It is quite unusual for a living composer based in the UK to have one of his major works world-premiered in the USA. But this is the plan for Hastings-based composer Polo Piatti’s ‘Bohemian Concerto’ for piano and orchestra. The concerto will be performed at the prestigious Sandler Centre for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach in October 2019. Piatti’s work was first discovered by international renowned concert pianist Thomas Pandolfi, who then set things in motion to perform it with the spectacular Symphonicity Orchestra, conducted by maestro Daniel W. Boothe. Piatti’s ‘Bohemian Concerto’ is a very romantic work that requires not only virtuosity of the pianist, but also a great deal of sensitivity in order to extract all the subtleties, emotions, vigour and passion encapsulated in the work.

Regarding the intriguing title of the work, Polo Piatti explains: “This concerto is all about the Bohemian life of an artist, a life full of ups and downs, of ecstatic highs and devastating lows, of constant hopes and broken dreams, near misses and silver linings. The work goes from happiness to pain and from desperation to success, describing an artistic life lived to the full and without safety nets.”

Piatti has written, produced and arranged music extensively, mostly for the concert hall, theatre and film. Born in Argentina, he embarked on an international career as a concert pianist at an early age. He completed further studies in Paris and Berlin, moving later to work and perform in London. He has lived in Hastings for over twelve years where he founded and is the Artistic Director of the prestigious ‘International Composers Festival’ and the ‘Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra’. In 2017 he opened the Opus Theatre, a 700 seater concert hall in Hastings, with the intention of offering world class performances that are accessible to everyone. Further world-premieres in 2020 include his multi-faith oratorio ‘Libera Nos’ with the renowned London Mozart Players in conjunction with the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra and his ‘Christmas Concerto’ for guitar and orchestra. Most recently he has been commissioned to write a concerto for violoncello and orchestra. Piatti is a member of the Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain.