The highest piano concert in the world
‘The mountain is so amazing that feelings, skills and senses take over: a dream becoming stone, ice, light, holes and spaces… just like music becoming notes, points, color, pauses and silences .’
On Saturday, the 8th July at 11.45, and 4460 metres high, the ‘highest piano concert in the world’ happened, involving the Italian pianist and alpinist, Elisa Tomellini.
Elisa Tomellini, is a curious interpreter and tireless explorer, and she challenged herself by reaching this strange venue through hiking, and there she played her piano live. Through this experience she joined together her two main loves: music and mountains. Nobody has ever performed on a grand piano at similarly high conditions, and after such an ascent to the summit of a noted mountain.
958 Santero was the main sponsor of the performance. The grand piano, a Kawai, was provided by ‘Musica e Muse’ of Aosta. This was flown by Pellissier Helicopter from the base of Gressoney-La-Trinité (AO) to the Colle Gnifetti glacier, which divides the summits of Zumstein (4561m) and Gnifetti (4559m), close to the highest mountain retreat in Europe, ‘Capanna Margherita.‘
The extraordinary performance was guided by Marco Camandona, a world famous alpinist, alpine guide, ski mountaineering teacher and federal ski mountaineering coach. It was organised thanks to the main sponsor 958 Santero and Montura, Racer France, Neon Optics, Garmin and Grivel, and the management of Top1 Communication. It will become a documentary film whose proceeds will go to a charity to support the Nepalese family house of the Association Sanonani.
‘My hands were really cold but I was trying not to think about it and moving my arms was the solution. The piano was icy. I got inspired and excited as usual. I won’t complain anymore at any concert venue if it is not so warm! I will always dress low-cut and with no socks. I won’t say anymore. Here it is not warm enough.‘
Film trailer Piano verso il Cielo
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ph by Joseph Giachino