Flavio Varani

Pianist Flavio Varani was trained in several countries and has had an international career. His recordings have focused on French music, with several of them devoted to the compositions of Paul Paray. The son of Italian immigrants to Brazil, Varani was born in São Paulo. His piano career began when his mother bought him a piano for his birthday, although he had asked for a toy truck. Varani met with encouragement from his family and made rapid progress. By age seven, he was appearing on Brazilian radio and television, and within a few years, he was touring with the Brazilian National Orchestra. One of his teachers in Brazil was pianist Magda Tagliaferro, and when he was 13, he earned a French government scholarship that enabled him to travel to France and continue studying with her at the École Normale de Musique in Paris. Living in Paris for seven years, Varani concertized around Europe and in Russia. At 18, he won first prize at the Chopin International Competition in Mallorca, Spain. Uncertain of his prospects back in Brazil, Varani traveled to the U.S. and successfully applied for a scholarship at the Juilliard School in Manhattan. He studied there with Rosa Lhevinne and also with Artur Balsam at the Manhattan School of Music. After his graduation, Varani joined the faculty of Oakland University in Michigan, near Detroit. In 1997, Varani made his recording debut on the Paulinas label with the album Cartas à Posteridade, a recital of works by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Michigan became the home base for an international touring career that included appearances at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Moscow Conservatory, and the Cotignac Festival in France. He also performed at various venues around the Detroit area. Later, Varani moved to Simpsonville, South Carolina, after visiting the area and falling in love with an old cotton mill building. He has performed in that area as well. Varani's recordings have focused on French music, with the album Flavio Varani Plays Poulenc appearing on the Master Class label in 2004. Varani has specialized in the music of Paul Paray, the longtime conductor of the Detroit Symphony. He released the album Paul Paray: Complete Works for Solo Piano; Fantaisie for Piano & Orchestra on the Grotto Music label in 2005. In 2023, he returned on MSR Classics with the album Paul Paray: Seven Piano Pieces.
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