Violin star Bouchkov debuts at the Teatro Filarmonico in the New World concert
Last seats for Friday, May 15th at 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 16th at 5 p.m.
Francesco Ommassini conducts the Orchestra of Fondazione Arena
On Friday and Saturday, for Fondazione Arena’s Season at the Teatro Filarmonico, Marc Bouchkov will perform Šostakovič’s First Violin Concerto, a precious and deeply personal work kept hidden away for years. A thrilling grand finale follows with Dvořák’s “From the New World” Symphony, his most celebrated work, performed by the Arena Orchestra conducted by Francesco Ommassini. An additional performance will take place on tour in Treviso on Sunday 17.
DVOŘÁK NEW WORLD
Ommassini, Bouchkov
Friday 15 May 8.00 pm
Saturday 16 May 5.00 pm
Teatro Filarmonico di Verona
One of the most eagerly awaited musical events of 2026, the concert on 15 and 16 May at the Teatro Filarmonico: the Orchestra of Fondazione Arena, conducted by Francesco Ommassini, performs Dvořák’s celebrated Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, so called because it was written by the Bohemian composer in the United States in 1893, memorably blending the great Central European symphonic tradition with the influence of spirituals and the new American horizons. Fascinating new worlds also emerge in the first half of the programme, with the Verona debut of Marc Bouchkov, international violin star, performing Šostakovič’s First Violin Concerto, hidden from Soviet censorship for years and today considered a titanic “Shakespearean” work for violin, between tormented visions and dazzling virtuosity. The theatre is expected to be packed both on Friday 15 May at 8 pm and Saturday 16 at 5 pm, with only the last few box seats available on the day of the performance. Extraordinary additional performance on Sunday in Treviso.
It was the year 1947, and the already acclaimed Dmitrij Šostakovič (1906–1975) was completing his first Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, dedicated to the legendary David Oistrakh, when the grip of censorship (which had already attacked the composer in previous years) tightened on a national scale, ushering in the Ždanov doctrine in music, effectively banning experimentation and personal ideas. Unable to oppose the regime, the composer worked in silence, refining the work together with its virtuoso dedicatee, who was only able to perform the concerto in 1955 (after Stalin’s death), describing it as a “Shakespearean role” for the solo violin. Curiously, its opus number would be 77, the same as Brahms’ Concerto. Here the dialogue with the orchestra unfolds in four movements, almost like a suite, unusual compared to the classical three-part form. And, as in a suite, dance animates the final three movements: a Scherzo (“demonic dance”, built on the DSCH motif translating the composer’s initials into notes), a Passacaglia and a final Burlesque. This new sonic world, where virtuosic brilliance coexists with mysterious and grotesque shadows, is already outlined in the opening Nocturne, balancing grandeur, intimacy and irony. A rare and indispensable twentieth-century masterpiece, performed in Verona only twelve years ago and again this weekend. The soloist will be Marc Bouchkov, one of today’s most sought-after violin stars in the world’s leading concert halls, together with the Orchestra of Fondazione Arena di Verona conducted by Maestro Francesco Ommassini.
Far more famous and frequently performed is Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, the “From the New World” Symphony of 1893, inspired by the composer’s stay in America. The successful Bohemian composer had been invited to direct the newly founded National Conservatory of New York for two years. An Allegro in sonata form preceded by a mysterious Adagio introduction, a highly lyrical Largo, a Beethovenian Scherzo-Furiant, and a legendary final Allegro con fuoco: the four movements follow the most classical symphonic structure, yet are animated by unforgettable melodic inspiration, combining Dvořák’s originality with the encounter between American folklore, spirituals and the vast horizons of the New World. Performed thirteen times in the Foundation’s history since the 1950s under conductors such as Kempe, Frühbeck de Burgos, Argiris, Honeck and, more recently, Lanzillotta and Battistoni, it continues to attract audiences of all ages and captivate even those who do not usually attend “classical” music concerts. Including the many young people who will take part in Friday 15 May’s introductory Preludio before the concert.
The double performance on Friday 15 May at 8 pm and Saturday 16 May at 5 pm is approaching sold out at the Teatro Filarmonico: the last seats are available in the gallery and, on the day of the concert itself, the final box seats. Continuing the collaboration with Asolo Musica and Veneto institutions, a further extraordinary performance is scheduled on tour at the Teatro Comunale “Mario Del Monaco” in Treviso on Sunday 17 May at 8 pm.
The 2026 Symphonic Season also offers two more unmissable events with major contemporary performers: on 22 and 23 May, young piano star Alexander Malofeev will make his debut with Fondazione Arena alongside Alpesh Chauhan in a symphonic programme pairing Grieg’s romantic Concerto with Bartók’s formal and timbral innovations. In November, works by Hummel and Brahms will be performed by Jurowski and Nakariakov. Single tickets and subscriptions are available at https://www.arena.it/it/teatro-filarmonico, at the Arena Box Offices and through the Vivaticket network.
BCC Veneta is the main sponsor of Fondazione Arena’s 2026 Artistic Season at the Teatro Filarmonico.
EVENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND STUDENTS. The 2026 programme of Arena Young also includes the entire Symphonic Season. Every Friday, as part of the series Let’s Go to the Theatre, schools can attend concerts at reduced prices, taking part in the Preludio one hour before the performance: an introduction to the story, characters and language of musical theatre curated by Fondazione Arena. Information and bookings: Education, Culture and Training Office scuola@arenadiverona.it – tel. 0458051933
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