The playing of Italian pianist Francesco Libetta has drawn accolades from critics and composers alike. György Ligeti once described it as "absolutely gorgeous" and Aldo Cicciolini stated that Libetta "is the most talented instrumentalist of his generation." Born in Salento in "the heel in the boot" in Italy, Libetta studied with locally based teachers until journeying to Paris to study composition with Jacques Castérède. Nevertheless, it is as a recitalist that Libetta has made his mark; by the age of 21 he had already played the cycle of 32 Beethoven sonatas and even more impressively was the first pianist ever to take on the cycle of 53 studies on Chopin's etudes composed by arch-virtuoso Leopold Godowsky. Ligeti's comment was collected at the time Libetta premiered his L'Escalier du Diable in 1993. Libetta records for Agora Musica, Naïve, VAI Audio, and other labels, and he is a conductor and composer.