ORT: Christmas Concert

On December 24, to celebrate the Christmas season, Florence’s Teatro Verdi hosts one of the most anticipated events of the season: the Orchestra della Toscana Christmas Concert. 

From the podium, the brilliant young Nicolò Jacopo Suppa, much appreciated for his clear, communicative and passionate conducting, leads the ensemble with energy and precision. At his side, cellist Ettore Pagano enchants with a warm, enveloping timbre capable of combining spontaneity and meticulousness.

The evening opens with the irony and brio of the overture from Gioachino Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino. The liveliness of the score immediately highlights orchestral precision and play, inviting the audience to be carried away on passages buoyed by virtuosity and lightness. This is followed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile, an engrossed and profound page taken from String Quartet no. 1, reworked for cello and orchestra. In this moment, Pagano becomes a lyrical and intense voice, dialoguing with the orchestra and turning each phrase into a musical tale of rare delicacy. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne No. 1, transcribed for cello and strings by B. Wallfisch, represents a fine homage to 18ᵗʰ-century Italian taste. Themes inspired by Pergolesi are reinterpreted with a neoclassical lightness, creating a bright, elegant and playful atmosphere in which the cello moves with agility and charm among orchestral hues. The grand finale is given to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 Jupiter, a masterpiece of balance and inventiveness. The thematic density, the brilliance of the motifs and the grand musical architecture render this page ideal for concluding the program with energy, grace and wonder, celebrating music in its purest form.

A concert that promises to excite and exalt, offering a moment of beauty and lightness in the heart of Tuscany and the magic of the Christmas holidays.

Information:

• Tickets are available online and from Ticketone outlets or at the Teatro Verdi Box Office (phone +39 055 212320)
• Discounts are available for those under 30 and over 65 years
• Phone +39 055 0681726 or email teatro@orchestradellatoscana.it