Nov. 26 – On December 2, Rome hosts the inauguration of the “Ciampi Luxury Piano Gallery” (via San Tommaso D’Aquino, 85), which will showcase some of the best pianos in the market, including Fazioli, a company that chose Ciampi as its exclusive distributor for Central and Southern Italy. “The collaboration with Ciampi – said pianist and engineer Paolo Fazioli – derives primarily from a long friendship between our families; it’s a kind of reconciliation. Ever since I was a student at the conservatory, my family bought Ciampi pianos, so the idea of saying ‘let’s get together’ was entirely spontaneous and supported strongly by Matteo Ciampi.” The choice to be in Rome was a successful one, also in light of the “performances of Danilo Rea and Cristiana Pegoraro planned for the inauguration.” The union between the company and the world of art and culture has always been the basis of Fazioli’s Made in Italy style, which “exports abroad 90% of its production” (its products are sold in the US, Canada, China, Japan, Australia and Europe). “The Fazioli 308 – said the engineer – is definitely the most important and peculiar grand piano out there, longer than similar products. The 308 represents, along with the 278, the flagship product of our company. Both – he added – will be featured in the ‘Ciampi Luxury Piano Gallery’ exhibition.” On the decision to look – since the 1980s – to foreign markets, the leader of the company stressed that it was “definitely a right choice that brought Fazioli into a larger context. Our exports led us to compete against industry giants, which is certainly not easy. These brands make the most of the great economic means at their disposal. So Fazioli chose to focus primarily on quality, as we were convinced that only quality could defeat or at least compete against mere economic force on foreign markets.” Fazioli’s approach allows it to handmake 150 pianos per year. The secret to making a quality piano, according to the famous producer, is “being a pianist. Had I not been one, I wouldn’t have been able to make the top-quality instruments that are requested by international piano competitions, theaters and academies worldwide. Musicians – concluded ‘the Stradivarius of pianos’, as the Roman businessman has been nicknamed – often seek variety; they don’t always want the same instrument. In our products, they find the novelty that isn’t present in other brands. In particular, jazz pianists show the greatest satisfaction, as they’re used to improvising, giving vent to their inspiration and the construction of new sounds, and find the Fazioli instruments vibrant and responsive, able to create brilliant sounds.” (Paf)