Goffredo Petrassi: Complete Piano Works

This album traces Goffredo Petrassi’s lifelong relationship with the piano, from his early studies to his mature style. Fascinated as a child by an old Viennese piano, he trained at the Schola Cantorum in Rome and studied under Alessandro Bustini, immersing himself in the piano repertoire from Bach to Debussy.

His early works, including Egloga and Partita (1926), reveal a neoclassical sensibility blending Baroque forms with modern lyricism. In the 1930s, pieces like Siciliana e Marcia and the Toccata display influences from Casella, Hindemith, and Stravinsky, marking his distinctive pianistic voice.

During the 1940s, the Invenzioni cycle shows Petrassi’s mature style: agile, contrapuntal, and inventive, merging classical and modernist elements. Later works, such as Petite pièce and Oh les beaux jours!, revisit the piano with nostalgia and refinement.

This collection captures the piano as Petrassi’s first instrument of expression, reflecting his journey from youthful experimentation to sophisticated artistry.

Roberto Prosseda – piano