Busoni competition refuses to pay prizes after contestants cry fraud

Busoni competition refuses to pay prizes after contestants cry fraud

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norman lebrecht

October 27, 2016

This is one of those tales of misery that arise from time to time in the lower reaches of the competition industry. We have received this complaint from a scandalised Korean contestant, Jehi Bahk and post his account verbatim. It should serve as a warning to young hopefuls never to attend an unonwon competition, no matter how famous a name it bears.

Please be aware that this is a conducting competition, not the esteemed Busoni Piano Competition.

Here’s Jehi’s tale:

About two weeks ago I travelled to Italy to participate in  the“International Conducting Competition SilVer 2016 – Ferruccio Busoni”, organised by the “Associazione Culturale Silver”.

I got invited on October 16th by e-mail and had to transfer the participation fee of 270 EUR (additional to the application fee of 50EUR) to the personal account of Alessio Cioni, via Western Union or Moneygram.

On October 18th the participants got an e-mail with the exact location – first announced as the Teatro di Vinci it was changed to a small church – and the names of the jury:

GIUSEPPE LANZETTA, director Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina
ALESSIO CIONI, pianist and president of Cultural Association Silver
SABRINA BESSI, pianist, opera singer and artistic director Cultural Association Silver (Alessio’s wife)

DAMIANO TOGNETTI, first violin Chamber Orchestra of Florence

After the first round, most of the better conductors were eliminated, a significant part of the participants who advanced to the second round were those who attended Lanzetta’s masterclass this summer, which I found out later.

During the competition, the repertoire was changed (Shostakovich concerto was cancelled, Busoni Piano concert was no longer compulsory). In the semifinal, Lanzetta wanted every contestant to sightread. He handed out music and every contestant had to conduct about 2 minutes from, as we knew later, Suk Serenade and Nielsen Suite. Totally out of the regulations.

But what happened next was the real scandal. Four prizes were announced:
JOOST SMEETS, 3rd prize ex aequo (400 EUR), one concert with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina
ALEXEI OSETROV  3rd prize ex aequo (400 EUR), one concert with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina
BIAGIO ILACQUA Busoni Special prize (500 EUR)
LUCIE LEGUAY No prize, finalist diploma, one concert with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina

1st prize (had been 3.000EUR, reduced to 2.500 EUR) and 2nd prize (1.500 EUR) were not assigned.

Now the culmination of the scandal:

The location of the competition was in a small church in Empoli (Chiesa di Santo Stefano degli Agostiniani, Via dei Neri, Empoli). After the final concert, on the way to the toilet (you have to go through the side room of the church to get to the toilet) I saw a note lying openly on the table, which shocked me so much, that I had to take a picture to have a proof of it:

busoni-note

It clearly says:1° Premio  Cioni (the president of Cultural Association Silver)
2° Premio  Tognetti (first violin Chamber Orchestra of Florence)
3° Premio Jost / A Ostetrov

Joost Smeets, one of the 3rd prize winners, who also saw the note and also took a picture of it, (and got very angry about it – he throw away the small cup, which he got as a prize, into the trash container outside the church) got a message from Lanzetta which led to following exchange of messages (Lanzetta during the communication admitted that he wrote the note as “as a joke”): (see 6 screenshots with messages)

See also following 4 (somewhat comical) videos:
2016-10-23, Busoni Conducting Competition – Announcement of the prize winners
La Copa (1)
Alessio Cioni writes a check (you guessed right, the man with the heavy accent is Mr. Cioni)
La Copa (2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz60RpO0iFk

Next day Joost got following e-mail:
Good morning,

after your misconduct and unprofessionalism towards the Organization and serious offenses against the President of the Commission at the end of the Competition, the Artistic Director together with the President of the Association and with M ° Lanzetta are deciding to cancel prizes and concerts.By the time the check of the prize has been blocked from the bank.

We will keep you informed.

Associazione Culturale SilVer

Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina
Lawyer Avv. Diego Cremona

Comments

  • Carlo says:

    should Mr Smeets need legal advice and assistance in Italy he is welcome to contact me on FB (Carlo Svokel): I would be happy to assist for no cost

  • mattheos says:

    I am appalled.

  • Sandora says:

    Is there any way to regulate the dirty activities of the dirty participants in the music business? Competitions, university jobs, master classes are scenes of such frauds and the criminals face no consequences!

    • Nemesis says:

      Well, before they paid their money those interested in participating could have looked up Lanzetta on youtube and drawn their own conclusions about his conducting – and the fact that the jury apparently included no other conductor.

    • Toscansclassica says:

      Ma tu non puoi neanche pronunciare il mio nome io disonesto informato con tutti i grandi solisti che hanno lavorato con me ..cretino visita http://www.Orcafi.it. It e ascoltato qualche concetto potrai imparare qualcosa

      • ATTONITO says:

        Potrà anche credere di essere un grande direttore, intanto grazie alle sue risposte scomposte ed incivili ha dimostrato di essere un disastro a livello umano e di educazione. E lei dovrebbe insegnare qualcosa a dei ragazzi?

  • John humphreys says:

    From the evidence…this competition stinks. Poor Ferrucio…

  • LF. says:

    Italy…

    • Simone says:

      As an Italian I’m ashamed of what happened in this so called competition and I’m aware that it conveys a negative image of Italy, but I can’t but ask to blame the organizers instead of the whole country…

      • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

        ma per vafbore lavati la bocca a parlare dell’Italia di me e di Ferruccio Busoni vi state divertendo tutti sulla base di un foglio che non e’ stato scritto nenache da me e anche se fosse , abbiamo 30 testimoni di che qualita’ erano i cocnorrenti per cui non abbiamo potuto assegnare il primo premio ne il secondo

  • Vittorio Parisi says:

    It’s not my intention to comment what happened in Tuscany everybody can read the letter, watch the videos and will have their opinion. I just would like to tell what I think should be done, or not done in a competition and what competitors or young conductors should do or not do
    1) If a jury member has one or more students in the competition he has to declare this before the beginning of the competition and do not vote and speak at all when this candidate rehearsal is judged. There is an unwritten rule, but it is common sense, that says that this must be done for all the students a jury member has had in last 2 years in schools or masterclasses. I think this should be done anyway without time limit in the case of a student that has been in a schoolclass.
    2) Conductors should not apply to competition that does not announce jury members immediately when the competition is advertised. Then it is of course possible that one of 2 jury members can be changed, we are human and illnesses or other serious problems can occur. If the jury is completely changed do not go.
    3) If prizes change, are cancelled or reduced, go back home and ask to have your money back. I mean for example, if a competition promises 5 concerts and this concerts are not totally confirmed.
    4) If rules changes during the competition give up immediately and ask for your money back.
    5) Do not apply for competitions where there are not at least 2 conductors, better if 3, in the jury.
    6) If you have been in a situation nr 3,4, 5, do not hesitate to write to the competition sponsors, above all if they have had money by state institutions.
    7) Do not be bulimic. I know it is difficult to make a career but it is unesuful, and in my opinion risky, to be in a not important competition after a win in an important one.
    This said all juries can make mistakes, it’s human and normal. But if the jury follows the unwritten rule that I have written it is difficult to have bad results. In my experience I know that all conductors who are in a competition think to be best around, it is normal. I do not believe people that says they are in a competition to make experience, they are there to win. Simple and plain. The jury members should also explain why a conductor has been stopped after a step. Probably the conductor will not agree with the jury members opinion but sometimes it can be helpful if accepted. Anyway I think you can find bad people on both sides and I have experienced it, this is life, but sometimes unfairnesses are too evident to be ignored.

  • Rachel Smith says:

    Check this year Bucharest conducting competition…..the first and third prize are the student of the Jury, not from masterclass, there are official students! What a shame!

