2005 Cliburn finalist Cabassi returns to Fort Worth for PianoTexas

Davide Cabassi is coming back to give Fort Worth a big bear hug.

The Italian pianist, who was noted for hugging pretty much everyone when he was a finalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, said he is happy to be back in Cowtown as part of the PianoTexas festival at Texas Christian University.

Cabassi will be performing two concerts, a solo recital 7:30 p.m. Saturday and a chamber music performance 7:30 p.m. June 10, as part of the festival. He also will teach master classes to the young artists who attend the festival.

“I’m so happy to meet young talented pianists from around the world, and to feel their energy,” Cabassi said. “To be part of PianoTexas is a great honor.”

Since making the finals at the Cliburn, Cabassi has played concerts all over the world, including in Austria, China, France and Japan, and made several recordings of Beethoven and Mozart sonatas and Brahms concerti. He teaches at Conservatorio Nicolini in Piacenza, Italy.

Cabassi’s concert Saturday will be the first time he has played in Fort Worth in more than a decade. He will perform two pieces by Schumann — Kinderszenen, Op. 15 and Carnaval, Op. 9 — and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

PianoTexas director Tamás Ungár said he started talking to Cabassi about coming to the festival several years ago, but it wasn’t until a year ago that Cabassi was able to commit to spend at least 10 days at the festival.

“When you bring back some of the people Fort Worth has enjoyed the most, you want to see how the years have affected them. After all, we all mature,” Ungár said. “[He is] no longer a kid who plays incredibly well, but now he thinks about music on a different level. ... I think he will have the passion, still.”

This year, 70 students and piano teachers will attend the PianoTexas program to learn from professionals, including Joaquín Achúcarro, Christopher Elton and Joseph Kalichstein.

The 2013 Cliburn gold medalist, Vadym Kholodenko, also will teach master classes, as well as perform a solo recital 7:30 p.m. Sunday and two chamber performances on June 10 and 11. It will be the first time he has performed in Fort Worth since the death of his two daughters in March. Ungár said he expected Kholodenko would bow out of the festival this year and maybe perform in a future festival.

“I said whatever you want to do, but he says he has to get back [to performing] because music is the only thing keeping him going,” Ungár said. “I feel very blessed that he is doing [the festival].”

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 2:52 PM with the headline "2005 Cliburn finalist Cabassi returns to Fort Worth for PianoTexas."