PRESS
PRESS RELEASE
Portoferraio, June 21 2025
29th Season of the International Music Festival
“Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa”
August 29 – September 13, 2025
Sound Routes Between Sky and Sea: From Bach to Arvo Pärt, from Ravel to Jazz
Opening concert featuring
Gidon Kremer
With special appearances by:
Martha Argerich, Mario Brunello, Fabrizio Bosso
Edgar Moreau, Quartetto Indaco, Mauro Ottolini, Olivia Trummer
The 29th edition of Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa (“Elba, Musical Island of Europe”) will be inaugurated on Friday, August 29, by the acclaimed violinist Gidon Kremer, marking the start of a festival that will unfold until September 13. True to tradition, the program offers an international scope – rich, multifaceted, and spread across the island of Elba, from its historical heart in Portoferraio to Capoliveri, Rio, Marciana, and Marciana Marina. Over 60 musicians from 19 countries will take part in the festival, which will once again be immersed in the island’s historic settings and breathtaking landscapes. «Last year, we returned to our main venue, the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio, following its restoration», says George Edelman, Artistic Director of the festival. «This year, we are delighted to return, after a long pause, to the Church of Santa Chiara d’Assisi in Marciana Marina, renowned for its remarkable acoustics». Edelman continues: «The 2025 edition will celebrate several significant anniversaries – musical and historical – within the framework of its 16 concerts: the 50th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich’s death, the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth, the 210th anniversary of Napoleon’s departure from Elba, and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Foremost among these, will be a celebration of the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt, the most performed and beloved living composer». Joining world-renowned artists such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mario Brunello will be a new generation of rising stars, such as brilliant French cellist Edgar Moreau, Italian rising star Erica Piccotti and including members of the Elba Festival Orchestra Strings. The festival remains committed to nurturing young talent, including promising musicians from the Island of Elba’s community itself, such as pianist Matteo Bussi and Ukrainian-born violinist Oleksandr Sayko, both recipients of the 2025 Elba Festival Prize.
Portraits in Sound: Tributes, Affinities, and the Dialogue Between Music and Words
Gidon Kremer will lead the opening concert with a heartfelt homage to Arvo Pärt, whose 90th birthday falls on September 11. On the evening of August 29, at the Teatro dei Vigilanti “Renato Cioni”, the legendary Latvian violinist will perform Fratres – Pärt’s most iconic work – in its version for violin, percussion, and string orchestra. Sharing the stage will be the gifted 20-year-old Belgian violinist Pauline van der Rest, who will interpret Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in D minor MWV 03.
On Sunday, August 31, Gidon Kremer will also feature in a uniquely intimate project presented for the first time in Italy: Fragments of life in letters. Excerpts from his personal letters – offering a glimpse into real life – will be read by Austrian actor Michael Dangl, interwoven with music by Vasks, Bach, Schnittke, Kancheli, and others, performed by Kremer and members of the Kremerata Baltica Soloists..
A highly anticipated return to the festival is that of Martha Argerich, who on Wednesday, September 3, will pay tribute to Shostakovich with his Concerto for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings Op. 35, featuring Alfonso González Barquín, principal trumpet of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Prior to that, Argerich will perform one of her signature pieces: Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44 with violinists Liana Gourdjia and Diet Tilanus, violist Georgiy Kovalev and cellist Rafael Bell.
Maurice Ravel’s 150th birth anniversary will be honored with entire evening (Friday, September 5) dedicated to his work, with performances by pianist Enrico Pace, violinist Roman Simovic (concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra), and cellist Erica Piccotti. Ravel’s music – String Quartet – will also resonate in the concert by Quartetto Indaco on Friday, September 12, at the Church of Santa Chiara d’Assisi in Marciana Marina.
The concert on Monday, September 1, will offer a reflection on the end of World War II, marking its 80th anniversary through a series of compositions, including Lachrymae, Op. 43 by Benjamin Britten, performed by violist Georgy Kovalev and pianist Akane Sakai. The program also includes works by Lutosławski, Hindemith, and Beethoven, featuring French cellist Edgar Moreau who is making his debut at the Elba Festival.
