Phónotos - Piano & Violin Duo
Fabrizio Falasca - Violin
Antonio Pompa-Baldi - PIANO
The name Phónotos arises from the fusion of two Greek words: Phoné (voice) and Notós (South). It means “Voice of the South.” This name reflects both the musical essence and the shared origins of pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi and violinist Fabrizio Falasca, who were both born in the southern part of Italy. Through the union of piano and violin, Phónotos gives voice to the warmth, lyricism, and expressive spirit of the South — where passion and melody flow like sunlight over the sea. Together, Pompa-Baldi and Falasca create a dialogue of sound that blends virtuosity and emotion, tradition and discovery. Phónotos is more than a duo — it is the voice of the South, reborn in music. The duo have recorded an album of Italian Sonatas (Respighi, Martucci, Rota) for Centaur Records, and a double CD with all Medtner Sonatas, plus the three Nocturnes Op.16, for Brilliant Classics.
Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1999 and embarked on a multifaceted career that continues to extend across five continents. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, France, Pompa-Baldi won a silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Mr. Pompa-Baldi appears at the world’s major concert venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Shanghai’s Grand Theatre, and Paris’ Salle Pleyel, to name a few. He has collaborated with leading conductors including Hans Graf, James Conlon, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Krzysztof Urbański, Theodore Kuchar, Benjamin Zander, Louis Lane, and Keith Lockhart. He has performed with colleagues such as Takacs String Quartet, Alison Balsom, Sharon Robinson, Ilya Kaler, and principals of the Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Juilliard Quartet, among others.
Pompa Baldi has recorded 35 albums to date, for various labels including Centaur Records, Harmonia Mundi, Steinway, TwoPianists, Azica, and Brilliant Classics. Antonio Pompa-Baldi is a Steinway Artist since 2003. He is often invited to judge international piano competitions such as the Cleveland, Hilton Head, E-Competition (Minneapolis), BNDES Rio de Janeiro, and Edward Grieg (Bergen), among others. Pompa-Baldi is the head of the keyboard and guitar performance department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he has been a Distinguished Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence for over two decades. He is also Vice Director for Education at the Lang Lang Art World organization in Hangzhou, China, and advisory board member of the Lang Lang International Piano Foundation in New York City. In 2015, Pompa-Baldi founded Todi International Music Masters, a Summer festival in the beautiful Italian town of Todi featuring internationally renowned faculty members, and students from all over the world.
Fabrizio Falasca is a world renowned concerto soloist and recital violin performer. He has performed concertos with orchestras such as The Philharmonia, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari Orchestra (Sibelius) Armenian National Opera and Ballet Orchestra (Vivaldi’s Four Seasons), Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra (the majority of the core violin concerto repertoire) Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra ( Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate) Teheran Symphony Orchestra (Rondo Capriccioso by Saint saens) and Orchestra de Cascais et Oeiras (Mozart violin concerto no.5.)
Fabrizio Falasca has played as a soloist and chamber music artist in venues such as Royal Festival Hall, Royal Opera House Muscat, Salle Garnier Montecarlo, Teatro San Carlo in Napoli, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Vadhat hall in Teheran, Armenian National Theatre in Yerevan, Tampere-Talo in Finland, Musikverein Brahms Saal in Vienna, Teatro Manzoni in Bologna, and Teatro Verdi in Salerno.