  • Alberto says:

    Where are the screenshots?

    • norman lebrecht says:

      In our possession.

      • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

        To REMOVE ANY DOUBT ABOUT BUSONI COMPETITION that is the true VERSION of EVENTS I SAY IT JUST to PROVE to everyone who is in the GREAT MUSICAL ART that OFTEN JUSTIFY THEIR failures and THEIR POOR VALUE which SHOULD NOT BE EITHER REWARDED with The ULTIMATE PRIZE: this document is fake!! It’s a game that has taken a turn unpleasant and anyone could write this thing!!! It is absolutely impossible to give a first prize in conducting a second prize as well, a pianist and a violinist respectively saw among other things that they didn’t even made the selections on the contrary is the artistic director and pianist violinist was the first violin, but possible that instead of thinking about better its experience throws shit on people series that only to be approached with promises various as it happened to me, were immediately dismissing the competition??, this gentleman who mounted it all together to a stranger and if telling Director jacki bahk, who was knocked out in the preliminary round, they should just be ashamed and they will be punished for what they have done by Italian justice together with all those who have shared and share this post and you can’t always win in life sappino and that there always someone better than us! This is the case of Joost that since I declared in my face in front of the other candidates, witnesses, by virtue of his probation with Dvorak’s Serenade was to be deleted, but it wasn’t exactly the orchestra to give him this award. You gentlemen just the orchestra! because apart from me as President of the Commission, the master Cervantes member with Sabrina Bailey always Member, the votes from the preliminary round were confirmed by the principals of the orchestra da camera fiorentina, as the eventual winners were guests, and then they would work with them. We can no more that belie a document written as game and still fake and subtracted from my personal incartameno of the competition, and fed to stupid that share it without inform themselves of how they went about facts. I reiterate that these people are not entitled to enter the professional world because I’m just poor bearers vs. …. and since I’ve already won my war is I need to justify absolute a fake ID and biased that it wouldn’t be pulled fiuori if Mr Joost, creator and bearer also shooting video with his accomplice , would have been the first prize. I conclude that the race prizes not assigned have been donated to charity in the most needy of our musical institutions. So you had to now stay worried about what talking scaturir ‘ in first part of Silver and I brought him up attribuendomi a written document incorrectly written and where a private barelletta or could be a pornographic image. many slauti and think of the music more than the chatter from laundress.

      • giuseppe lanzetta says:

        NEW TRASLATE
        TO REMOVE ANY DOUBT ABOUT BUSONI COMPETITION THAT IS THE TRUE VERSION OF EVENTS I SAY IT JUST TO PROVE TO EVERYONE WHO IS IN THE GREAT MUSICAL ART THAT OFTEN JUSTIFY THEIR FAILURES AND THEIR POOR VALUE WHICH SHOULD NOT BE EITHER REWARDED WITH THE ULTIMATE PRIZE:
        This document is fake!! It’s a game that has taken a turn unpleasant and anyone could write this thing!!! It is absolutely impossible to give a first prize in conducting a second prize as well, a pianist and a violinist respectively saw among other things that they didn’t even made the selections on the contrary is the artistic director and pianist violinist was the first violin, but possible that instead of thinking about better its experience throws shit on people series that only to be approached with promises various as it happened to me, were immediately dismissing the competition??, this gentleman who mounted it all together to a stranger and if telling Director jacki bahk, who was knocked out in the preliminary round, they should just be ashamed and they will be punished for what they have done by Italian justice together with all those who have shared and share this post and you can’t always win in life sappino and that there always someone better than us! This is the case of Joost that since I declared in my face in front of the other candidates, witnesses, by virtue of his probation with Dvorak’s Serenade was to be deleted, but it wasn’t exactly the orchestra to give him this award. You gentlemen just the orchestra! because apart from me as President of the Commission, the master Cervantes member with Sabrina Bailey always Member, the votes from the preliminary round were confirmed by the principals of the orchestra da camera fiorentina, as the eventual winners were guests, and then they would work with them. We can no more that belie a document written as game and still fake and subtracted from my personal incartameno of the competition, and fed to stupid that share it without inform themselves of how they went about facts. I reiterate that these people are not entitled to enter the professional world because I’m just poor bearers vs. …. and since I’ve already won my war is I need to justify absolute a fake ID and biased that it wouldn’t be pulled fiuori if Mr Joost, creator and bearer also shooting video with his accomplice , would have been the first prize. I conclude that the race prizes not assigned have been donated to charity in the most needy of our musical institutions. So you had to now stay worried about what talking scaturir ‘ in first part of Silver and I brought him up attribuendomi a written document incorrectly written and where a private barelletta or could be a pornographic image. many slauti and think of the music more than the chatter from laundress.

      • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

        PLEASE THIS ARTICLE IS INCORRECT IF YOU WANT I AM AVAILABLE TO GIVE ANY EXPLAINATION YOU WANT BEST REGARD GIUSEPPE LANZETTA

        • norman lebrecht says:

          I have emailed you, asking you to respond with an article on Slippedisc.com, listing what you regard as inaccuracies and putting the record straight from your point of view.

      • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

        Caro direttore ho già detto che questa è una macchinazione per screditare non più il concorso ma la mia persona e Lei che è una persona intelligente visiti www. Orchestra fiorentina.it e http://www.orcafi.it dove mi vedrà dirigere con i più grandi solisti da David Garrett a Aldo Ciccolini Maggiori informazioni anche su Wikipedia. .ma le pare che una serie di incompetenti possono mettere in dubbio la mia buona fede solo perché ho segnato su un foglio chi meritava il primo e il secondo premio ?? in base al livello infatti non c era nessuno e non si può dar un premio al direttore artistico che ha organizzato il concorso e tanto meno al primo violino.P
        Potevo ancve scrivere su un foglio, ripeto privato e sottratto con inganno e fotografato, 1 premio a Mozart secondo a Karajan. Le volevo Inoltre aggiungere proprio in virtù della mia serietà, che ho avuto, appena iniziato il concorso, un invito a dirigere a Berlino se uno dei concorrenti avesse vinto un premio .. ecco lo sa cosa ho fatto??: ho buttato fuori già dalla eliminatoria questo candidato che magari non era neanche Male. E inutile dire che ho passato in finale i miei alunni !!! io non ho passato in finale nessuno di questi anzi il mio assistente ,cioè quello che mi sostituisce in concerti pubblici non è arrivato neanche in finale perché io sono una persona seria e siccome tutto quello che ho, lo ho ottenuto con i miei sforzi contro tutte le lobby e confraternite politiche, addirittura insite nel mio stesso partito in cui mi odiano proprio perché non si possono rendere conto come senza appoggi io sia arrivato a coprire ruoli importanti!!! e tutti i grandi solisti che hanno avuto modo di lavorare con me mi trovano loro occasioni per dirigere in città dove ancora mi mi conoscono.
        Le dirò inoltre che proprio JOOST è stato un mio alunno tanti anni fa, quasi 4 ,e siccome la sua prova è stata anchee in finale molto scarsa io non volevo assegnargli nessun premio . È stata invece l orchestra che ha sempre deciso con me le fasi del concorso a dargli il terzo premio proprio perché era il più valido di tutti. Le pare, caro direttore, che un musicista come me possa approfittare dei premi In danaro? ????
        Io insegno a santa Cecilia e sono principal guest conductor alla Carnegey Hall con MIDAMERICA Production. Questo signore che ha fatto foto e iniziato uno scandalo senza fine cioè Bahk con Joost non sa neanche tenere la bacchetta in mano .Le voglio poi aggiungere che sono 36 gli anni della mia carriera e ho diretto oltre 2780 concerti tra sinfonici da camera e opere liriche e mai nessuno ha espresso questo giudizi cosi’ negativi sul mio conto come quello che mi chiama Panzetta, sara’ sicuramente un direttore fiorentino represso che sprizza gelosia da tutti o pori basta veder che prende in giro anche il mio cognome . E mi creda da oltre 18 anni scrittura giovani direttori che scelgo tra i Migliori che vengono ai miei corsi e anche tanti compositori ventenni come quelli della Scuola di musica di Fiesole ,inserendo le proprie composizioni in programma come ouverture eseguendo questi concerti in musei di assoluto valore come Orsanmichele il Bargello e gli uffici di Firenze!! Ce Ne fossero persone serie e laboriose nella musica come me anche come scopritore di talenti e di tanti giovani che sono destinati a rimanere nell’ anonimato . E mi scusi ma questa storia è durata molto!!
        Inviti tutti i denigratori ad intervenire al Mio concerto del 4 novembre bella Basilica di Santa Croce così di chiuderanno definitivamente quella bocca da cui esce solo merda o meglio il 5 Dicembre nella basilica di S Maria Novella dive oer venite a sentiRe il Requiem di Mozart devono aspettare 3 ore in coda, l anno scorso sono intervenuti 2800 persone . Buona giornata Giuseppe Lanzetta

