With the eye of a hawk and the stealth of a cat, Martino prepares his turn. His body inches ahead to the front of the chair. Slowly, his arm reaches out to the edge of the page, arching upward to avoid covering a single note or phrase marking with his sleeve. Frozen in this position, Martino watchfully eyes the harpist. At the slightest nod, the page has suddenly been turned, Martino is back in his chair, immobile, and the music goes on...
Martino turns, Gwenllian plays
Martino Panizza, 21, of Pavia, Italy, originally came simply to watch the competition. As a student of Judith Liber, chairperson of the jury, he was soon recruited for the heroic task of turning pages for Yedid's Out to Infinity in the first stage, and for the chamber music round. Though not all of the contestants chose to take advantage of his services, having decided instead to play by memory or to turn their own pages, those who did have been thankful for such a reliable and friendly presence.
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