In his childhood in the Swiss canton of Ticino, Francesco Piemontesi heard beautiful bell peals: they have never ceased to fascinate him, continually inspiring him to explore the possibilities of sound on the piano. The fine-tuning of different timbres is something Piemontesi particularly learned from his teacher Alfred Brendel. They took time to listen to legendary recordings of Edwin Fischer, Brendel’s own teacher. There is no doubt that Brendel has exerted a major influence on Piemontesi’s playing: not only in matters of touch, but also “in his attitude, his ethos, his great sincerity as an interpreter.” Francesco Piemontesi admires Alfred Brendel as a “subtle pianist with an incredible amount of culture”. Francesco Piemontesi’s recordings of the late Schubert sonatas were praised for their “addictive beauty”, but also for the pianist’s focus on the essence of Schubert, interpreting his music in a thoroughly contemplative, unpretentious manner. Incidentally, Brendel first heard of Piemontesi by listening to a recording in the Edition Klavier-Festival Ruhr CD series!