        Dimenticavo ho fatto ascoltare a tutti coloro che hanno portato il 4 movimento della serenata di Dvorak come si dirigere in quanto tutti i candidati hanno fatto questo magnifico brano lo hanno diretto senza colori, senza rallentando senza niente!!!!, e siccome mi sento prima di tutto un docente ho cercato di fargli capire come ci si avvicina a questo genere di opera avendo ben 36 anni di esperienza ed essendo stato alunno di Franco Ferrara e assistente di Sir George Solti e Bruno Campanella !!!! questa la motivazione, inoltre c’e’ chi dice che ho inserito una prova a prima vista, si e’ vero ma lo ho fatto ma solo per capire le qualita’ di coloro che sono arrivati in finale senza prendere spunto per nessun giudizio ulteriore ,anzi al Sig Joost gli ho chiesto di dirigere il 4 movimento di Dvorak serenata e si e’ rifiutato perche’ non lo conosceva!!!! come si puo vincere un primo premio senza conoscere il repertorio?? me lo dica Lei

  • Ravi Narasimhan says:

    Unbelievable. Aren’t there regulations on the use of a name in connection with something like this? No Busoni estate looking after the use of his name?

    Regarding the “La Coppa” videos: Was the woman trying to figure out who chucked his/her prize in the trash?

  • YK says:

    These organizers should go to jail for Fraud, and give money back to all the participants !

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Prima di scrivere cazzata informati chi sono io tu sei una semplice nullità visita www. Orcafi.it e chiedi scusa maleducato

      • ATTONITO says:

        You showed your politeness and your refined art of writing enough. What you wrote here is far more appalling than your (not sure at all) role in this scandal. Please be quiet: you’re just a conductor like many others, not a great master. Even a master, however, would not behave in this way: pretentious,
        rude, showing clearly some kind of
        guilty conscience.

        Lei invece ha mostrato di essere educatissimo e con una grande padronanza della lingua italiana. Ciò
        che ha scritto in questa pagina è ben
        più grave della sua eventuale (non la si può accusare ancora senza prova certa, questo sì) responsabilitá riguardo il concorso. Si metta l’anima in pace: lei è un direttore come mille altri in attività e non una superstar. E anche se fosse una superstar il suo modo di porsi qui apparirebbe a tutti
        presuntuoso, villano e tipico di chi ha paura di qualcosa.

  • David Spiro says:

    As I’ve said elsewhere online, many competitions are simply used as tools to fund an ailing organization or an upcoming season. And in the process, they take advantage of young artists. I have to say, even worse, a recent competition had an orchestra behaving and playing terribly. They didn’t pay attention, would chat amongst themselves instead of watching the conductor. They would text or play with their phones. One member even got a phone call during the rehearsal and took the call! And yet, nobody from the competition or administration spoke up.

    Most of the conductors, either being young or not wanting to hurt their chances of winning, suffered through this quite poorly. I spoke with one orchestra member who told me that often they would not pay attention because “it gets boring playing the same pieces over and over again”. I told him, “You know what is more boring? Not working and getting paid. If you don’t have respect for the conductors who have studied, worked hard, and spent a lot of money to travel and be here, at least have respect for the music and your talent.” He looked at me like I was crazy.

    It’s a sad situation, so I would caution everyone to do their due diligence. Contact competitors from previous years, find out what they thought. When people don’t go back to a competition, that is a bad sign. When there is no limit to the number of competitors, that’s another bad sign.

  • giuseppe lanzetta says:

    uesto documento e’ falso !! e’ un gioco che ha preso una piega poco piacevole e chiunque abbia potuto scrivere questa cosa!!! e’ assolutamente impossibile dare un primo premio di direzione d’orchestra un secondo premio pure ,rispettivamente ad un pianista e ad un violinista visto tra l’altro che non hanno neanche fatto le selezioni anzi il pianista e’ il direttore artistico e il violinista era il primo violino, ma possibile che invece di pensare a migliore la propria esperienza si getta merda sulle persone serie che solo per essere stati avvicinati con promesse varie ,come e’ successo a me, sono stati allontananti immediatamente dal concorso??, questo signore che ha montato il tutto insieme ad uno sconosciuto e se dicente direttore jacki bahk ,che tra l’altro e’ stato buttato fuori all’eliminatoria, dovrebbero solo vergognarsi e saranno puniti per quello che hanno fatto dalla giustizia italiana unitamente a tutti coloro che hanno condiviso e condividono questo post, e sappino che nella vita non si puo sempre vincere e che c ‘e sempre qualcuno migliore di noi !!! questo e’ il caso di Joost che visto che glielo ho dichiarato in faccia davanti agli altri candidati testimoni, ,in virtu’ della sua prova con la serenata di Dvorak era da eliminare, ma e’ stata proprio l’orchestra a dargli questo riconoscimento. Si signori proprio l’orchestra !!!! perche ‘ a parte me presidente della commissione, il maestro Cioni membro con la Sabrina Bessi sempre membro, i voti sin dall’eliminatoria sono stati confermati dalle prime parti dell’orchestra da camera fiorentina, visto che gli eventuali vincitori sarebbero stati ospiti e quindi avrebbero lavorato con loro. Non possiamo altro che smentire un documento scritto come gioco e comunque falso e sottratto dall ‘incartameno personale mio del concorso, e dato in pasto a stupidi che lo condividono senza informarsi di come sono andati i fatti. Ribadisco infine che queste persone non hanno diritto ad entrare nel mondo professionale perche’ sono latori solo di guerre tra poveri…. e siccome Io ho gia’ vinto la mia Guerranon ho assoluto bisogna di giustificare un documento falso e tendenzioso che non sarebbe stato tirato fiuori se il Sig Joost ,artefice e latore anche della ripresa video con il suo complice, avrebbe avuto il primo premio. Concludo dicendo che i premi in gara non assegnati sono stati donati in beneficenza a istituzioni musicali piu bisognose della nostra. Tanto si doveva e adesso restate preoccupati per quello che ne scaturir’a da parte innanzitutto della Associazione Silver e da parte mia tirato in ballo attribuendomi un documento scritto in modo non corretto privato e dove poteva esservi scritta anche una barelletta o una immagine pornografica. tanti slauti e pensate alla musica piu che alle chiacchiere da lavandaria.
    Mi piace · Rispondi · Adesso · Modificato

