World Class Concert in the Santa Croce Refectory
The performance takes place on Wednesday at 9.30 pm. Entrance is completely free, all that is required is booking in advance. The concert is part of the European Chamber Music Academy session in Fiesole, in collaboration with the Opera di Santa Croce. Wednesday’s programme consists of two brass ensembles and two string quartets. This performance has something for all fans of classical music, featuring pieces from the classical, romantic and modern eras.
The evening begins with a brass ensemble, the KamBrass Quintet, playing Suite Impromptu from 20th century trombonist and composer André Lafosse. The KamBrass Quintet was born in Barcelona in 2017. These five friends share a passion and curiosity for playing unpublished works, original repertoires and idiomatic arrangements. This Quintet has won several accolades including, First Prize at the Ljubljana Brass Competition and Second Prize at the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition. This recognition has contributed to international renown, being invited to play at several major festivals such as Lucerne, Auditori de Barcelona, Schleswig-Holstein, and Kings Place in London. The KamBrass Quintent released their first album, Developments, last year.
The Elaia Quartet follow the KamBrass Quintet. The Munich based string quartet will be performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Quartet in B flat major ‘La caccia’ K.458, followed by an interval. Founded in 2020, the Elaia Quartet met at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. They have continued studying and playing together at the Quartuor Ébène, Munich University of Music and Performing Arts. In 2022 the German Music Council (GMC) awarded the Elaia Quartet a scholarship with admission to the GMC funding programme. The Elaia Quartet cite a range of classical and jazz influences, such as the multi-genre Kronos Quartet and the more classical Cuarteto Casals. They have collaborated both with the Kronos Quartet and Karl Leister, former principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic.
After the interval, the three saxophones of the A-Delta Trio will be playing the Suite for clarinet, oboe and bassoon by mid 20th century Polish composer Alexandre Tansman. The A-Delta Trio were founded in Basel in 2023 training at Centro Superior Katarina Gurska and Basel Academy of Music. The brass ensemble specialises in interdisciplinary projects, chamber music, historically informed performance, studio recordings, and video/ film. The Trio have reached the final stage of the Concurso Juventudes Musicales de España. They look forward to performing in Florence, having already played in Paris, Basel and Madrid.
The final performance of the concert will be from the Moser String Quartet. They will be performing Quartet No.6 in F minor, Op. 80 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. The Moser String Quartet are another Basel based group who formed in 2021. The quartet have been praised for their expressive gestures, polished playing and homogeneity of sound and balanced. The group have won several accolades such as first prize at the Gran Premi Musical Lauredià, second prize at the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition and the Ambassador Ensemble Special Prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. The quartet have experienced international success, playing across Europe, North America and Asia. This season they were in residence at the Centre Européen de Musique de Chambre and are participating in the Elite Program at the École Normale de Musique in Paris.
Wednesday evening at the Cenacolo di Santa Croce will surely be a night to remember filled with exquisite performances from budding, young musicians. For more information, please see the Santa Croce Opera website.
(Mikela Caracciolo)
