For more than 50 years, the International Beethoven Competition held by piano manufacturer Bösendorfer and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna has been taking place every four years; in 2017 for the 15th rendition, the Italian Rodolfo Leone was crowned as first prize winner by the highly regarded international jury from far more than 250 competing young talents. His play induces critics to utterances like “... he seemed to be communicating with distant worlds, as a true sound philosopher” (Oberösterreichische Nachrichten), which Rodolfo Leone documents with this Beethoven album. Besides the Sonata op.106, the famous Hammerklavier Sonata, by extent and musical content the most complex, outshining all the others of Beethoven’s sonatas, an interlude, the Andante favori is given, which Beethoven originally composed as slow movement of the Waldstein Sonata, op.53, which follows afterwards. A debut with great interpretatoric maturity and indescribable power.

Twenty-six-year old pianist Rodolfo Leone has already amassed a list of major international performances and is top-prize winner of several major piano competitions, among others he was awarded second prize at the 2014 Toronto International Piano Competition and second prize at the 2013 Busoni International Piano Competition (first prize was not awarded).

Rodolfo Leone made his orchestral debut in 2013 performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento (Italy). The following year he returned to the Haydn Orchestra to perform Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1 on tour with conductor Francesco Angelico. In 2014, Mr. Leone made his North American debut performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Toronto Concert Orchestra and in 2016 made his Los Angeles debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Colburn Orchestra and conductor Stéphane Denève. Mr. Leone is a frequent chamber music and recital partner of cellist, Lynn Harrell, a fellow Los Angeles resident.