The Settimane Musicali di Ascona celebrate their 70 years with

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The Settimane Musicali di Ascona celebrate
their 70 years with Switzerland's best
orchestras, the Wiener Symphoniker and first
class soloists
ASCONA, SWITZERLAND, APRIL 2015 - The Settimane Musicali di Ascona, the oldest
classical music festival in Ticino, celebrate their 70th edition from August 27 to October 16,
2015. A total of fifteen concerts in the festival's two evocative locations, the Church of the
Collegio Papio in Ascona for the chamber concerts and the Church of San Francesco in
Locarno for the symphonic concerts.
This year's leitfaden is not tied to a single composer or to correlated thematic cycles. Of
course the series of Beethoven's piano and orchestra concerts that started last year
continues and will end in 2016. However the events will highlight the festival's 70 years by
homaging Switzerland's greatest orchestras. The artistic director of the Settimane
Musicali, Francesco Piemontesi, emphasizes the first class level of these formations and
points out how they “have performed in the world's greatest concert halls but have
unfortunately been less visible in the Southern part of Switzerland”.
So on Thursday August 27 the festival's inaugural concert will be performed by the Zurich
Tonhalle-Orchester, led by the successful young French director Lionel Bringuier, with
renowned violinist Janine Jansen.
On Monday August 31 the audience can then admire the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
directed by the famous Estonian maestro Neeme Järvi, with pianist Francesco Piemontesi,
while on Monday September 21 the Kammerochester Basel, directed by the prestigious
Swiss composer Heinz Holliger will perform with the famous Hungarian pianist Andras
Schiff who will interpret Schumann's Piano concert and orchestra op. 54.
Another highlight of this edition will certainly be the concert on Thursday September 3 by
the Wiener Symphoniker directed by one of the most important figures of Swiss concertgiving, Philippe Jordan, with soloist violinist Nikolaj Znajder. A further first-rate
symphonic event will take place on September 11 with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra
and Thomas Zehetmair.
The traditional piano recital will take place once again, this year with the great pianist
Murray Perhaia (on September 7). Three further events stand out among the chamber
concerts: the performance by the young Apollon Musagète Quartet (October 5) and a
double appointment dedicated to Bach and Brahms, which will present Bach's Cello Suites
and Brahm's two Sonatas for Cello and Piano. On the stage Jan Vogler and Francesco
Piemontesi (September 28) and Miklos and Benjamin Pereny (October 9).
This year's artist in residence will be flutist Maurice Steger, who will perform on October
1 in a concert with music tied to the city of Venice and on October 16 with the Orchestra
della Svizzera italiana (OSI) directed by Pablo Gonzalez. The OSI, directed this time by
Michael Sanderling, will be the protagonist of a second event on September 18.
Alongside these important events, there will also be two events from the Début series at
the Sopracenerina in Locarno, which offer themselves as a space for young talents headed
towards a great international career. On September 5 the performance by pianist Christian
Ihle Hadland and on September 19 the duo formed by Herbert Schuch and Lena
Neudauer, who will carry on the cycle of Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano that began
in 2014 with Frank-Peter Zimmermann and Christian Zacharias.
The tickets (with prices varying between 20.00 and 140.00 CHF depending on category
and concert) are available from May 4 at the tourist offices of Ascona, Locarno and
Brissago and at every Ticketcorner selling point in Switzerland. Advance sale at
www.settimane-musicali.ch.
For more information and reservations: tel. +41 91 759 76 65, or [email protected].
Official website: www.settimane-musicali.ch.