    T his document and ‘false !! and ‘a game that has taken a turn unpleasant and anyone could write this thing !!! and ‘absolutely impossible to give a first conducting award a second prize as well, a pianist and a violinist, respectively seen among other things that have not even made the selections rather the pianist and’ artistic director and violinist he was the first violin, but it’s possible that instead of thinking about their experience better you throw shit on the series only for people who have been approached with various promises, as and ‘happened to me, were dismissing immediately from the competition ??, this gentleman He has assembled it all together with a stranger and if telling director jacki Bahk, which by the way, and ‘was thrown out all’eliminatoria, should only be ashamed and will be punished for what they have done from the Italian Justice together with all those who shared and share this post, and Sappino that in life you can not always win and that c ‘and always someone better than us !!! This and ‘the case of Joost that because I said it in his face in front of other witnesses candidates, by virtue’ of its test with a serenade by Dvorak was to be eliminated, but ‘was precisely the orchestra to give him this recognition. It gentlemen just the orchestra !!!! ’cause but me Chairman of the Committee, the Cioni member teacher with Sabrina always Bessi member, the votes since dall’eliminatoria were confirmed by the early parts of the orchestra from the Florentine Room, as the eventual winners were guests so they would He worked with them. We can not simply deny a document written as a game and still false and subtracted from ‘My personal incartameno of the competition, and fed to fools who share it without inquiring how the facts are gone. Finally, I reiterate that these people have no right to enter the professional world because ‘they are bearers only of wars between the poor …. and since I have already’ won my war I do not ever need to justify a false document and that it would not be tendentious It was pulled fiuori if Mr. Joost, also creator and bearer of the video with his accomplice, would have had the first prize. I conclude by saying that the awards race unassigned were donated to charity in the most needy of our musical institutions. So he had to stay and now concerned about what they scaturir’a by the first of the Association Silver and my part brought up ascribing a written document so no private right and where it could also be written a barelletta or a pornographic image. many slauti and think the music more than to talk to lavandaria.
    Giuseppe Lanzetta presdente della Giuria

  • Direttore says:

    This is the statement which M. Lanzetta wrote on his FB page, with a ununderstandable italian and something in “english”.
    Have fun with it…

    PER TOGLIERE QUALSIASI DUBBIO CIRCA IL CONCORSO BUSONI QUESTA E’ LA VERA VERSIONE DEI FATTI LO DICO SOLO PER DIMOSTRARE A TUTTI COLORO CHE SONO NELLA GRANDE ARTE MUSICALE CHE SPESSO SI GIUSTIFICANO LE PROPRIE INADEMPIENZE E IL LORO SCARSO VALORE CHE NON ANDREBBE NEANCHE PREMIATO CON L’ULTIMO PREMIO:
    Questo documento e’ falso !! e’ un gioco che ha preso una piega poco piacevole e chiunque abbia potuto scrivere questa cosa!!! e’ assolutamente impossibile dare un primo premio di direzione d’orchestra un secondo premio pure ,rispettivamente ad un pianista e ad un violinista visto tra l’altro che non hanno neanche fatto le selezioni anzi il pianista e’ il direttore artistico e il violinista era il primo violino, ma possibile che invece di pensare a migliore la propria esperienza si getta merda sulle persone serie che solo per essere stati avvicinati con promesse varie ,come e’ successo a me, sono stati allontananti immediatamente dal concorso??, questo signore che ha montato il tutto insieme ad uno sconosciuto e se dicente direttore jacki bahk ,che tra l’altro e’ stato buttato fuori all’eliminatoria, dovrebbero solo vergognarsi e saranno puniti per quello che hanno fatto dalla giustizia italiana unitamente a tutti coloro che hanno condiviso e condividono questo post, e sappino che nella vita non si puo sempre vincere e che c ‘e sempre qualcuno migliore di noi !!! questo e’ il caso di Joost che visto che glielo ho dichiarato in faccia davanti agli altri candidati testimoni, ,in virtu’ della sua prova con la serenata di Dvorak era da eliminare, ma e’ stata proprio l’orchestra a dargli questo riconoscimento. Si signori proprio l’orchestra !!!! perche ‘ a parte me presidente della commissione, il maestro Cioni membro con la Sabrina Bessi sempre membro, i voti sin dall’eliminatoria sono stati confermati dalle prime parti dell’orchestra da camera fiorentina, visto che gli eventuali vincitori sarebbero stati ospiti e quindi avrebbero lavorato con loro. Non possiamo altro che smentire un documento scritto come gioco e comunque falso e sottratto dall ‘incartameno personale mio del concorso, e dato in pasto a stupidi che lo condividono senza informarsi di come sono andati i fatti. Ribadisco infine che queste persone non hanno diritto ad entrare nel mondo professionale perche’ sono latori solo di guerre tra poveri…. e siccome Io ho gia’ vinto la mia Guerranon ho assoluto bisogna di giustificare un documento falso e tendenzioso che non sarebbe stato tirato fiuori se il Sig Joost ,artefice e latore anche della ripresa video con il suo complice, avrebbe avuto il primo premio. Concludo dicendo che i premi in gara non assegnati sono stati donati in beneficenza a istituzioni musicali piu bisognose della nostra. Tanto si doveva e adesso restate preoccupati per quello che ne scaturir’a da parte innanzitutto della Associazione Silver e da parte mia tirato in ballo attribuendomi un documento scritto in modo non corretto privato e dove poteva esservi scritta anche una barelletta o una immagine pornografica. tanti slauti e pensate alla musica piu che alle chiacchiere da lavandaia.

    T
    his document and ‘false !! and ‘a game that has taken a turn unpleasant and anyone could write this thing !!! and ‘absolutely impossible to give a first conducting award a second prize as well, a pianist and a violinist, respectively seen among other things that have not even made the selections rather the pianist and’ artistic director and violinist he was the first violin, but it’s possible that instead of thinking about their experience better you throw shit on the series only for people who have been approached with various promises, as and ‘happened to me, were dismissing immediately from the competition ??, this gentleman He has assembled it all together with a stranger and if telling director jacki Bahk, which by the way, and ‘was thrown out all’eliminatoria, should only be ashamed and will be punished for what they have done from the Italian Justice together with all those who shared and share this post, and Sappino that in life you can not always win and that c ‘and always someone better than us !!! This and ‘the case of Joost that because I said it in his face in front of other witnesses candidates, by virtue’ of its test with a serenade by Dvorak was to be eliminated, but ‘was precisely the orchestra to give him this recognition. It gentlemen just the orchestra !!!! ’cause but me Chairman of the Committee, the Cioni member teacher with Sabrina always Bessi member, the votes since dall’eliminatoria were confirmed by the early parts of the orchestra from the Florentine Room, as the eventual winners were guests so they would He worked with them. We can not simply deny a document written as a game and still false and subtracted from ‘My personal incartameno of the competition, and fed to fools who share it without inquiring how the facts are gone. Finally, I reiterate that these people have no right to enter the professional world because ‘they are bearers only of wars between the poor …. and since I have already’ won my war I do not ever need to justify a false document and that it would not be tendentious It was pulled fiuori if Mr. Joost, also creator and bearer of the video with his accomplice, would have had the first prize. I conclude by saying that the awards race unassigned were donated to charity in the most needy of our musical institutions. So he had to stay and now concerned about what they scaturir’a by the first of the Association Silver and my part brought up ascribing a written document so no private right and where it could also be written a barzelletta or a pornographic image. many slauti and think the music more than to talk to lavandaria.

