Monte Cristo examined him with the same look that, at Rome, he had bent upon the execution of Andrea, and then, in a tone that made a shudder pass through the veins of the poor steward, -- "The Abbe Busoni, then told me an untruth," said he, "when, after his journey in France, in 1829, he sent you to me, with a letter of recommendation, in which he enumerated all your valuable qualities.
"But, your excellency," replied Bertuccio hesitatingly, "did not the Abbe Busoni, who heard my confession in the prison at Nimes, tell you that I had a heavy burden upon my conscience?"
"I have related it but once, and that was to the Abbe Busoni. Such things," continued Bertuccio, shaking his head, "are only related under the seal of confession."
"No, monsieur, I swear to you, by my hopes of salvation, I will tell you all, for the Abbe Busoni himself only knew a part of my secret; but, I pray you, go away from that plane-tree.
They include: Sergei Babayan -- one of the most notable names of the great Russian piano school and winner of such prestigious competitions as the Cleveland, the Hamamatsu and the
Busoni piano competitions -- the sensational violinist Christel Lee -- First-prize winner of the 2015 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki -- violinists Anna Tifu and Doriane Gable as well as pianist Olga Zado -- considered amongst the leading female musicians of their generation; the return visits of the remarkable Lars Anders Tomter and pianist Ashley Wass, violist David Abrahamyan and cellist Alexander Chaushian.
The anniversary season opens with British-born pianist Keelan Carew performing a programme of music by
Busoni, Faure and Beethoven at Stokesley Methodist Church on Thursday, February 7, at 1.30pm.
In the same year he was a finalist in the
Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy, and received the Henry Cowell Prize in the 1980 University of Maryland International Piano Competition in the United States.