Concert “Cello Sounds between Bach and Tango” | 8 Cellos in Dialogue

The Church of Madonna del Sasso will host a special concert by the violoncello masterclass of Prof. Orfeo Mandozzi of the Zurich University of the Arts.

Together with seven young cellists, the internationally renowned cellist and professor Orfeo Mandozzi will perform as a cello octet – in an extraordinary formation that places the warm, multi-layered and immediate sound of the violoncello at the centre. The cello – often described as the “voice of the soul” – reveals itself in its many different facets: at times soloistic and transparent, at times interwoven in dialogue, at times sustained and darkly grounded, at times radiant with virtuosic brilliance – always immediate and deeply moving.

Under the title “Cello Sounds between Bach and Tango”, the concert unfolds a musical arc from Baroque clarity and spiritual depth to the passionate expressivity of the 20th century.

The programme is conceived as an “Omaggio a Bach” and brings together works and arrangements by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Lotti, Antonio Vivaldi, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Gustav Mahler and Astor Piazzolla. The programme includes the Prelude from Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello BWV 1007 by Bach, Lotti’s Crucifixus for eight cellos, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Six Cellos, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas brasileiras No. 1 for eight cellos, the famous Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in a version for eight cellos, as well as Piazzolla’s La Muerte del ángel.

The young musicians are on the threshold of international concert careers and already have considerable experience as soloists, chamber musicians and orchestra members. In this constellation, the result is not a student recital, but an artistically outstanding ensemble project that combines youthful energy with musical maturity and professional presence.

This concert, too, is fully in keeping with the spirit of MUSICA al CUORE: music as a shared experience, sustained by high artistic quality and the special atmosphere of Madonna del Sasso.

Music that connects – a place of silence that inspires.
Admission is free. All music lovers are warmly welcome. After the concert, all guests are warmly invited to the apéro and to a personal exchange.

In collaboration with the Capuchin friars of Madonna del Sasso and the municipality of Orselina.
With the support of the Ernst Göhner Foundation.