Mozart Evenings Comes to a Stunning Close with Concert Headlined by Giuseppe Gibboni
The third edition of Mozart Evenings. organised by CMDI, the Gaspari Foundation, and the Comune di Verona, drew to a successful conclusion on Thursday 18th June, bringing to an end five days of performances dedicated to the immortal legacy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Hosted at the historic Sala Maffeiana in Verona, a hall which once witnessed the Austrian maestro himself performing within its walls, Mozart Evenings 2026 ran for five consecutive nights from the 14th to the 18th of June, led by its Artistic Director, Tommaso Benciolini and President, Konstantin Ishkhanov. Over the course of its five concerts, audiences who gathered in Verona from all across the globe had the opportunity to witness some of the top classical stars of our time in live performance, including such names as violinists Daishin Kashimoto (Japan), Anna Tifu (Italy), and Giuseppe Gibboni (Italy), cellist Alexander Chaushian (UK), clarinettist Fabrizio Meloni (Italy), flautist Tommaso Benciolini (Italy), and harpist Mirjam Schröder (Germany), among others.
“Throughout these five evenings, we have seen artists and audiences from different countries come together in Verona through a shared love of music, and that international spirit is exactly what we hoped this festival would represent”, said Konstantin Ishkhanov. “I am deeply grateful to Tommaso, and to everyone who helped make this edition possible, and I hope that Mozart Evenings will continue to grow as a celebration of culture, friendship, and the timeless beauty of Mozart’s genius!”
Partnering with the musicians of the L’Appassionata Orchestra and the Quartetto Pegreffi, respectively, these maestros delivered seminal interpretations of some of Mozart’s most celebrated works, culminating in a final evening that saw Gibboni, the Winner of the 56th Premio Paganini International Violin Competition, close the event alongside the L’Appassionata with a programme that included Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525, and his Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K.218.
“It is a huge privilege for me to be here today to perform in this fantastic concert hall”, Gibboni declared, “with a great orchestra and very good friends of mine in L’Appassionata. I am very happy to perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4, which is a truly wonderful work. This festival is really amazing, with so many great soloists, and I really want to thank the Gaspari Foundation and CMDI for the invitation, as well as Mr Konstantin Ishkhanov for what they do for culture and for music. It is a great honour for me to be here tonight!”
Easily one of the most immediately recognisable works in the entire classical repertoire, the Eine kleine Nachtmusik, which was written in 1787, has long been admired for its melodic brilliance and clarity of form, and offered a bright start to the evening, with its famous opening gestures immediately setting a celebratory tone within the Sala Maffeiana.
Following soon after, the Violin Concerto No. 4, on the other hand, was created during Mozart’s Salzburg years, and is an elegant composition that gives the soloist space to move between emotional expression and virtuosic brilliance. In Gibboni’s hands, the concerto’s vitality was brought to the forefront, highlighting both its classical poise and its more expressive, theatrical qualities.
“It is a beautiful experience for me to play in such a wonderful place, with wonderful people, this beautiful orchestra, and a great soloist like Giuseppe Gibboni, especially today, for the final concert and the finale of this beautiful festival”, said Chiara Volpato, a violinist with the ensemble. “For me, it is a real pleasure to be here and to play in this beautiful hall, and I think it is really wonderful to make music together in this group, and to approach Mozart in such a fresh way.”
Audiences in the hall responded warmly to this collaboration, with Elisa Privitera, hailing from Italy but now living in Canada, stating that “it is so important to have opportunities like this to listen to Mozart’s music live, because it is part of our history and our musical history, especially in Western countries. It is actually my second time in this hall, and I think it is a special place for listening to this music, and also a great opportunity to hear music performed by Gibboni, who is such an excellent violinist.”
Speaking at the close of the festival, meanwhile, Benciolini noted that “we were honoured to host the third edition of Mozart Evenings here in Verona, a city which has such a strong connection with Mozart. We were delighted to welcome so many amazing soloists from all over the world, joining L’Appassionata Chamber Orchestra for this festival. We were also very happy to have such an attentive audience for these concerts, and we look forward to more in the future! It is also important to once again thank the people who have supported this festival: Konstantin Ishkhanov and CMDI on one hand, and Giuseppe Gaspari and the Gaspari Foundation on the other. Thank you for making this possible, and for making this beautiful festival a reality in Verona this year!”
