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Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Francesco Di Rosa, Plavens Trio
Noon concerts
There is a certain magic that often unfolds in chamber music. Instruments of wood, brass, and horsehair seem to come alive, engaging in conversations and playful exchanges: the viola mimics the piano, the double bass teases the violin, and at times, the entire ensemble conspires against the lone oboe. In this program, the soloists of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia bring to life the rich dialogue embedded in some of music history’s greatest masterpieces. From Schubert, Mozart, and Beethoven to the passionate rhythms of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, the journey culminates in Gabriel’s Oboe, Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable theme from The Mission, starring Robert De Niro.
Francesco Di Rosa, oboe
first oboe of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Trio Plavens
Elisa Scudeller, violin
Giulia Scudeller, viola
Veronica Andrea Nava Port, cello
students of the Advanced Specialization Courses of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Franz Schubert
String Trio No. 1 in B flat major D. 471
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quartet for oboe and strings in F major, K 370
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Trio No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 9 No. 3
Astor Piazzolla
Yo soy Maria for oboe and string trio
Oblivion for oboe and string trio
Ennio Morricone
Gabriel's Oboe for oboe and string trio
INFORMATION
Please note that dates and times may change.
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Franz Schubert’s Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, D. 471, composed in 1816, consists only of the Allegro movement we hear in this concert. Nothing is known about the origins of this piece or why it remains incomplete. The string trio format—highly popular in the late eighteenth century—was already beginning to fall out of favor, gradually replaced by other trio configurations, particularly those involving piano. As a composition for strings alone, the Allegro clearly looks back in time, drawing stylistic inspiration from Mozart. Schubert, a two-faced genius in the best sense, seems to wear different masks: one need only compare this finely crafted and elegant Allegro with his contemporaneous String Quartet in E major to suspect they might be the work of two entirely different composers. The quartet plunges into expressive depths that contrast starkly with the graceful, flowing simplicity of D. 471. It is likely that this brief work was among the many written by Schubert for the informal musical evenings with friends and colleagues in Vienna that would come to be known as Schubertiades.
With the Quartet in F major, K. 370 for oboe and strings by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, we encounter a fully realized and remarkable work. Composed in 1781, it marks a moment of significant transition: Mozart had just completed Idomeneo, was on the verge of severing ties with Salzburg and its Archbishop, and had recently absorbed the musical innovations of Mannheim. That city’s orchestra of virtuosi had developed a brilliant and dynamic performance style, notable for its expressive range and technical prowess—qualities that would leave an indelible mark on Mozart’s instrumental writing. The model for this composition is to be found in his earlier flute quartets (K. 285, 285b, and 298), composed between 1777 and 1778. Yet the Oboe Quartet distinguishes itself by placing greater emphasis on the wind instrument, a nod to the extraordinary skill of Friedrich Ramm, one of the preeminent oboists of the time. The oboe assumes a concertante role throughout, lending the work a distinctive originality that foreshadows later masterpieces, such as the Clarinet Quintet.
The first movement (Allegro) opens with an ascending theme for the oboe, which remains the leading voice throughout, transforming a single main theme through inventive variation. The brief Adagio in D minor is rich in expressive nuance—aptly suited to Ramm, who was renowned for the depth and intensity of his slow playing. The quartet concludes with a Rondo, where Mozart applies a refined play of variation to each recurring idea, demonstrating exceptional compositional finesse and elegance.
Beethoven’s String Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 9 No. 3 is the final installment of the Op. 9 set and stands out for its distinct originality, confirming the young composer’s growing confidence and maturity. The key of C minor lends the entire work a particular gravitas, pointing forward to later compositions characterized by Beethoven’s “heroic” voice. In this trio, all three instruments are treated as equals, each endowed with individual character and weight—an achievement that marks a departure from earlier models still shaped by Baroque conventions, where the distribution of roles was more uneven.
