enrico Maria Polimanti studied at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia with Carla Giudici and, as a recipient of the Foundation Scholarship, at the Royal College of Music in London under the tutelage of Yonty Solomon. He also participated in masterclasses given by András Schiff, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Irwin Gage, Trio di Trieste, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Andrea Coen, Steven Isserlis, Riccardo Brengola, Giuseppe Scotese, Kenneth Gilbert.
He lives in Rome with his wife Valeria and children Marco and Clara.
Projects 2022-23
Bach to Glass
The programme combines preludes and fugues from the second volume of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with studies from the second volume of Piano Etudes by the American composer Philip Glass.
The pedagogical intent underlying these works is artistically transcended and the extremely cultured tradition interacts with a sort of modernity that hints at popular tendencies or at different forms of art, like the poetry of the Beat Generation or the music for the cinema, creating different connections and listening perspectives.
Sacred & Profane
The Last Seven Words of Christ, by F. J. Haydn – version for piano and narrator Hob. XX/3 (1787).
FLAVIO INSINNA | narrator
ENRICO MARIA POLIMANTI | pianoforte or fortepiano
Music and words are always an engaging combination. Even more so if the words are the last seven spoken by Christ, a source of inspiration to composers for centuries.
Thus, with Enrico Maria Polimanti’s skillful performance at the piano and Flavio Insinna’s emotional reading, Haydn’s composition comes to life, with the actor guiding listeners through the passages in the Gospel in which these words have been passed down, exploring both sacred and profane reflections, from Saramago and Michel Serre to the Gospels.
About me
- “The performances are excellent”. American Record Guide 2015 (CD Brilliant Classics, Fuchs)
- “Polimanti rediscovered the enchanting forgotten world of Giustini’s sonatas”. L. Ciammarughi, Da Benedetti Michelangeli alla Argerich. Trent’anni con i grandi pianisti (Zecchini 2017).
- “Thank you for your gorgeous playing”. Caroline Shaw
- “A mix of muscles and craftsmanship”. L’Unità, Roma
- “Cavalletti and Polimanti’s performance is beyond reproach” Fanfare Magazine.
- “A very sensitive performance. There was a strong sense of musical purpose and intensity”. TimeOut London (Beethoven Sonata Op. 111)
- “An impeccable performance. The dialogue [of the tenor] with the piano was a perfect game of mirrors”. L’Adamo 2014 (Winterreise di Schubert con M. Nardis)
- “Polimanti has interpreted Schönberg, Mozart, Stockhausen and Beethoven with great refinement”. European Piano Teachers Association news
- “Polimanti proves to deeply know the performance practice of the epoch, and the splendid tone of his modern piano emphasizes Giustini’s ingenious intuitions […] A disc you must have”. ***** Cd Classico 2015, Gabriele Formenti (disco Naxos, Giustini)
- “The musical realization is impeccable […] in the trio the instruments blend in a perfect way [… ] the central andante sostenuto of the violin sonata impresses with its depth and sincerity of feelings […] in the Phantasiestücke the warm sound of the viola gives the impression of special intimacy […] the musicians play this late romantic music appropriately […] fine phrasing, subtle dymanics, real ensemble spirit and adequate recording technology make this cd an absolutely convincing contribute to the chamber discography”. Klassik Magazine 2015 (cd Brilliant Classics, Fuchs)
- “A fantastic cd”. ***** The Listener, 2011 (CD Naxos, French music for Clarinet & Piano)
- “Perhaps the most important aspect was his sense of rubato, always naturally arising out of the music instead of being imposed self-regardingly from outside. The tone colours were seductive, the melodies sang beguilingly and clearly he savourd the richness of the harmonies […] He knows how to ‘place’ important notes and chords, and, in quiet passages, to set them in a frame of silence”. Bedford Journal (De Falla)
Publications
John Daverio
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Araldo di una "nuova era poetica"
A cura di Enrico Maria Polimanti
Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger
CHOPIN VISTO DAI SUOI ALLIEVI
a cura di Costantino Mastroprimiano
Traduzione di Enrico Maria Polimanti
Charles Rosen
LE SONATE PER PIANOFORTE DI BEETHOVEN
A cura di Enrico Maria Polimanti
Aaron Copland
Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson • Songs
Robert Fuchs
Late Works for Violin, Viola & Piano
Robert Fuchs nacque il 15 febbraio 1847 a Frauental an der Lassnitz, in Stiria, non lontano dall’attuale confine tra Austria e Slovenia. Era il più giovane di tredici figli e come il fratello maggiore Johann Nepomuk, il quale svolse con successo la carriera di direttore d’opera, Robert fu un bambino assai portato per la musica. [..]
The Earth Has Many Keys
Cinque compositori italiani e la poesia di Emily Dickinson
di Enrico Maria Polimanti
Nel libro del 1992 Musicians wrestle everywhere: Emily Dickinson and Music, Carlton Lowenberg fornisce un elenco di 1615 lavori basati sui testi di Emily Dickinson, composti, dal 1896 a quella data, da 276 musicisti. [..]
