Filippo Gorini continues his piano odyssey as part of his Sonata for 7 Cities project: for this second stage, he stopped off in Cape Town, South Africa, in September 2025. He gave concerts there and focused mainly on teaching, visiting numerous schools to meet young pupils, many of whom came from underprivileged backgrounds. He also taught piano to aspiring musicians, played chamber music with them and even staged a Beethoven concerto: ‘I will never forget the smiles I saw, the warmth with which I was always welcomed’. This recording was made at City Hall, where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after his release from prison. As with each volume in this series, Gorini presents major works from the repertoire (here Schumann’s Kreisleriana and Schubert’s Sonata in B flat major) as well as the premiere of a new work: Federico Gardella wrote the Sonata d’Altura (‘Mountain Sonata’) for the Italian pianist: ‘In the mesmerising Sonata, a ritual “gong” in the bass register rings like a fatal bell, immersed in entrancing landscapes…’

Filippo Gorini – piano