On Tuesday, September 2, a special event marking 210 years since Napoleon’s departure from Elba will present Annie Dutoit Argerich narrating Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon (on a poem by Byron), alongside Cristian Budu (piano), Aylen Pritchin and Issey Imai (violins), David Quiggle (viola), and Raphael Bell (cello). The evening continues with Schubert’s beloved Trout Quintet, performed by Budu, Pritchin, Quiggle and Bell, with Amerigo Bernardi joining on double bass.
All concerts will be held at the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio, except for Quartetto Indaco’s performance in Marciana Marina.
Beyond Bach
A familiar and welcomed musician at Elba, the cellist Mario Brunello will take the stage for two concerts. On September 8, set against the enchanting backdrop of the Villa Romana delle Grotte, Brunello will be joined by Mauro Valli for an inspired program of Bach transcriptions for 2 piccolo cellos with four and five strings.
The following evening, Brunello will appear in the island’s historic Napoleonic theatre with Latvian pianist Georgijs Osokins, performing transcriptions of Mahler and Brahms, alongside selected piano works by Arvo Pärt, including the introspective Für Alina.
Young Talents and Contemporary Voices
The festival’s deep commitment to the next generation of musicians is represented in a morning concert on August 30, held in the gardens of the Capitaneria di Porto in Portoferraio – an evocative new venue. The diverse repertoire will include music by Leclair, Rossini, Mozart, Chaplin, Gershwin, and Piazzolla.
On September 7, in the Church of SS. Giacomo e Quirico in Rio, guitarists Davide Giovanni Tomasi and Marco Musso will explore works by Albéniz, Ravel, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Then, on September 10, at the Pisan Fortress of Marciana, saxophonist Jacopo Taddei and accordionist Samuele Telari will blend genres from Gershwin to Brazilian master Hermeto Pascoal and Chick Corea.
On September 11, the Elba Festival Prize, in collaboration with Associazione Amici del Festival, will be awarded to Matteo Bussi and Oleksandr Sayko, two exceptional young Elban talents, who will play works by Bach, Haydn, Debussy, and Mozart.
The Jazz Interlude
In perfect harmony with past and present, jazz once again finds a prominent place in the program. On Saturday, August 30, Olivia Trummer, German pianist and singer, will perform her latest album Like Water, blending jazz with classical influences.
On Thursday, September 4, at the Teatro Flamingo in Capoliveri, trumpet virtuoso Fabrizio Bosso – a festival favorite – will appear with his trio Drumpet, featuring Daniele Sorrentino (bass) and Lorenzo Tucci (drums).
The festival concludes on Saturday, September 13, at the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio, with Nada Más Fuerte, the vibrant project by trombonist Mauro Ottolini, featuring singer Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke. It will be a joyful journey through the traditional music of Mexico, Peru, Lebanon, Portugal, the Andes, and Cuba.
All concerts begin at 6:30 PM, except for those by Gidon Kremer (August 29), Olivia Trummer (August 30), Martha Argerich (September 3), Fabrizio Bosso (September 4), and Mauro Ottolini (September 13), which are scheduled for 9:30 PM. The morning concert on August 30 will start at 11:30 AM.
Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa is presented with the support of:
MiC – Italian Ministry of Culture, Region of Tuscany, Municipality of Portoferraio, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, and Rio, GAT (Elba’s Joint Tourism Authority), Associazione Albergatori dell’Isola d’Elba, Fondazione Livorno, Camera di Commercio Maremma e Tirreno, and Tesi Viaggi
TICKET PRICES
Martha Argerich concert (September 3): €10 to €60
Other 9 concerts at Teatro dei Vigilanti: €10 to €35
Subscription for 9 concerts at Teatro dei Vigilanti: €110 to €270
Tickets for other concerts:
Capitaneria di Portoferraio (August 30): €10 (open seating)
Villa Romana delle Grotte (September 8): €30 (open seating)
Concerts in Capoliveri (September 4), Rio (September 7), and Marciana (September 10): €25 (open seating)
Concert in Marciana Marina (September 12): free admission
Discounts available for audience members under 24
Online presales on Vivaticket starting June 21
Press Office – “Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa”
Roberto Valentino
Tel. +39 335 5201930
r.valentino@elba-music.it