The 2026 Concerti dei Serviti season draws to a close with a performance dedicated to a repertoire that brings different musical worlds into dialogue. On Sunday, September 6, at 9:00 PM, the Chiostro dei Serviti in Mendrisio will host a quintet of five musicians active in two major European orchestras: the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich.
The concert, the last of the 2026 season, will offer a journey from opera to film music. In case of inclement weather, the performance will be held in the Church of San Giovanni.
Five instruments to span two centuries of music
The ensemble brings together Andrea Oliva on flute, Francesco Di Rosa on oboe, Calogero Palermo on clarinet, Andrea Zucco on bassoon, and Guglielmo Pellarin on horn. Four of the five performers are principal soloists with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, while Palermo is principal clarinet with the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich.
The wind quintet occupies a special place in chamber music. The variety of instruments corresponds to a wide range of sonic possibilities: from the light, high register of the flute to the deep sonorities of the bassoon, through the character of the oboe, the flexibility of the clarinet, and the presence of the horn.
A combination that, despite counting only five performers, allows us to tackle pages originally linked to larger ensembles and to present them through a different, closer dimension based on the continuous dialogue between the individual voices.
From Rossini's opera to Bizet and Gershwin
The first part of the program will begin with Giulio Briccialdi's Fantasy on The Barber of Seville . The composition reworks some themes from Rossini's opera in a style designed to showcase the virtuosity and expressive potential of wind instruments.
This will be followed by Georges Bizet's Carmen Suite , built around the melodies of one of the most famous operas in the French repertoire, and a suite from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess . The transition from Bizet to Gershwin shifts the concert toward a different musical language and toward the twentieth century, while maintaining its connection to the theater and a writing capable of uniting diverse traditions.
The program thus outlines a trajectory that does not proceed according to a rigid chronological succession, but rather connects different composers, genres, and periods through the possibility of listening to their works in a new instrumental formation.
The second part dedicated to music for cinema
The evening's final section will focus on music associated with the big screen. The program includes the Quo Vadis Baby Suite by Ezio Bosso, a composer and conductor whose work spanned diverse fields, from classical music to film and theater production.
This will be followed by some of the scores associated with Ennio Morricone, with music from The Mission and Once Upon a Time in America . Two very different cinematic works in terms of setting and language, but united by soundtracks that have acquired a certain autonomy over time, even in the concert hall.
The journey will conclude with Nino Rota and music from three key films of his career: Amarcord , The Godfather , and The Leopard . The presence of these pieces allows us to explore some of the most recognizable musical styles of twentieth-century Italy, entrusting them to a grouping far removed from the original orchestra.
Musicians active in the main European orchestras
The five performers share experience gained in major international symphonic contexts. Over the course of their careers, they have collaborated with, among others, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, and the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala.
The encounter between musicians with professional backgrounds developed primarily within large orchestras gives the group a specific experience of ensemble work. The transition from orchestra to quintet involves a different balance: each part takes on a more direct presentation, and the construction of the performance depends even more on mutual listening.
In the Mendrisio concert, this experience will be applied to a particularly heterogeneous program, in which operatic music, symphonic writing, and film scores are brought back to the five voices of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn.
The last event of the 2026 season
The evening of September 6th will therefore mark the conclusion of the 2026 Concerti dei Serviti season. The program focuses on compositions already familiar to the public, but presented through arrangements and adaptations for wind quintet.
From Rossini to Bizet, from Gershwin to the music of Bosso, Morricone, and Rota, the evening will explore repertoires born in diverse contexts. The common thread will be the ensemble, called upon to transform into a chamber music dimension pieces often associated with the orchestra, musical theater, or the cinema.
Tickets are available at a flat rate of 30 francs, while admission is free for children up to 14 years old.
Online purchases can be made through prenota.mendrisio.ch.
For further information, please consult the page dedicated to the Serviti Concerts or contact +41 (0)58.688.33.50 or museo@mendrisio.ch.
Servite Concerto – Wind Quintet
Sunday, September 6, 2026, 21:XNUMX a.m.
Cloister of the Servites, Mendrisio
In case of bad weather: Church of San Giovanni
