The Garda Musik Week 2024 will take place from August 23 to 29, transforming Gargnano into a hub of high-level classical music. This festival, organized by the Municipality of Gargnano with the support of local associations, stands out for its diverse and prestigious musical offerings, maintaining a program that encompasses both traditional repertoire and more innovative works.
A Tribute to Puccini and Beyond
The 2024 edition of the Garda Musik Week will open on August 23 with an evening dedicated to the centenary of Giacomo Puccini’s passing. Artists from the renowned Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, including soprano Shoko Okada and tenor Rino Matafù, will perform a recital of arias and duets from the composer’s most iconic operas, such as Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La Bohème. The performance, accompanied on the piano by Sandro Ivo Bartoli, will take place at the Sala Castellani and promises to be an emotional tribute to the great maestro from Lucca.
The tribute to Puccini will not be the only significant event of the festival, but it will certainly represent one of the most heartfelt moments, thanks to the participation of internationally renowned artists associated with one of the world’s most important lyrical institutions. This event not only celebrates Puccini but also emphasizes the importance of cultural continuity and respect for the Italian musical tradition.
A Diverse Program
However, the Garda Musik Week will not be limited to the tribute to Puccini. Italian pianist Costanza Principe, one of the most authoritative voices in contemporary concert music, will be featured in a recital on August 24, also at the Sala Castellani. Her program will be entirely dedicated to Robert and Clara Schumann, exploring the complex creative dynamics of this pair of Romantic composers. Costanza Principe will perform the Papillons Op. 2, Clara’s Valses Romantiques Op. 4, and Robert’s monumental Sonata Op. 14, a work that presents a true technical and interpretative challenge.
Another not-to-be-missed event will be the Concert at Dawn featuring Canadian violinist Debra Fast, taking place on August 25 at 6:30 AM in the enchanting Church of San Giacomo. Fast’s program will include solo violin works by Thomas Baltzar, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Eugène Ysaÿe, offering the audience a unique dawn experience in a setting that amplifies the spiritual character of the music presented.
Tradition and Innovation
On August 25, there will be another unique event: a bell concert held by the Campanari of Gargnano from the bell tower of San Martino Vescovo. This event celebrates the bell-ringing tradition of the Garda region, keeping alive an ancient and significant practice that perfectly aligns with the festival’s philosophy of enhancing the local cultural heritage.
The festival will conclude on August 29 with a recital by Ukrainian pianist Alexander Romanovsky, an internationally acclaimed artist and winner of the Busoni Prize. Romanovsky will perform Mozart’s Sonata in F Major K. 332, followed by a selection of eight Transcendental Etudes by Liszt and the Mephisto Waltz No. 1, in a program that promises to close the festival with an explosion of virtuosity and expressive intensity.
An Inclusive Musical Experience
All events of the Garda Musik Week 2024 will be free of charge, reflecting the organizers’ desire to make music accessible to everyone, creating a bridge between different cultures through the universality of musical language. This festival, with its rich and diverse program, represents a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in a musical experience that embraces tradition and innovation, local and global, in one of the most picturesque settings of Lake Garda.
Italian Version
