2015 Directed by Rebecca Tansley
A winning portrait of Italian-born Auckland concert pianist Flavio Villani as he returns like the prodigal son to Italy for his concert debut, scaling one of the summits of the Romantic repertoire.
Flavio Villani decided that moving to NZ would be a test, his one chance to give his all to music and see if he was good enough to be a professional musician.
It was a big move, literally as well as figuratively. Having grown up in Southern Italy part of a traditional family, his choice of career was not welcomed as a viable option by his traditional family. Nor was his lifestyle. So he left; and at the age of 26 began studying music at Auckland University.
In 2014 he was presented with the opportunity to return to Italy and, with an orchestra, play one of his favourite pieces of music - Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto.
A notoriously difficult piece for…
