This coming July 2, to celebrate the third edition of the music festival inspired by the Grand Crus of France, Castello Banfi will host cellist Henri Demarquette in concert with pianist Marc Laforet.
Following up on the success of its first two editions, the music festival Melodia del Vino, returns to celebrate its journey through excellence in Tuscan wine, paired to the magic of international classic music.
On July 2, to celebrate the third edition of the annual tour, the notes of pianist Marc Laforet and cellist Henri Demarquette will resound in the romantic setting of Castello Banfi Montalcino.
Marc Laforet, creator and soul of the festival, arrived on teh music scene as a very young man. Among his many recognitions, the Maestro counts the first National Conservatory of Music in Paris Prize, theGold Medal of the Czitfrra Foundation, and the New York Young Artist Award in 1985, as well as a silver medal in the International Frederic Chopin Awards of Warsaw in 1985.
Cellist Henri Demarquette completed his studies at the National Conservatory School of Music in Paris, then worked with French cellists Pierre Fournier and Paul Tortelier. He cites his relations with cellist Janos Starker and American violinist and orchestra director Yehudi Menuhin, who invited him to play under their direction at in Prague and Paris, as fundamental to his formation. His other unique trait is that this French-born cellist plays on exclusively Italian instruments, created by Italian artisan Goffredo Cappa.
Guests arriving between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm will be offered a tasting of prestigious offerins from the Banfi range: La Pettegola Vermentino, vintage 2012, and Belnero 2010. The concerto will begin at 8:30 pm.
“Considering that the first two editions were so well received by the public and the critics, it seemed only natural for us to continue our collaboration with Melodia del Vino,” said Cristina Mariani-May, family proprietor of Castello Banfi. “Maestro Marc Laforet, whom this year we will have the honor of hosting on the piano for the concert at Castello Banfi, is the creator of this wonderful project along with Michel Gotlib. Their idea to creat a unique, extraordinary and harmonious experience for all the senses, from classical music to excellent wines and a prestigious setting in the hills of Tuscany, year after year, is proving to be a winning formula.”
Castello Banfi, immersed in this extraordinary land and always devoted to the pursuit of excellence, produces wine characterized by a deep and strong tie to this unique territory. As a key reference point for the prestigious Brunello di Montalcino, Castello Banfi was founded in 1978 by the Mariani family, whose dream was to build a center of excellence for quality wines, thus tying the fate of Banfi to this unique territory and its development. Situated on the southwestern slopes of the township of Montalcino, the Castello Banfi estate covers 2,830 hectares, of which 800 are planted to a “constellation of single vineyards,” while the balance of the property is cultivated with olive trees, fruit groves, wheat, and other crops or natural forest.