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Caro direttore jo già detto che questa è una macchinazione per screditare non più ol concorso ma la mia persona e lei che è una persona inteligent e visiti www. Orchestra fiorentina.it e http://www.Orcafi.it dove mi vedrà dirigere con i più grandi solisti da David Garrett a Aldo ciccolinii. Maggiori informazioni anche su Wikipedia. .ma le pare che una sede di incompetenti possono mettere in dubbio la mia buona fede solo perché ho segnato su un foglio chi meritava ol primo è il secondo premio in cade al livello infatti non c era nessuno è non do può dar un premio al direttore arrustico che ha organizzato il concorso e tanto meno al primo violino.potevo ancve scrivere su un foglio ripeto privato e sottratto coninganno e fotografato 1 premio a Mozart secondo a Karajan. Ke volevo. Inoltre aggiungere proprio in virtù della mia serietà cve ho avuto appena iniziato il concorso un invito a dirigere a Berlino se uno sei concorrenti avesse vinto un premio .. ecco lo sa cosa ho fatto ho buttato fuori già dalla eliminatoria questo candidato che magari non era neanche Male. E inutile dire che ho passato in finale i.miei alunni io non ho passato on finale nessuno di questi anni ol.mio assistente cioè quello che mi sostituhave in concerti pubblici no è attivato neanche in finale perché io sono. Ina persona seria e siccome tutto quello che ho lo ho ottenuto con i.miei sforzi contro tutte le lobby e conferire politiche addirittura insite nek mio stesso partito in cui mi odiano proprio perché non si possono rendere conto con senza aplichi io ià arrivato a coprire ruolo importanti e tutti i grandi solisti che hanno avuto modo di lavorare con me mi trovano loro occasioni per dirigere on città di è ancora mi mi conoscOno. Le dirò inoltre che proprio joost è stato in mio alunno tanti anni fa quasi 4 e siccome la sua prova è varata ancve in finale molto scarsa io non volevo assegnaegli nessun premio . È sessa invece l orchestra che ha sempre deciso con me le fasi del comorso a dargli il terzo premio proprio perché era il più valido di tutti. Ke pare caro direttore che un musicista come me possa approfittare dei premi. In danaro? ?io insegno a santa Cecilia e sono principal guest conductor alla Carnegey Hall con Moda mercato Production. Questo signore che ha fatto foto e iniziato uno scandalo senza fine cioè Bahk con Joost non sa neanche tenere la bacchetta on mano .le voglio più aggiungere che sono 36 gli anni della mia carriera ex ho diretto oltre 2780 concerti tra sinfonici da camera e opere liriche e mai nessuno ha espresso questo giudizi vidi negativi sul mio conto come quelli che mi chiama Panzetta, sicuramente un direttore fiorentino represso che sprizza gelosia da tutti o pori basta veder che prende in giro op mio cognome . E mi creda sa oltre 18 anni scrittura giovani direttori che scelgo tra o. Migliori che vengono si.miei corsi e ancve tanti compositori ventenni come quelli della avola di musica di Fiesole inserendo le proprie composizioni in programma come ouverture eseguendo questi concerti in musei di assoluto valore come Orsanmichele il Bargello e gli uffici di Firenze c’è. Ne fossero persone serie e laboriosa nella musica come me anche come scopritore di talenti e di tanto giovani che sono destinati a rimanere nella anonimato . E mi scusi ma questa storia è tua durata molto inviti tutti i dei gratitudine al. Mio concerto del 4 novembre bella basilica di santa Croce così di chiuderanno definitivamente quella bocca da cui esce solo merda o meglio il 5 Dicembre nella basilica di S Maria Novella dive oer venite a sentiRe il Requiem di Mozart devono aspettare 3 ore in coda, l anno scorso sono intervenuti 2800 persone . Buona giornata Giuseppe Lanzetta

  • john humphreys says:

    Could someone please translate that last English translation into English please.

  • Contrarian says:

    If you knew Lanzetta, you wouldn’t be surprised.

    • Toscansclassica says:

      Sei in vigliacco che ti nascondi dietro un nome falso io sarò anche lanzetta ma tu sei molto stronzetto un invidioso e infelice della mia carriera e parlare con te che non ha identità è come rivoltare la merda esce una grande puzza …vigliacco ..traducono per bene così capisci.

  • Disgusted says:

    “Maestro” Lanzetta gained in Italy such a good reputation, that mostly musicians call him “Maestro Panzetta” (eng. Maestro Belly)…
    His musical skills are ridiculous BUT his connections to the political class [redacted]
    Poor Italy, such an incredible country with a unique story… And such people!

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Please sand your name i am a good person and i do everythings my self not politica inafct my friend olitical never help me, for my musical skill yu can speak with Giovanni Sollima, Bruno Canino, David Garrett, Giuseppe Andaloro, Andrea Blau, Daniele Damiano, Alessandro Carbonare and many many good musicans that work with me please oper you tube and lissen the con cert with the best musicains solist in the word, and give me your name, if i am panzetta , you are stonzetta!!! Ricicolous and geloius of my carrier

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Sei semplicemente un vigliacco anonimo e senza avvenire

      • Disgusted says:

        Caro “Maestro” Panzetta,
        Lei é la vergogna della categoria per la Sua grande ignoraza e cafonaggine, per la piccolezza della Sua morale e l´assoluta mancanza di rispetto per il prossimo e per la musica.
        Era lo zimbello d´Italia e ora é uno zimbello internazionale.
        Si vergogni!

  • Contrarian says:

    Once in while justice his served and individuals such as “maestro” Lanzetta get exposed for [redacted]well connected [redacted] who use political connections to get fundings in order to promote their own careers. Would ” maestro” Lanzetta not had help from local politicians to fund is mediocre student orchestra, his pathetic “career” would have never happened. His skills at making music are the same at writing in Italian.
    [redacted]

  • john humphreys says:

    Mr Lanzetta – could you give your explanation in Outer Mongolian please – then I might be able to understand what you are talking about…thank you

    • Nemesis says:

      Surely it is perfectly clear that the maestro is protesting that he is on the side of the angels and that it would be impossible to award a first prize when the level of the participants is too poor? That he is the victim of these malcontents who understand nothing of art and will seek to punish them and anyone else who collaborates in their evil scheme to discredit him? All of which might just have some credibility if this competition were not so obviously business-orientated (320 euros for participation is a pretty healthy sum) and a silly note not left lying around for anyone to see. Added to this, having actually viewed some of his stuff on youtube (and wondered why he would think to even upload this, let alone mention it as evidence of artistic credibility), it seems difficult to imagine that this competition could have failed to unearth somebody no worse than him, so withholding prizes seems hypocritical. Perhaps he should consider that if he were truly on the side of the angels then he would stop conducting forever and lend his support to supporting the work of those who can show evidence of actual ability?

      • Music Fan says:

        I am a non-native speaker who are anxious about the corruption in the competitions. Today I have learned a new expression “on the side of the angels”. I suppose it means an angel led Mr Lanzetta to leave his paper on the table.

      • Toscansclassica says:

        Ogni anno io invito tanti giovani direttori d orchestra e li pago normalmente favorendo la loro cartiera e trovando finanziamenti per dargli una mano caro nemesis e senza identità ma hai mai partecipato ad un concorso r che centro io con quanto si paga?guardati un po di concerti di http://www.Orcafi.it. It e datti pace idiotà e maleducato

  • John K. says:

    Sadly it would appear that Mr Lanzetta’s vindictive and incomprehensible rambling (both in English and Italian) has removed any doubts that one may have had with regards to the veracity of the original post…

  • Coleridge363 says:

    Poor poor Italy,
    but this conversation is hilarious. I did not understand from any of the versions (not sure if the italian one is actually clearer) what Mr. Lanzetta’s position is on this matter.

