2024: a year of major anniversaries

«We will celebrate 5 important anniversaries, from the 10 years since the death of Claudio Abbado, to whom I was personally very close, to the 150 years since the birth of Arnold Schönberg, from the 200 years since the birth of Anton Bruckner to the 100 years since the death of Gabriel Fauré and Giacomo Puccini»

«When faced with the challenge of commemorating Claudio Abbado, our thoughts went immediately to Martha Argerich: these two great artists met in Vienna, studying together with Friedrich Gulda, when Martha was only 14 years old and Claudio just over 20; their collaboration was gradually cemented through numerous concerts and recordings. Their last concerts together were also held as part of Ferrara Musica, of which I was Artistic Director. Martha Argerich’s presence at the Festival therefore also evokes my bond with Abbado, with whom I shared 10 years of Ferrara Musica» says George Edelman.

Martha Argerich will open the 28th edition of Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa on Friday August 30 (info and tickets).

The 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg’s birth will be commemorated on Sunday  September 1 at the Teatro di Portoferraio with the famous Transfigured Night op. 4 in the original version for string sextet: a composition that foreshadowed the path of the composer, one of the great revolutionaries in the history of music, towards the twelve-tone technique (info and tickets).

The 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth will then be commemorated on Wednesday  September 4, the Austrian composer’s birth date, in Rio (Chiesa dei SS. Giacomo e Quirico) with the Quintet for two violins, two violas and cello WAB 112, the only chamber piece written by one of the greatest symphonists (info and tickets).

Gabriel Fauré, 100 years after his death, will be honoured on Friday September 6 (Teatro di Portoferraio) with the Quartet for piano and strings no. 1, op. 15, a youthful piece that already shows the maturity of an outstanding French composer at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries (info and tickets).

Finally, on Sunday September 8 (Teatro di Portoferraio), to complete the Festival’s tributes, the Quartetto Indaco, among the very  best Italian string quartets of the moment, will perform the Elegy Crisantemi for string quartet, the only Puccini quartet that remained in today’s repertoire (info and tickets).