Stefano Bollani

Jesus Christ Superstar wrote history as an exuberant rock opera, an unorthodox depiction of the story of Jesus Christ. Stefano Bollani was fourteen when he first saw the film and he soon learned every word of the lyrics. He hardly dared perform the songs – he simply treasured the originals too much. He finally found his own way to interpret them: solo piano variations, respecting the order of the soundtrack, and the versatility of the original music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice.

Stefano Bollani, a celebrity in his homeland Italy, is a jazz pianist, as well as a novelist and a television personality. With his brilliant improvisations he caught the public’s eye in the ensembles of trumpeter Enrico Rava, his mentor. He collaborated with big names from jazz, classical, pop, film music and avant-garde, such as Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Richard Galliano, Sol Gabetta and Zeena Parkins.