The first event of I Concerti della Stauffer will take place on Saturday, December 13. The series is curated by the Stauffer Academy of Cremona. Roman Simovic will lead the Stauffer String Ensemble as conductor and also perform as solo violinist in a program that inaugurates the project in which Masters and Students share the stage and interpretative experience.

Bach, Tchaikovsky, Piazzolla: a program spanning three centuries of music, challenging the performers with radically different styles, performance practices, and musical languages. From the precise gestures of the Baroque to the lyrical expansiveness of the Romantic era, and from percussive effects, gritty timbres, to the urban atmospheres of Argentine tango, the program creates a rich sonic arc offering a surprising journey for both audiences and musicians.

All of this will be presented at the concert on Saturday, December 13, at the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium of the Museo del Violino, where the Stauffer String Ensemble, under the direction of Roman Simovic, will perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings Op. 48, and Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas.

The concert represents the culmination of an intensive path structured by the Concertmaster Course: days of lessons, score study, section rehearsals, and full ensemble rehearsals, undertaken by the twenty-two musicians of the Stauffer String Ensemble – twelve violins (with three alternating concertmasters), four violas, four cellos, and two double basses – under the guidance of Simovic, a remarkable violinist and Concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra. This formative and human journey naturally finds its expression in the shared stage experience.

The evening opens with the Third Brandenburg Concerto, one of Bach’s “group concertos,” featuring dense contrapuntal writing: a continuous interplay between Tutti and Soli in the first movement, an open-structured Adagio, and a thrilling contrapuntal Finale.

Next is Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, composed in 1880 as a tribute to Viennese Classicism. While belonging to a genre in decline, the work reflects the composer’s admiration for Mozart, employing a clear, measured style that combines melodic grace, rhythmic brilliance, and hints of melancholy. From its premiere, the Serenade achieved immediate success.

The program closes with Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, one of the composer’s most iconic works: four tangos evoking a Buenos Aires suspended between intimacy, nostalgia, and rhythmic drive. Originally composed for a quintet (1965–1970), the pieces were later arranged by Leonid Desyatnikov for solo violin and string orchestra, enriched with Vivaldian references and sound effects that evoke Piazzolla’s urban world. The result is a refined mosaic of tango echoes, dissonances, and cultured references, ending unexpectedly with Pachelbel’s famous Canon.

Roman Simovic

As Concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Roman Simovic is one of the most prominent figures on the international violin scene. He exemplifies a rare balance between musical rigor and creative freedom, expressive intensity and structural clarity – qualities essential for a concertmaster. Trained in the great Russian violin tradition, he has collaborated as a soloist with world-renowned orchestras and conductors, distinguished by virtuosity and profound orchestral awareness. Active also in chamber music, he is a founding member of the Rubikon Quartet and a guest at major international festivals. In addition to his performing career, he maintains an extensive teaching activity, embodying the concept of the “complete musician” that guides his artistic vision.

The concert is free of charge
Advance reservation required via Eventbrite:
https://stauffer_ensemble_simovic.eventbrite.it/