The Times, 23 marzo 1999
recensione del concerto dell’ 8 marzo
Albert G. Storace, Malta

BRILLIANT ITALIAN GUEST PIANIST

This month's MCI recital was once more in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute and made possible the special guest appearance of a young but very accomplished pianist. Adalberto Riva tapped a wide spectrum of styles during this quite revealing recital. He began with two contrasting and brief works by Domenico Scarlatti. Tranquillity and delicacy of touch marked the Sonata in F sharp minor K. 25, offset by the sheer brightness and well articulated Sonata in G major K. 201.
Strangely enough this did not elicit much reponse from the audience; one perhaps is more taken to externally more showy pieces. Some, not all, because there was much to appeal to the mind and senses later on. In the meantime, a delightful piece, never performed locally to my knowledge, was Rossini's very evocative Un petit train de plaisir. One of his very mature "sins of his old age". Full of wit, humor and description, what at one point seemed to sound like the dropping of a few notes and a certain lack of rhythmic cohesion was only evocative of a temporary derailing of the chugging machine !
Equally novel were the two Petrassi Invenzioni ns. 1 and 2, a sobering academic exercise in which other aspects of the pianist's considerable technique were manifest.
Ending the first half was a stylish interpretation on Clementi's Sonata in B flat Major, op. 47 n. 2. By then the pianist had established a warm rapport with the increasingly appreciative audience who were regaled to a brilliant second half.
It began, and ended, with Liszt. In between there was the combined robust qualities and mellifluos lyricism of Chopin's Scherzo n. 3, op. 39. Preceding it, Liszt's Venezia e Napoli was a very effective musical travelogue first evoking Venice, with, at its base, a gently rollicking rhythm akin to a barcarolle, reserving for Naples not only the atmosphere created by a fiery tarantella but also the essentially romantic nature of Neapolitan song.
The sheer implications of Après une lecture de Dante, fantasia quasi sonata are taxing and stressing. They stretch the listener's understanting and concentration. How much greater it must be for the performer who in this piece showed that very ability to bring this piece and its very inspiration to life. I have heard few other interpretations capable of matching this one. It was simply gret in sum total.Remaining with Liszt, Adalberto Riva performed as encores two of great Magyar's transcriptions of Schubert's lieder, Whohin? and Auf dem Wasser zu singen.