The festival is also present on Facebook (SettimaneMusicaliAscona) and Twitter
Press contact and accreditation requests
Luca Martinelli
Tel +41 (0)91 759 76 72
Mob +41 (0)78 673 45 05
[email protected]
Program 2015
August, Thursday 27
S. Francesco, 20.30
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Conductor: Lionel Bringuier
Soloist: Janine Jansen, violino
Brahms: Concerto per violinoe orchestra op.77
Dvorak: Sinfonia Nr. 8 op.88
August, Monday 31
S. Francesco, 20.30
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Soloist: Francesco Piemontesi, pianoforte
Beethoven: Concerto Nr. 4 op. 58 per pianoforte e orchestra
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
September, Thursday 3
S. Francesco, 20.30
Wiener Symphoniker
Conductor: Philippe Jordan
Soloists: Nikolai Znajder, violino / Kyoungmin Park, viola
Webern: Variazioni per orchestra op. 30
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante KV 364
Beethoven: Sinfonia Nr. 7 op. 92
September, Saturday 5
Serie Début
Palazzo Società Elettrica Sopracenerina (SES), 11.00
Christian Ihle Hadland, pianoforte
Mozart: Rondo in la minore KV 511
Haydn: Sonata in mi minore XVI:34
Brahms: Klavierstücke op. 118
Prokofiev: Sonata Nr. 2 op. 14
September, Monday 7
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Murray Perahia, recital di pianoforte
Program to be announced
September, Friday 11
S. Francesco, 20.30
Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Thomas Dausgaard
Soloist: Thomas Zehetmair, violino
Mozart: Sinfonia Nr. 35
Beethoven: Concerto per violino e orchestra op. 61
Mozart: Sinfonia Nr. 29
September, Tuesday 15
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera italiana
I Barocchisti
Conductor: Diego Fasolis
Program to be announced
September, Friday 18
S. Francesco, 20.30
Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
Conductor: Michael Sanderling
Soloist: Veronika Eberle, violino
Rossini: L’Italiana in Algeri, ouverture
Prokofiev: Concerto per violino e orchestra Nr. 1, op.19
Schubert: Sinfonia Nr. 3 D200
September, Saturday 19
Serie Début
Palazzo Società Elettrica Sopracenerina (SES), 11.00
Herbert Schuch, pianoforte
Lena Neudauer, violino
Beethoven: Sonata Nr. 1 op. 30 per violino e pianoforte
Ravel: Sonata per violino e pianoforte
Beethoven: Sonata Nr. 2 op. 30 per violino e pianoforte
September, Monday 21
S. Francesco, 20.30
Kammerorchester Basel
Conductor: Heinz Holliger
Soloist: Andras Schiff, pianoforte
Holliger: Meta Arca
Schumann: Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra op. 54
Mendelssohn: Sinfonia Nr. 3 op. 56, Scozzese
September, Monday 28
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Bach - Brahms I
Jan Vogler, violoncello
Francesco Piemontesi, pianoforte
Bach: Suites per violoncello 1,3,5
Brahms: Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte Nr. 2, op.99
October, Thursday 1
Collegio Papio, 20.30
“Suoni di Venezia” -Maurice Steger & friends
Maurice Steger, flauto barocco, Artist in residence
Fiorenza de Donatis, Daniele Carminati, Mauro Valli, Sebastian Wienand
Vivaldi: Concerto in sol minore
Kapsberger: Toccata
Merula: Canzoni per canti e bassi
Caldara: Sonata quarta da camera / Chiacona
Veracini: Sonata in la minore
Vivaldi: Concerto La Pastorella / Sonata in sol minore
October, Monday 5
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Apollon Musagète Quartet
Webern: Langsamer Satz
Dvorak: Quartetto in do minore op. 61
Schubert: Quartetto in sol maggiore D887
October, Friday 9
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Bach - Brahms II
Miklos Perenyi, violoncello
Benjamin Perenyi, pianoforte
Bach: Suites per violoncello 2,4,6
Brahms: Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte Nr. 1, op.38
October, Friday 16
Collegio Papio, 20.30
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
Conductor: Pablo Gonzalez
Soloist: Maurice Steger, flauto barocco, Artist in residence
Telemann: Ouverture in la minore per flauto a becco, archi e basso continuo
Couperin: Concert royal Nr. 4 per flauto e basso continuo, estratti
Ravel: Tombeau de Couperin
Vivaldi: Concerto in sol maggiore per flautino, archi e basso continuo
Stravinsky: Pulcinella, suite