How the meeting between Salvatore Viganò, dancer and creator of the so-called coreodrama, and the nearly thirty-year-old Beethoven, came about is not precisely known. What is certain is that in 1800 the composer was commissioned by the Imperial Theater of Vienna to provide music for a choreographic subject created by Viganò: a "heroic allegorical ballet" in two acts, the subject of which was loosely based on the Greek myth of Prometheus.
On the occasion of the birth of Richard Wagner's son, in 1869 the German composer married his second wife Cosima. As a gift of thanks for giving birth to their son Siegfried, the composer dedicated an instrumental piece to her that mixes new ideas with themes from his existing works. Thus was born the Idylle of Siegfried, performed unexpectedly one morning by a small orchestra on the steps of their villa.
Created by a fifteen-year-old adolescent, the Symphony in C minor by Mendelssohn was written in 1824 after a series of twelve considered youthful. The First already has all the characteristics of Mendelssohn’s style: extreme fluidity of discourse, richness of melodic invention, transparency, and rhythmic liveliness. At its world premiere in 1827 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Symphony in C minor was met with enthusiastic acclaim. As the author himself wrote: they wanted me to repeat the Adagio but, so as not to bore the audience, I continued. When I finished the Scherzo, there was no way: I was immediately forced to repeat it, and I had to pull myself away from the podium at the Finale. They didn’t want to let me go!
Three completely different works, yet linked by courage for innovation. A program that fits perfectly into a year when Italy calls the world with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games: a celebration of creativity, encounters, and great stories.
PROGRAM:
Ludwig van Beethoven: 4 excerpts from "The Creatures of Prometheus" op. 43
Richard Wagner: Idylle of Siegfried
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Symphony No. 1 in C minor op. 11
RESERVATION REQUIRED, click here.
IMPORTANT: On the day of the concert, you must arrive by 8:30 PM; otherwise, the official ticket will be given to other guests.
