Elba Festival returns from 26 August to 12 September with two events dedicated to Dante

It’s time for the 25th Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa, an international festival that continues to boast the participation of a number of Italian and international artistes. From 26 August to 12 September, the island becomes a top draw for music lovers, which this year also includes two tribute concerts to Dante on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death. Two special projects will focus on Dante’s literary output. The first will be performed on Thursday 2 September with “Separarsi con Dante” by Cesare Mazzonis, which includes excerpts from La Vita Nuova and the Divine Comedy. Massimo Popolizio will perform the piece, whose voice will embrace four compositions (Wolf’s Serenata Italiana, Schreker’s Intermezzo for Strings op. 8, Berg’s Sonata op. 1 and Mahler’s Adagietto from Symphony No. 5) alongside the Archi dell’Orchestra Leonore conducted by Daniele Giorgi.

On Wednesday 8 September, it’s the turn of the world premiere of “Rime”, a composition by Colombian Arturo Cuellar for narration (Saba Beatrice Lucidi) and strings. The evening will culminate with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major by I Solisti di Mosca conducted by Yuri Bashmet, with 11-year-old Justus Friedrich Eichhorn on the piano, who will receive the Elba Festival Prize 2021.

Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa: festival programme

The concerts are generally held in the late afternoon in deeply evocative places to accentuate the bond between music, nature and history.
For the first time, the festival will be held in all the island’s municipalities, with a stop on Pianosa Island and a special event near the Porto Azzurro prison. Festival goers can expect 20 events over 18 days, all nestled in extraordinary nature. This is a festival that has the potential to make Elba the most musical island in Europe.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.elba-music.it/