The opening Allegro con spirito ventures into highly original territory, both in terms of thematic material and harmonic structure. Beethoven’s hallmark dialectic—the dramatic tension between contrasting ideas—permeates the entire composition, imbuing each movement with a compelling sense of drive and expressive urgency. The trio thus anticipates later triumphs while standing as a major milestone in Beethoven’s early chamber music.
The trio format of oboe and strings, owing to its flexibility, also lends itself beautifully to arrangements of works originally scored for other ensembles. For this reason, the inclusion of music by Astor Piazzolla in today’s program should come as no surprise. Piazzolla was a truly singular figure: an Argentine composer of Italian descent, he rose to prominence as one of the greatest exponents of music inspired by tango and milonga—genres deeply rooted in the urban soul of Argentina, especially Buenos Aires.
Tango has generated vast literature, bearing witness to its complexity, sensuality, and cultural depth. Piazzolla’s unique genius lay in transforming music written for dance into enduring classics—expressive and emotional touchstones of a culture, of a worldview—while rendering them universal. In this concert, we hear two emblematic works from Piazzolla’s vast output. Yo soy María is an operatic aria drawn from his tango opera, María de Buenos Aires—a genre-defying work, as the term itself suggests. Oblivion, written for Marco Bellocchio’s film Enrico IV, is a hauntingly lyrical tango, imbued with aching nostalgia and refined melancholy.
The program concludes with a true gem of film music: Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone, here transcribed for solo oboe and string trio. This iconic theme from Roland Joffé’s The Mission has become a global hit, celebrated for its sheer melodic beauty and that unique quality of Morricone’s music: the ability to imprint itself permanently on our collective imagination with graceful immediacy.
Text by Umberto Nicoletti Altimari
Principal oboist of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, he previously held the same position at Teatro alla Scala from 1994 to 2008. A laureate of the 1988 Jugendmusik Wettbewerb in Zurich, he has performed under the baton of some of the world’s most esteemed conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, and Myung-Whun Chung. As the only Italian oboist to have performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker, he has been invited to teach at some of the most prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Royal College of Music in Manchester, Stanford University, Toho Gakuen Graduate School in Tokyo, the Conservatorio de Valencia, the University of Stuttgart, the Beijing Conservatory, the Universidad de Bogotá, the Conservatorio de la Ciudad de México, and the Oboe Fest in Belgrade, as well as at leading conservatories across Italy. His extensive discography includes recordings for EMI, Thymallus, Bongiovanni, Preiser Records, Tactus, Dad Records, Aulia, Brilliant, and the music magazine Amadeus. A dedicated educator, he currently teaches oboe at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and in the Solo Music Advanced Training Program at the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna.
Elisa Scudeller, born in 2001, began studying the violin at the age of five under M° M. Cristescu and graduated with highest honors and distinction from the Conservatorio di Padova at just 15 years old, under the guidance of M° Glauco Bertagnin. In February 2019, she earned a Second-Level Master’s Diploma with top marks under M° I. Grubert at the same conservatory. That same month, she also completed the Academic Triennium at the Accademia Perosi di Biella, receiving an outstanding distinction and a special jury mention, along with a scholarship. She was also awarded a scholarship at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona, where she completed a Master’s in Musical Interpretation with M° Corrado Bolsi in June 2021. Simultaneously, she obtained her Master of Virtuosity Diploma from the Accademia L. Perosi di Biella under M° Pavel Berman, achieving an "Excellent"rating. In October 2021, she earned a diploma in vocal studies at the Conservatorio B. Maderna in Cesena, and in December 2022, she obtained a Master’s Diploma at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu under M° Oriol Rosés Palacios. Elisa further honed her skills at the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona, studying for several years under M° Salvatore Accardo, and she is currently enrolled in the chamber music program at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome under M° Ivan Rabaglia. She has also refined her artistry with renowned violinists such as Z. Bron, B. Kushnir, S. Dogadin, S. Marcovici, P. Vernikov, I. Volochine, S. Krylov, R. Baraldi, A. Moccia, M. Marin, S. Girshenko, and