Today she performed pieces by Jean Sibelius, Ferruccio Busoni, Maurice Ravel, and Leoš Janáček. Through each, Ms Pelliccioli wove a story of how every composition represented a facet or an important moment of its creator's life, and how each work offered a very personal «introspection».
To me, the standout piece was Janáček's «In the mists», particularly the fourth part, which forms the powerful summit of the first three movements. It is a work that is fast, deep, and ranges across every register of the piano—demanding two qualities of the performer that are difficult to achieve individually, and immensely challenging to combine: speedy hands and a heartfelt dramatism. Ms Pelliccioli, however, maintained both the dramatic tension and the velocity with ease.
Another highlight for me was the «vivace» movement of Sibelius's «Six impromptus (op. 5)», which Ms Pelliccioli explained is meant to recall the Finnish kantele, a harp-like instrument that the Finn himself played. It evoked, indeed, the wide harp arpeggios of Hyrule's Fairy Fountains.
The encore was Domenico Scarlatti's «Sonata in D major» (K. 492), and it was followed by a promise that Ms Pelliccioli would return in 2027. I am already looking forward to it, as I understand that in her new concerts, the pieces will be paired with a glass of wine.