    The wonders of Google translator

  • Musician96 says:

    The most humorous thing of all is that “Maestro” Lanzetta keeps waving away all these problems by simply stating that “he in fact IS a good musician” and asking the people criticizing him to ask HIM for his forgiveness. Nobody is interested in which concerts he is conducting and what he has accomplished, everyone is just looking for a simple statement of the facts according to him (which for him seems very hard to provide). This problem could have been a lot less worse when he had chosen not to respond in anger to everything people are saying. This is not at all looking good for him.

  • Avenging Maestro says:

    I am still curious about a few things – and perhaps Lanzetta would explain them to me.

    1) Why was no first and second prize given out? It sounds as if he is saying that the quality of the competitors was not good enough to justify these prizes. But, isn’t the point of a competition to give 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place to the top three competitors? So, why are there two 3rd place competitors but not a 1st and 2nd?

    2) My initial answer to #1 is that the competition did not have the money to give out first and second prizes. This is compounded by the fact that the prize amounts changed when the competitors arrived. But Lanzetta says that the prize money was “donated” to needy students. Can this be backed up? And, could it be that these needy students are studying with organizers of this competition?

    3) Is the main reason the competition has refused to honor the prize is because the competitor behaved badly and threw the cup (or, presumably, trophy) in the trash? If so, I am curious if there is anything in the rules and regulations that states that the committee can take back a prize if they don’t like a winner’s attitude.

    4) Is the competition prepared to reimburse the winner their fees for competing? Including travel and lodging? If so, I would at least see that reasonable. If not, then it is starting to sound more and more like a scam to me.

  • Jehi Bahk says:

    I would like to add some comments to the events of the competition:

    For a better understanding I quote some of the regulations:

    Art. 1 I giurati che abbiano in atto o che abbiano avuto nei due anni precedenti la data d’inizio del Concorso rapporti didattici con uno o più concorrenti, si asterranno dal partecipare alla valutazione ed alla votazione degli stessi. La Commissione sarà costituita da eminenti personalità del panorama musicale, artisti di fama internazionale ed insigni didatti.
    Art. 1 Jurors who have or had a teaching relationship with one or more competitors two years preceding the date of the beginning of the competition, will abstain from voting and participating in the evaluation of those competitors. The commission will be composed of eminent personalities from the music scene, internationally renowned artists and distinguished teachers.
    Art. 2 Tutti i concorrenti dovranno presentarsi il giorno e l’ora stabiliti e, all’atto di convocazione, sarà estratto a sorte l’ordine di esecuzione.
    Art. 2 All candidates must be present on the day and time established and, at the time of convocation, it will be drawn by lot the order of execution.

    You could read the regulations of the competition on the website of Associazione Culturale Silver (now offline) and on the facebook page (still online last time I checked) of the competition.

    The competition was scheduled from 20. – 23. October 2016, but has been changed to 21. – 23. October, only one week before the beginning of the competition.

    On October 16th the participants got an e-mail with the confirmation of their participation and the instruction how to pay the participation fee.
    On October 18th (only 3 days before the start of the competition) finally the participants got an e-mail with the names of the jury members and the location of the competition, which also has been changed from originally Teatro di Vinci to the Chiesa di Santo Stefano degli Agostiniani. Obviously the jury members were not eminent personalities from the music scene, internationally renowned artists and distinguished teachers, CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS.

    1st round:
    There has not been a draw of the order of the participants, it was assigned by the organization, CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS.
    The participants had to conduct to the playing of 1 (one ! ) pianist. From the 2 pieces of the 1st round only the 1st and 2nd movement of Dvorak Serenade and 2nd and 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky Serenade has been prepared by the pianist.

    Lanzetta interrupted the performance of several contestants when he didn’t like the tempo, stood up, took the baton of the contestant and conducted his tempo and then demanded the contestant to do it in the same tempo. When not interrupting the contestants he was constantly looking at his smart phone and was texting and even answering phone calls (!) during the performances of the participants. When asked about his behaviour, he said it is not necessary for him to look at the contestant, he can hear how he/she conducts (remember: only one pianist was playing!).

    Semifinal:
    With string orchestra, 13 members of the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, 5 of them could vote.
    As I already mentioned in the post, additionally to the 2 movements, Lanzetta demanded every contestant to sightread. He handed out music and every contestant had to conduct about 2 minutes from, as we knew later, Suk Serenade and Nielsen Suite, CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS.
    Some of the participants in the semifinal were participants in Lanzetta’s masterclass. It is not clear, how the voting was done, (CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS?)

    Final:
    With string orchestra, 13 members of the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, 5 of them could vote.
    Originally there have been 5 groups of two pieces, the Busoni Piano Concerto in d minor was obligatory. Schostakovich Piano Concerto No.1 has been in the Group E, which was cancelled at the beginning of the competition (it wasn’t announced officially, but by hearsay we knew that it was cancelled), CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS. Obviously the orchestra didn’t prepare it or/and they couldn’t find a trumpet player.

    Interesting also the fact, that one of the finalists didn’t prepare the Busoni concerto at all, he said he couldn’t get the score. So Lanzetta assigned him to conduct 2 movements of the Elgar Serenade. Isn’t that CONTRARY TO THE REGULATIONS?

    What happend after the announcement of the prize winners, has been only a logical continuation of the previous events.

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Sei un bugiardo e un incompetente .Tu non sei in musicista e con l inganno hai traviata to tutto. Io ho interrotto anche china vinto ol concorso perché non era stabilito messi tempo dive sevizio ne è comunque ogni alunno ha avuto più tempo .tu ve non sei neanche passato. In semifinale non puoi fare Bedin tipo di contestazione perché il tuo modo di dirgerè è stato classificato gravemente insufficiente da tutta la cl missione .j oltre hai sottratto in documento iridato ok hai fotografato e messo in rete senza dimostrare nulla e tu saresti un musicista? Tu sei una persona falsa e poco seria ..

      • Disgusted says:

        …which language is this?

      • Jehi Bahk says:

        The photo posted on this blog was not made by me. And everything I wrote are facts. How dare you call me a liar?

        • Jehi Bahk says:

          The photo posted on this blog was made by another person, but I also made a photo as a proof.

          • Anonimo 4 says:

            Tu hai fatto la foto ti hanno visto 13 persone che hanno fatto denuncia e perché non duci che quando dirigeva con il pianista si è fermato 7 volte perché non capiva quello che facevi?? Vergognati oltre ad essere un.incompetente sei pure un bugiardo hai fatto tutti i video e ti sei divertito a scrivere stupidagini tilt soffri della podiomelite quella malattia che attacca i ciuchi e le bestie della direzione d orchestra …vaccinati e guarirà

        • Nemesis says:

          Do not overly concern yourself – methinks the lardy doth protest too much.

      • Christian Atanasiu says:

        As both an Italian and English speaker, this is all fairly incomprehensible. I imagine that the froth/foam landing on the keyboard might make it harder to type.
        Responding to everybody this way only makes you look desperate. Many of this blog’s readers (myself included) are quite successful, and are certainly not jealous. We are often players in major orchestras, and feel extremely disappointed that yet another competition smacks of unprofessional organization, terrible planning, and a lack of transparency regarding participants and jury. Depositing students fees directly in a personal account is an enormous red flag, I would be very interested in hearing an explanation for this, in addition to many other things written above.
        Si sente libero di scrivere anche in Italiano, intanto il tono sia la sostanza viene aggiudicato dal pubblico, come anche in concerto, no?

  • Disgusted says:

    I can confirm that Lanzetta doesnn’t know any rules: he is the one who makes the rules following his mood.
    Also in his masterclasses he does the same: no teaching, no respect, talking at the phone instead teaching, insulting participants if they ask for explanation about his unprofessional beheaviour (a girl was also called “whore”).

    Thank you Jehi to have written to Norman!

