Hommage à BACH: behind the scenes of Giacomo Tora’s debut album

When Giacomo Tora chose the repertoire for his debut album, he didn’t opt for the typical 70-minute CD featuring lengthy works performed by the usual young pianist. Instead, he aimed to showcase his identity and pianism through each of the presented works. As an Italian-born pianist residing in London, he felt the need to blend what he learnt working Professor Deniz Arman Gelenbe at Trinity Laban with his Italian heritage. He thus turned to the works of J.S. Bach with a particular focus on his Italian compositions. While preparing the repertoire, he made the decision to include another composer, Chopin, who admired the output of J.S. Bach to the extent that he wrote his own collection of 24 Preludes. Combined with his love for the Bel canto tradition, it was, for Giacomo, a perfect fit. The album establishes a unique musical dialogue between the two composers that begins in the key of F Major and concludes in E Major, following a precise journey through the keys of F, A, C, and E.

“Through sensitive pianism illuminated with unfailing vitality and character, Giacomo Tora has brought two of the greatest composers for the keyboard into a fresh conversation that proves both richly subtle and delicately surprising,” says Rupert Christiansen, music critic for the Daily Telegraph and UK and Europe Director of the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation.

Giacomo graduated from Conservatorio di Musica “L. Campiani” di Mantova, where he completed his studies with the highest honours under the tutelage of Roberta Bambace. He continued his musical journey at Trinity Laban, working with Deniz Arman Gelenbe to complete his Master of Music degree and Professional Diploma. Giacomo was a Trinity College London scholar and a scholarship recipient of Alfred and Therese Kitchin UK and the Charles Haimoff Foundation CH/IT. He received Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation Prize at the 2022 Newbury Festival/Sheepdrove Intercollegiate Piano Competition for being the “candidate considered most worthy of professional support”. He is also the prize-winner and finalist of several piano competitions in Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Released on 14 June 2024, Hommage à BACH is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, and the entire album is available for physical purchase.

Bach and Chopin: two extraordinary composers for the piano, the latter greatly influenced by the former. What was it like to record their music for Hommage à BACH?

Recording Hommage à BACH was a great experience – one that was valuable and enjoyable in equal measure. The album’s repertoire took shape in approximately nine months. It was initially intended as a programme dedicated to the music that J.S. Bach wrote in the Italian style. However, halfway through preparation, I received some recital requests in London. In order to enhance the performance programme, I decided to add a selection of Preludes, Études and a Polonaise to the live version of the album. The way I inserted Chopin’s short pieces between major Bach works sparked an interest in the audiences I performed to. As a result, I chose to keep these small additions in the album’s final programme. Chopin’s Preludes became Interludes, commenting on the previous Bach work or introducing the one that followed. This is how the album became a dialogue instead of a monologue. Today, we would probably call it a concept album, in which each single ‘track’ matters, hopefully creating a holistic experience for the listener!

Following the preparation, I recorded the album over two days in August 2023 on a fantastic Steinway D at MCS Masterchord Studio in London. I was given a warm welcome by the owner and recording engineer, which helped me feel at ease. They explained what we could do in the studio. I must admit that I was surprised – if not overwhelmed – by the possibilities of today’s production. I was very well prepared, so the recording process went smoothly. Later stages of the production involved the editing, mixing, and mastering by Ronan Phelan and Peter Beckmann – two great professionals. It was a truly unique opportunity and I hope whoever listens to the album enjoys it!

You presented your album and first single on Scala Radio UK in the weekly program One to Watch, hosted by YolanDa Brown. Tell us about this experience – how did it feel to hear your record on the radio?

“I was given this opportunity thanks to my friend here at Trinity Laban, so I’d firstly like to thank my fellow student Nefeli and Ella from Scala Radio for making this happen.” I found that listening to a recording of myself on the radio was very different to performing in a live. While I perform, I am focused on staying in the moment. I’ve taught my brain to catch everything but keep nothing, so that the music is free to flow. However, while listening to a record – whether it’s mine or another artist’s – I’m part of the audience like everyone else. These are two very different perspectives.

As a concert pianist, you’ve performed in multiple venues ranging from the Queen Elizabeth Hall at Southbank Centre to the Auditorium Joseph Kosma FR and Teatro del Bibiena. Is there a performance that particularly stands out for you?

Music is a language and as such, it always wants to communicate with an audience. I recently had the chance to perform in prestigious venues in the UK and abroad. What makes a performance special is not the venue but the people. As a pianist, my job is to try my best to deliver the composer’s message, and finding an audience that truly appreciates my work and efforts is what makes a performance special to me. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 500 seat sold-out concert hall or a small room with fewer than one hundred seats.

You also teach at the London Piano Centre and have collaborated with Alessandro Solbiati and Enzo Restagno for lecture-recitals. How have you found balancing teaching, recording, and performing?

As life goes on, the amount of time I have to practise daily is between three and six hours at the moment, depending on the day. I believe it is enough to fit in the preparation of a recital or a recording session. Of course, recitals are not prepared in one week. Composers spend weeks, if not months, writing one work. Who am I to pretend to learn such works in one tenth of that time? I always try to take all the time I need to analyse, understand, and practise each passage so that ultimately (and hopefully) the message of the composer is delivered. What is important is to work well and not in a rush – this is what I teach my students at the London Piano Centre.

How has your postgraduate experience at Trinity Laban helped you evolve as an artist?

Studying at Trinity Laban gave me the opportunity to learn from amazing pianists such as Deniz Arman Gelenbe, Sergio De Simone, Martino Tirimo, and Mikhail Kazakevich. Particularly helpful were the weekly performance classes, in which we could try out different interpretations and approaches to work or a specific passage. It’s something we probably won’t have the freedom to do in public, for a real concert. This freedom allowed me to understand what works and what doesn’t – something that’s very important for my growth as a pianist. Another essential aspect of studying at Trinity Laban is the access to good pianos to practise on. Practising on a good instrument is a must if you want to discover its full capability – it’s important to understand what is possible to achieve on a concert grand piano.

Last but not least, being in London was essential to my career growth. I received many opportunities first from Trinity Laban and then with my teaching job, recording project with the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation, and external recitals.

Stay tuned…

Italian guitarist, composer, and producer Joe Bernas has developed an interest into reworking the pieces from Hommage à BACH in his own style. In his project called ‘BACHstory’, he aims to look at Giacomo’s playing under a new, different light, juxtaposing the sound of the classical piano to a range of newer instruments, especially the electric guitar.

Giacomo Tora’s debut album Hommage à BACH is currently also being re-imagined by emerging sound artist and composer Konstantinos Damianakis. This forthcoming project, a re-composed version of the original album, is set to explore new sonic territories and will be released in the near future.

Drawing inspiration from the way the music of Bach and Chopin has profoundly shaped the ‘face’ of Western music and culture, Damianakis questions the evolution of today’s and tomorrow’s faciality, where artificial intelligence plays an increasingly influential role. By experimenting with custom AI technologies trained on Giacomo’s original recordings, Damianakis experiments with the tension and continuities between these two sound-worlds, crafting a unique, forward-looking musical dialogue.