G. Curtolo. An active chamber musician, she frequently performs in duo with her sister, Giulia, with whom she has participated in numerous national and international festivals, winning several competitions. She also collaborates in a violin-piano duo with Spanish pianist Miquel Esquinas Martínez, with whom she performed in November 2023 at the prestigious Life Victoria Festival at the Hospital de Sant Pau and the Auditori Felip Pedrell in Tortosa. Elisa has received numerous special prizes and top awards in national and international competitions, including: the "Città di Fermo" Award for the best interpretation of a Paganini Caprice at the Andrea Postacchini International Competition 2024; the "Johannes Brahms" Special Prize for the best performance of a Brahms work at the International Johannes Brahms Competition 2024; first prize at the Crescendo International Music Competition in New York, leading to a solo and duo performance with her sister at Carnegie Hall in February 2018; first absolute prize at the Eurasian Music Games 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, becoming the first and only European musician to achieve this distinction. Invited by Italian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Stefano Ravagnan, Elisa was chosen to represent the Veneto region as a soloist and in duo with her sister at EXPO 2017 in Astana. She also performed at the National University of Arts in Astana, appearing in the Great Hall and Chopin Hall, as well as at the Italy Pavilion at EXPO 2017. She won auditions for Principal Second Violin of the Orchestra della Toscana, a position she held until December 2022, and Concertmaster of the First Violins in the Talenti Musicali Orchestra of the CRT Foundation in Turin. She also served as Concertmaster of the Sinopoli Orchestra, with which she performed at the 2016 Christmas Concert in the Italian Senate, conducted by M° Gianna Fratta, in the presence of the President of the Republic and Italy’s highest civic and religious authorities. In September 2018, Elisa performed as a soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 at the Teatro V. Bellini in Catania and the Teatro L. Rossi in Macerata. In December 2019, she gave another solo performance at the Sala della Regina in the Italian Chamber of Deputies. She has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras and ensembles, including I Solisti Veneti, I Musici di Parma, the Padua Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and the Zinaida Gilels Orchestra. Elisa plays on a 1700 Giovanni Grancino violin.
Giulia Scudeller graduated in violin at the age of 15 from the Conservatorio di Milano and in viola at 17 with highest honors under M° Zaltron. In February 2019, she earned a Second-Level Master's Degree in Violin Concert Repertoire under M° Ilya Grubert at the Conservatorio Pollini di Padova. In October 2020, she completed a Master of Arts in Music Performance with M° Pavel Berman at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. She further refined her skills at the Accademia L. Perosi in Biella with M° Berman and the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona with M° Salvatore Accardo. She has also studied with A. Moccia, M. Marin, G. Angeleri, M. C. Carlini and F. Cusano. At just 10 years old, Giulia made her solo debut at the A. B. Michelangeli Hall of the Conservatorio di Bolzano, performing with the Monteverdi Orchestra conducted by M° Emir Saul. She has won numerous first prizes in national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist in prestigious venues, including the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Sala Verdi of the Milan Conservatory, Sala Chopin in Naples, and Sala Maffeiana of the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona. In 2017, she performed both as a soloist and chamber musician in the Great Hall and Chopin Hall of the National University of Arts in Astana, Kazakhstan. That same year, she was invited to represent the Veneto region as a performer at the Italy Pavilion at EXPO 2017 in Astana. As principal viola of the Sinopoli Orchestra, she played at the 2016 Christmas Concert in the Italian Senate, conducted by M° Gianna Fratta, in the presence of the President of the Republic and Italy’s highest civil and religious authorities. In 2019, she was awarded a scholarship by I Solisti Veneti, which led to a solo performance with the orchestra at the Auditorium Pollini of the Padova Conservatory. In April 2021, she won the Concertino position at the Orchestra del Friuli Venezia Giulia. Additionally, she was selected for the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, successfully auditioning for the latter in both 2022 and 2023. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, studying chamber music under M° Ivan Rabaglia.
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