  • john humphreys says:

    Mr Lanzetta – could you in all decency remove the mighty Busoni’s name from your wretched competition? He was a man with the highest ideals and would be appalled at what seems to have been going on at your event. I wasn’t there of course but the evidence of this being a corrupt and badly managed competition appears pretty incontrovertible.
    (p.s Busoni Concerto in C major not d minor)

    • Jehi Bahk says:

      Ferruccio Busoni composed a Concerto for Piano and Strings in d minor, Op. 17, BV 80, in 1878, at the age of twelve.

      • john humphreys says:

        Thanks Jehi – that I didn’t know!

      • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

        e tu non sei capace neanche di dirigere questo brano molto semplice perché sei un benemerito incompetente che mette in dubbio non solo la serieta’ del concorso ma anche nella mia persona. Informati e studia prima di parlare di me

      • Direttore di Firenze says:

        I’ve read this article comments and can’t understand how, from a debate about a conducting competition fact, this is becoming an attack to Maestro Lanzetta, whom I know as a honest person and a tireless organizer of musical events, which let many musicians – young and not young – work in the music world and which promote, at the same time, the classical music knowledge for a huge audience. I think this is a big merit which shouldn’t be underestimated and hope that the competition controversy will be solved peacefully.

        Ho letto gli interventi a quest’articolo e non riesco a capire come da una controversia riguardo ad un concorso di direzione d’orchestra, si sia passati ad un attacco verso il Maestro Lanzetta, che conosco come persona corretta e infaticabile nell’organizzazione di eventi musicali, che permettono a molti musicisti, giovani e meno giovani, di lavorare nella musica, promuovendo allo stesso tempo l’ascolto e la conoscenza della musica classica presso un grande pubblico.

        ​ ​Credo che questo sia un grande merito che non deve essere sottovalutato e spero che la questione si chiarisca nel migliore dei modi.​

        • Pietro says:

          it is because”maestro Lanzetta” will not explain what happened. He attacks the people that criticized him on a personal level, and that makes him fair game.
          His career and the competition have similar ethical value, and when one decides to judge conductors, he exposes himself to the same judgment.

          • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

            Non è successo assolutamente nulla anzi chiedere all organizzatore Cioni qui è stato fatto in attacco dopo avermi offeso con parole grosse da parte di Joost ol quale mi ha scritto minacciando mi che se non davo ciò che avevo promesso avrebbe scritto a Norman io gli devi dare una scrittura e non certo il giorno dopo si parla del 2917 e siccome non è la prima volta che Joost è stato invitato da me a Firenze in seguito alla sua qualità venuta fuori ad in mio MasteClass ha creduto bene iniziare e inviare a Norman un documento prima che io gli rifiutassi alcun invito !!infatti dopo che ha fatto questa cretinata mi ha chiesto scusa ..ma questo mi è servito per sapere quanti amici “colleghi cattivi” ho e sai cosa ti dico ?,grazie per questa pubblicità parlatene male ma parlatene e tanti nemici troppo onore Buona colica biliare a tutti quelli che invidiano la mia attività

          • norman lebrecht says:

            We do not have an Italian moderator here at the moment. The site rule states that comments must be posted in English. Please observe that rule.

        • Disgusted says:

          Yes exactly, Maestro Panzetta did a good job for the others!
          Oh please come on! Did he pay you to write these words? I mean, as far as I know him he could do it!!
          I was 3 time to listen his rehearsals at the Conservatorio (yes, he is “teaching” orchestra!)… It´s everything under any level of dignity!
          This is exactly what we should cancel if we want to change things in our poor musical life: this kind of beheaviour!

  • Nemesis says:

    Interestingly, I tried to view the website of L’Associazione Culturale SilVer, listed as the organiser of this event (https://www.facebook.com/events/1033312826730177/):
    Associazione Culturale SilVer
    Alessio Cioni, Presidente 3332708867 Sabrina Bessi, Direttrice Artistica 3333764731
    info@associazioneculturalesilver.net ass.cultsilver@gmail.com http://www.associazioneculturalesilver.net

    Apparently the above domain name expired on 17 October 2016. Presumably pure coincidence but possibly someone should look a little into the legal status and history of this organisation?

    • Disgusted says:

      I wrote also some words about Mr Cioni in my first post on this page, but somehow my text appears cut!
      Anyway…
      Mr Cioni is trying to survive somehow and makes of course the same game of M. Panzetta.
      He just understood that he can gain money organizing these competitions.
      That´s all…
      The music is somewhere else.

  • FABIO MASSIMO MERIDIO says:

    As you all certanly know, Italy is Italy.
    There is no possibiltiy, absolutley, to make music, create an orchestra, without the right spin.
    I read all your comments, it really seems you got your period guys……….

    Maybe you have no idea about the competition situation in Italy. Or about the general level of orchestras:

    1) The level of italian competitiors (string instrument and also conducting) is the lowest at world.
    2) Jury…….what a jury? Where is an “international jury” in Italy? No money for this, no money for nothing.
    3) Here in Italy, to get a – ridicoulus – small budget you have to pray the privates Clubs or Banks – they often couldn’t undertand why you need all these money.
    4) Finally remember NESSUNO TI AIUTERA’

    Obviously in other counties is the same….think on Tchaikovsky’s Comp……..where Val** is the boss – BUT YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE OF THE LEVEL!!!!!!!

    Anyway all the competition are business, certanly there are different way to treat about what are you doing “under you desk”
    There is a way to do everything, and in this case they missed.

    Have fun

  • Pietro says:

    A quick check on “maestro”Lanzetta fb page will show how his “career” has developed.
    He boasts being appointed principal guest conductor for Midamerica productions, while the owner of such company is principal guest conductor of the Orchestra da Camera di Firenze. His career is made of such deals.
    How can anyone expect integrity from such individual?

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Nessuno è direttore principale ospite bell orchestra sa camera fiorentina bugiardo

    • Giuseppe Lanzetta says:

      Vai si Wikipedia è meravigliati stupido

      • Nemesis says:

        Whereas Jehi Bahk has shown both dignity and integrity by using measured tones in pursuit of reason and accountability, you merely continue to ignore the questions, make threats, hurl insults and parade your rather dubious credentials as if they had some real meaning. Despite warnings that you are making a fool of yourself, your comments become ever more ridiculous and it looks as though we can reasonably conclude that sadly you have not the intelligence to be in any way credible as a conductor. So may I suggest that you do yourself a favour and either supply a proper and reasoned response (as Norman requested long ago) or simply shut up?

  • Carlo Svokel says:

    Should any attendee of the prize need legal assistance, please contact me on FB at Carlo Svokel.
    I will be pleased to assist for no money.

  • NEUTRAL says:

    M.ro Lanzetta unfortunately replies in a very harsch way showing no control and any kind of fair play. He could still be right about the competition, but everything he wrote on this site makes an awful service to himself.

  • Jehi Bahk says:

    Mr. Lanzetta,

    I patiently was waiting for you to apologize for your unrespectful behaviour towards the contestants during the whole competition, but all you did is showing your rude, megalomaniac, uneducated character and by doing so only admitting what I wrote.

    I usually don’t speak about myself in the way I will do now, but since you insulted me several times now and also others who only expressed their opinion on this blog, I will make this statement.

    I always enjoyed being in Italy, I attended many competitions and also could make top prizes in some of them. I remember well the encounter with Elisa Pegreffi and Piero Farulli of the legendary Quartetto Italiano, who gave the 1st prize to my string quartet at the International String Quartet Competition in Cremona which helped us start a world career and led us to the greatest concert halls and festivals in the world. Later I had a concertmaster position in one of Korea’s best orchestras and since many years also have been university professor.

    So I already made my world career as a musician and this unimportant incident in Empoli will not stop me on my actual endeavors.

