From 18 May to 8 June 2025, Vicenza will once again host the prestigious Settimane Musicali al Teatro Olimpico, now in its 34th edition, under the artistic direction of Sonig Tchakerian. This year’s theme, The Songs of the Earth, launches a three-year journey into the roots of music, its ties to nature, spirituality, and diverse world cultures.
The Festival – recognised by the Italian Ministry of Culture – will bring to life the iconic Palladian theatre and other historic venues throughout the city with a rich calendar of events, blending classical and contemporary repertoire, tradition and innovation. Renowned international artists will perform alongside outstanding young talents.
The Teatro Olimpico concert series will open with “The Bird of a Thousand Voices” by the Trio Tigran (23 May, exceptionally at Teatro Comunale), and continue at the Olimpico on 25 May with “The Songs of the East”, featuring I Solisti Aquilani and Sonig Tchakerian, with the Italian premiere of the Violin Concerto No.1 by Tigran Mansurian. Also on the programme: works by Holst and Shostakovich.
On 30 May, the concert “In L’istesso Tempo” will showcase a quintet including Sonig Tchakerian and Sara Mazzarotto (violins), Danilo Rossi (viola), Mario Brunello (cello), and Andrea Lucchesini (piano). The festival will close on 8 June with “Proust – à la recherche de la petite phrase”, a refined dialogue between music and literature, featuring Marco Rizzi (violin), Ettore Pagano (cello), Andrea Lucchesini (piano), and narrator Roberto Citran.
The Matinée concerts at Palazzo Chiericati will include “Adagiosissimo Bach” by Roberto Loreggian (25 May), and the premiere of “Sentieri sotto la neve”, a work by Giovanni Bonato based on texts by Mario Rigoni Stern, narrated by Guido Barbieri (8 June).
The Youth Project will feature musicians selected from prestigious institutions such as the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Fondazione di Pinerolo. The Lamberto Brunelli Prize, now in its 14th edition, was awarded this year to the young pianist from Bologna, Alessandro Artese. Established in 2011 in collaboration with the Brunelli family, the competition has become a nationally recognised platform for emerging piano talents.
The Festival will open on 18 May with Mu.Vi – Musica Vicenza, a day-long event bringing jazz and chamber music to symbolic locations across the city. The festival also maintains a strong focus on environmental sustainability with the “Andante sostenibile” initiative, which plants fruit trees each April in a public park in Vicenza.
VCR Venice Classic Radio is proud to be the media partner of the Festival. The complete programme is available on the official festival website: settimanemusicali.eu.
Venice Classic Radio garantisce che i contenuti dei programmi e del portale web siano adatti ad un pubblico di tutte le età.
