Torino – for a short time capital of Italy, is a majestic city set against the backdrop of the Alps with a heritage of innovation and style. Home to FIAT and the Agnelli dynasty it remains perhaps the wealthiest and most self-assured of Italian cities. It has a flavour of Paris and perhaps even Vienna with baroque palaces, grand old cafés tree-lined boulevards and beautiful cobbled squares but it is also very much a 21st century city with contemporary art & architecture, innovative food and wonderful wines!
You may have read in the press of the high drama in Turin with the Teatro Regio and the resignation of their longtime Artistic Director closely followed by their Chief Conductor Gianandrea Noseda. We have had to wait for final contractual confirmation that the concerts and festival would actually take place. We now have that assurance and so we are able to press ahead with our plans.
On our first evening we have a Welcome pre-concert dinner with wines before our first concert this evening (9pm) when Vasily Petrenko takes to the podium to conduct the Orchestre del Teatro Regio with pianist Elisso Virsaladze in a programme including:
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Concerto n. 1 in B-flat minor for piano and orchestra op. 23
- Sergej Prokofiev - Suite from Romeo and Juliet
from Friday to Sunday we will have three days of sightseeing and visits in this elegant and thriving city. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday we have further performances included:
On Friday afternoon at 5pm at the Conservatory of Music Giuseppe Verdi – Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali are joined by the young Chinese pianist Zhang Zhou (now known in a ‘Lang Lang’ manner as Zee Zee!) with a programme of works by Ravel, Poulenc & Gershwin.
On Saturday evening we have supper and at 9pm the Orchestra of La Scala and conductor Myung-Whun Chung are joined by the outstanding young Korean pianist Seong-jin cho for an all Beethoven programme including the 3rd piano Concerto and 7th Symphony.
Finally on Sunday we have supper and at 9pm Gianandrea Noseda will conduct perhaps his final performance with the orchestra of Teatro Regio in a light hearted programme entitled Waltzes with works by Johann Strauss, Richard Strauss and Maurice Ravel.
On Monday 17th you can either return to the UK or continue on to the peaceful lakeside setting of San Mamete on Lake Lugano for six nights of food & music. See next tour for complete details