    The reason why I’m exposing myself and write in this blog is because I want to warn my younger collegues from competitions and people like you. Young musicians, who spend money to travel from far away and hope to find a fair and well organized competition, where they can compete with other collegues and maybe be able to find out where they are currently standing as a conductor. You and the organization of this competition destroyed the hopes and ideals of this young musicians. For that you should be deeply ashamed.

    You will never understand that, but some of the contestants I saw at the competition are already by far the better musicians and conductors then you will ever be. You should have been honored to be able listening and watching them and treat them with respect. A conductor has to inspire the musicians, with his musicianship, knowledge and technical abilities but also with his whole being. So called conductors like you I deeply abhor, they are the reason why musicians start to hate playing in an orchestra.

    I think there is not much hope that you will ever understand what I’m speaking about and for that I just feel sorry for you.

    • Avenging Maestro says:

      I applaud Jehi Bahk for not only his honesty but for putting himself on the line to inform and help colleagues who could find themselves in the same situation.

      I think it would be a step in the right direction if ALL of us conductors were to share these experiences here. While Lanzetta may have been guilty of many things, he is surely not alone. I expect we all have had similar experiences with competitions, master classes, impressarios, etc. who have not delivered what was advertised or promised.

      I think the time has come for us to expose them. I’ll be curious to see who responds to this – and who feels brave enough to name names….

      • Jehi Bahk says:

        Thank you, I fully agree with you. Sometimes we all need a bit more Zivilcourage, in any aspects of our lives.

    • Disgusted says:

      Dear Jehi,
      Thank you for writing all these things.

      M. Panzetta has really no idea about music, culture, education and beheaviour.
      He will not understand what you meant.
      …but here there are many professional and passionate musicians which know, what you are talking about.

      Thank you and good luck

      • Jehi Bahk says:

        Thank you and my best wishes!

      • GIUSEPPE LANZETTA says:

        SEI SEMPLICEMENTE UN INFELICE TU E PANZETTA CHE CRETINO

      • GIUSEPPE LANZETTA says:

        sei cosi’ vigliacco che non scrivi ne’ nome ne cognome allora sei un falso e tutto cio’ che dici non e’ credibile leggi altri commenti come Veelikanov ecc e’ semplice nascondersi dietro uno pseudonimo, dammi le tue generaklita e assumiti tutte le responsabilita di quello che hai scritto ,,tu non sei degno di fare commenti perche’ sono sicuro che non sei
        nessuno ementre tu ti mangi le mani io dirigo alla Basilica di santa Croce il 4 novembre e alla carnegey hall il 30 novembre caro il mio denigratore “panzetta” cerca di studiare invece di scrivere cazzate

        • DA CHE PULPITO says:

          Una persona che va ad esibirsi alla CarneGIE Hall e non sa neanche come si scrive forse è meglio che non dia del cretino a nessuno.

          • Che Vergogna says:

            Non solo, ci va a dirigere un’orchestrina assemblata alla meno peggio facendo scambi con un altro direttore negato quasi quanto lui, che poi invita a dirigere a Firenze… ma a quanto pare ciò per questo simpatico ciarlatano semianalfabeta è sufficiente per autoproclamarsi “direttore principale ospite della CarneGEY hall”. Il tutto con un modo di porsi e una padronanza di linguaggio degna di un alunno di seconda elementare, peraltro non particolarmente sveglio.

          • norman lebrecht says:

            Our Italian moderator is away. The site rule is that comments must be in English. We will not accept any further posts in Italian.

          • Che Vergogna says:

            Dear Mr Lebrecht, I wrote in Italian just because I wanted to answer the previous comment, and also because I think that this sad story should be accessible also to non-english speaking italian musicians, since it’s very important for them to know it, just in case they should meet people like these “competition organizers” during their career.

            Anyway, I totally understand and accept the rules of your blog, so for my next replies I will be writing in English (together with an Italian translation if strictly necessary).

          • norman lebrecht says:

            Thank you!

      • GIUSEPPE LANZETTA says:

        ma come fanno ad esistere persone inutili come te senza nome e cognome puoi scrivere qualsiasi cosa

  • Ivan Velikanov says:

    Dear colleagues,

    I am conductor from Moscow, graduated Moscow Tchaicovsky conservatory (prof.Guennady Rozhdestvensky)
    I partecipated in the competition, on the first and second rounds. So I will not say anything about the final results, except that this list of paper is not a really document, so if it’s written not by maestro Lanzetta, or written by him as a joke (it’s also possible) I will be not surprised. To know the truth about all this situation with prizes we need an expertise.

    I totally agree that the competition was very bad organised, and even that web site was broken some days before the beginning of the competition and some things was changed in last moment is absolutely impossible for the international competition. But I think the responsibility lies firstly on Mr Cioni, who made angry not only all of us, but also maestro Lanzetta several times.

    Please, do not attac me with such words that I am close friend of maestro Lanzetta or he payd me for this commentary. It is not like that. I only want to be fair and to mark the good thinks also. You know, dear colleagues, the world is not black and white.
    If I know the good sides, I should tell what I know, and so the whole picture will be more correct, isn’t it?

    I could say honestly from my side, that I participated once in a master-class of maestro Lanzetta, and the whole atmosphere was really different, much more friendly, and moreover, after the master-class some best conductors (chosen indeed by the orchestra) was invited to conduct a concert in Florence, and the concert was payd (also flight and hotel). Should I stay silent, if I have so nice experience, thanks to maestro Lanzetta?!
    Of course, it happened because of this master-class, but without it maestro would never meet me… if you know other conductors, who find themselves monney to invite young and not already famous conductors for the concerts, please, let me know!

    To conclude, in my opinion, what happened on this competition was totally unclear, but it doesn’t cancel some kind and helpful gestures which maestro Lanzetta makes to young conductors (I partecipated in his master-class only once, so I couldn’t say that I’m his pupil)

    • MUSIC FAN says:

      Dear young maestro,

      Competitions are totally different from master classes. To launch a competition, the organizers should prepare all the premises to make it a real competition. Fair jury system, first of all, with sufficient transparency. Also carefully chosen pieces to examine all the aspects of conducting ability, a reasonably good concert hall, as well as an equally good (well prepared) orchestra.

      Competition is not an occasion for juries to be kind to some particular contestants, except for giving some useful advices to them afterwards. Neither is it allowed for someone to “privatize” the system, even though he has made it up himself. LEAST OF ALL, AN OCCASION TO MAKE A JOKE!! The organizers and juries are required to pay attention to give a kind of prestige to the competition, so that the winners are properly recognized in the music world. Fair jury system is vitally important for this, not only on behalf of the awarded but also of all the competitors because, as Mr Jehi Bahk wrote, only with reliable juries one can find out where they are currently standing.

      I am only a music fan (a scientist actually), and you are a musician to be. You may laugh at what I wrote above, but I dare say this: you appear to be satisfied with that you were in the competition up to the second round, but what do you think you really have obtained out of it? Was it really worth participating? because somebody was kind to you? I should think, all those criticisms written here to the principal jury is simply what he deserves.

    • Nemesis says:

      It is nice that you write in support but it does not change the fact that too many questions are unanswered. Whilst it is perfectly credible and hardly unusual for a competition to withhold a first prize, it is extremely odd to withhold the second prize at the same time as awarding joint third. If the competition had some history to show that some reasonable bar of achievement was not reached concerning second prize this might be credible but in this case it looks fishy. What makes the whole thing look even stranger is that no less than 3 competitors seem to have been awarded concerts, a somewhat strange thing to do if the standard was so poor. And then we have the responses of Lanzetta, which – assuming that some miscreant did not write them to cause trouble – simply compound all the issues.

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