Festival delle Nazioni

Festival delle Nazioni returns with its 59th edition, dedicated to Germany and German-speaking countries

Città di Castello and the Upper Tiber Valley host the 59th edition of Festival delle Nazioni, one of the most important music festivals on the Italian scene.

After the tribute to France in 2025, the Festival continues its three-year journey “Towards Europe” by dedicating the 2026 edition to Germany and German-speaking countries. The programme offers a journey through Central European musical culture, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler and Schönberg, through to the twentieth century of Kurt Weill and contemporary music.

The artist-in-residence will be Ramin Bahrami, protagonist of the opening concert and of two projects dedicated to Bach: “Metti una sera a Sanssouci” and the world premiere of “Bach Dance Concert – Indoor” with Compagnia Zappalà Danza.

Alongside him, the Festival will host internationally renowned performers and ensembles, including Elio, Robert Lehrbaumer, Tamás Érdi, Luigi Piovano, Wiener Kammersymphonie, Bavarian Brass Sextet Ensemble Classique, Quartetto di Venezia, Trio Yablonsky and Trio d’Archi di Salisburgo.

The programme alternates chamber concerts, interdisciplinary performances, original productions, projects dedicated to young musicians and events spread across different places in the area, confirming the Festival’s vocation as a space for encounters between cultures, languages and generations.

PROGRAMME

Thursday 27 August
Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
BEETHOVEN BY MOONLIGHT
Ramin Bahrami on piano opens the Festival with music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schumann.

Friday 28 August
Città di Castello, Complesso di San Domenico
6:30 PM
CONCERT BY THE FINALISTS OF THE ALBERTO BURRI NATIONAL COMPETITION
Concert by the finalists of the 9th edition of the competition for young chamber music groups.

Anghiari, Auditorium Mascagni
9:00 PM
ENOCH ARDEN
Melologue for narrator and piano by Richard Strauss, with Caterina Casini and Marco Scolastra.

Saturday 29 August
Città di Castello, Fondazione Burri – Ex Seccatoi del Tabacco
4:00 PM
RISUONARTE: ENSEMBLE SUONO GIALLO
First event of the RisuoNarte project, with contemporary music and world premieres dedicated to Nuvolo.

Città di Castello, Pinacoteca Comunale
5:00 PM
RISUONARTE: ENSEMBLE SUONO GIALLO
Second event of the project, with Laura Mancini on percussion.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
TRIO D’ARCHI DI SALISBURGO
Bach’s Goldberg Variations in the version for string trio.

Sunday 30 August
Città di Castello, Museo Diocesano
11:30 AM
RISUONARTE: ENSEMBLE SUONO GIALLO
Event for solo flute with Andrea Biagini.

Città di Castello, Complesso di San Domenico
6:30 PM
RISUONARTE: ENSEMBLE SUONO GIALLO
Ensemble concert with music by Brahms and Floriana Provenzano.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
TAMÁS ÉRDI
Piano recital with music by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven.

Monday 31 August
Pietralunga, Pieve Santa Maria
6:30 PM
EUROPEAN ORNAMENTS
Concert with Daniela Pini, Fulvio Fiorio and Davide Burani, featuring Bach, Handel, Rossini and Schubert.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
WIENER KAMMERSYMPHONIE
Chamber concert with music by Dvořák, Korngold and Kurt Weill.

Tuesday 1 September
Città di Castello, Complesso di San Domenico
6:30 PM
KURT WEILL: IN SEARCH OF YOUKALI
Sara Della Mora and Marina Miani in a journey dedicated to the musical world of Kurt Weill.

Citerna, Church of San Francesco
9:00 PM
THE SUITE IN ALL ITS FORMS
Luigi Piovano on cello with music by Bach, Antonio Piovano and Ezio Bosso.

Wednesday 2 September
Sansepolcro, Piazza Torre di Berta
9:00 PM
ELIO IN LA RIVALUTAZIONE DELLA TRISTEZZA
Musical performance by and with Elio, with Alberto Tafuri, Sophia Tomelleri, Giulio Molteni and Martino Malacrida.

Thursday 3 September
Lisciano Niccone, New Church of Santa Maria delle Corti
6:30 PM
RAPSODIA SAXOPHONE QUARTET
Concert for saxophone quartet featuring Dvořák, Piazzolla, Rossini and contemporary music.

San Giustino, Villa Graziani
9:00 PM
TRIO CHIMERA
The winning trio of the 2025 Alberto Burri National Competition performs Haydn, Kagel and Shostakovich.

Friday 4 September
Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, Church of Santa Maria Assunta
6:30 PM
BETWEEN VIENNESE SALONS AND THEATRES
Concert for flute and guitar with Salvatore Lombardi and Piero Viti.

Montone, Church of San Francesco
9:00 PM
SISTER WATER
Concert marking the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Saturday 5 September
Città di Castello, Teatro degli Illuminati
6:30 PM
FILARMONICA GIACOMO PUCCINI
Concert conducted by Angelo Benedetti, with a programme ranging from Bach and Kurt Weill to band repertoire.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
BRASSISSIMO
Concert by the Bavarian Brass Sextet Ensemble Classique, a co-production by Emilia Romagna Festival and Festival delle Nazioni.

Sunday 6 September
Città di Castello, Complesso di San Domenico
6:30 PM
IN CORSO D’OPERA
The “Alighieri-Pascoli” Quintet performs music by Rossini, Ponchielli, Weill and de Falla.

Monday 7 September
Città di Castello, Teatro degli Illuminati
6:30 PM
MUSICAL EDUCATIONAL ITINERARIES
Concert with orchestra and choir of the city’s schools.

Umbertide, Sala San Francesco
9:00 PM
BEETHOVEN: WAITING FOR LUDWIG 2027
Quartetto di Venezia performs two Beethoven quartets.

Tuesday 8 September
Città di Castello, Museo Tela Umbra
6:30 PM
MASTERS AND STUDENTS PROJECT
Event with Anthony Guerrini and Sandro Lazzeri, in collaboration with the Giacomo Puccini Municipal School of Music.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
METTI UNA SERA A SANSSOUCI
Ramin Bahrami, Massimo Mercelli, Gabriele Pieranunzi, Luca Ranieri and Cecilia Berioli in a project dedicated to Bach’s Musical Offering.

Wednesday 9 September
Città di Castello, Oleificio Ranieri
6:30 PM
MASTERS AND STUDENTS PROJECT
Event with Stefano Bellucci, Lara Morotti and Gabriele Renzini.

Città di Castello, Church of San Domenico
9:00 PM
TRIO YABLONSKY
Concert with Janna Gandelman, Dmitry Yablonsky and Laia Martín.

Thursday 10 September
Monterchi, Musei Civici Madonna del Parto
6:30 PM
LODOVICO PARRAVICINI
Recital by the first prize winner of the 2026 Premio Franco Gulli International Biennial Violin Competition.

Città di Castello, Church of San Francesco
9:00 PM
BACH AND AUSTRIAN ORGAN MUSIC THROUGH FOUR CENTURIES
Robert Lehrbaumer on the organ, with a programme featuring Sweelinck, Pachelbel, Haydn, Mozart and other composers.

Friday 11 September
Città di Castello, Bottega Tifernate
6:30 PM
MASTERS AND STUDENTS PROJECT
Event with Lorenzo Ronti and Tommaso Bruschi.

Città di Castello, Teatro degli Illuminati
9:00 PM
BACH DANCE CONCERT – INDOOR
World premiere with Compagnia Zappalà Danza and Ramin Bahrami on piano, with music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

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