"Night fantasy" by Nordio

[Roy Bland]

Cesare Nordio (1891-1977)
he was director of the Liceo Musicale in Bologna and the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano. He is credited with founding the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious piano competitions in existence, named in memory of Ferruccio Busoni.

During his time in Bologna, he hosted many great musicians, including Igor Stravinsky and Arturo Toscanini. It was Nordio who, on May 14, 1931, had to face the fascist squad that slapped Maestro Toscanini for refusing to perform the fascist anthem "Giovinezza" before the scheduled concert dedicated to Giuseppe Martucci. At the door of the Bologna Conservatory, the leader of the fascist squad confronted Nordio with the words, "In this place they say Toscanini is the God of music, but everyone knows that there is only one God, and his name is Benito Mussolini." Following this incident, Toscanini hastily left Italy.