Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor Op. 30 (Christian De Luca)

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30 I. Allegro ma non tanto II. Intermezzo: Adagio III. Finale: Alla breve March 7 2013 - Concert Season "Amici della Musica" in Foggia Christian De Luca - Piano Pablo Varela - Conductor "U. Giordano" Stmphonic Orchestra Christian De Luca was born in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, in 1993. He began his musical studies at the age of eight, and graduated from the Foggia Conservatory “U. Giordano” at the age of 18 with honors and honorable mention, under the guidance of Maestro Claudio Trovajoli. At 17, he made his debut with the First Brahms Piano Concerto, accompanied by the “U. Giordano” Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. He would later perform the Rach3 and Beethoven's Third with that same Orchestra. During his studies, De Luca obtained first prize in all the piano competitions he participated in. Among them, the competition "Giovani esecutori" in Torremaggiore, "Fiori Musicali" at the Conservatory U. Giordano of Foggia, "I Musici" in San Severo, "Città of Ortona" – First Absolute Prize; "Città of Rocchetta" - First Absolute Prize; "G. Rospigliosi "- First Absolute Prize with scholarship; International Competition "Città of Gravina in Puglia" - First Absolute Prize with scholarship. He attended several master classes, getting significant praise from artists such as Andaloro, Baglini, P. Gulda, Lonquich, Lupo, Margarius, Ossipova, Vardi, Virsaladze. For some years, he has been performing in prestigious Italian concert halls, including the Teatro Sociale in Como, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Teatro Ristori in Cividale del Friuli, the Academic Hall of the Pontifical Institute Sacred Music in Rome, Teatro del Fuoco in Foggia. In 2013, he stood out in important international piano competitions, such as the “Grand Prix de Piano de Lyone” and “Clara Haskil”. In 2012, he won second prize with a Special Mention at the “Premio Nazionale Delle Arti”, a competition that gather the best pianists from all Italian conservatories. In May 2014, De Luca was overall winner, also receiving the Audience Award, of the International Competition for Piano and Orchestra "Città di Cantù", in the romantic concerts section. On this occasion, he performed Liszt's Totentanz at the Teatro Sociale in Como, accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra "Mihail Jora" of Bacau, directed by Maestro Ovidiu Balan. His interpretation was described by the press as “great combination of passion, grace, and virtuosity”. He worked for two years as teaching fellow of his mentor, Trovajoli, at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. In the fall of 2014, he begins his Bachelor of Music degree studies at The Juilliard School, under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal. Currently, he is continuing his studies with Julian Martin, with the support of the “John & Eva Post Scholarship”.