“When Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was first premiered it was branded as unlistenable music, while Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was judged by the leading critic of the time as music that ‘smells of cheap spirits’; today they are among the most popular and beloved masterpieces ever written. For this reason, in the new season we will seek to highlight the concept of modernity in music, regardless of whether it is music of yesterday or of today, in the awareness that only knowledge – and not prejudice – can lead to a better appreciation of art, whether one wishes to explore it in depth or simply experience it on an emotional and entertaining level.”
With these words, Artistic Director Roberto Codazzi explains the vision behind the Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi’s 2026 musical project, a series promoted by the Museo del Violino and Unomedia with the support of Fondazione Arvedi Buschini and MdV Friends.

As in the past year, STRADIVARIfestival is no longer confined to the autumn season alone but takes the shape of a true concert season running from January to December. The first part is devoted to the Piano series – following the positive response of 2025 – and the season concludes with the traditional STRADIVARImemorialday on 18 December, marking the anniversary of the death of the greatest violin maker in history.
This year’s programme is titled The Future of Classical Music, Classical Music of the Future, “a chiasmus,” Codazzi explains, “that represents and reinforces the idea of a season that deliberately alternates, encourages dialogue between, and sets in comparison the music of yesterday and today. A way of projecting into the future the modernity of past masterpieces while at the same time presenting works from the twentieth century and our own time that deserve a chance to be heard. Not all so-called contemporary music is the product of intellectualism for its own sake; on the contrary, there exists today a generation of composers eager to communicate, to be loved, and to move audiences just as composers of the classical era once did – starting with that Beethoven (1770–1827) whose bicentenary the world is about to celebrate, who was considered by his contemporaries too eccentric and revolutionary, and whom history has ultimately vindicated.”

The season features many stars, beginning with pianists of the calibre of Andrea Lucchesini, Rudolf Buchbinder, Ivo Pogorelich, and sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque; followed by violinists such as Augustin Hadelich and Sergey Khachatryan, both making their debut on the Arvedi stage; the celebrated cellist Sol Gabetta; and chamber orchestras of the standing of the Wiener Concert-Verein and Camerata Vienna Milano, the latter joined by soloist Xavier de Maistre, widely regarded as the greatest harpist in the world.
There will also be artistically stimulating special projects, including a “bonsai” version of Mozart’s Requiem for vocal quartet and string quartet; the Concerto for Cremona with Sergej Krylov in the dual role of soloist and conductor; the intriguing concert “From Monteverdi to the Beatles” featuring countertenor Raffaele Pe and bassist Saturnino; great chamber music with masterpieces such as Schubert’s Trout Quintet performed by an all-star ensemble; and finally STRADIVARImemorialday, with the return of Francesca Dego in a trio with clarinettist Alessandro Carbonare and pianist Alessandro Taverna.

Download the full programme here

Tickets for the Il Pianoforte series will go on sale starting Wednesday 14 January, while tickets for STRADIVARIfestival concerts will be available from Wednesday 25 February at the Museo del Violino box office and online at www.vivaticket.it.
(Prices: €30 for sections A/B/C/D/E/H/I – €25 for sections G/F – student promotion €12 for sections G/F)

Subscriptions for STRADIVARIfestival concerts* (10 concerts from 31/03 to 18/12) will be available for purchase starting Wednesday 11 February at the Museo del Violino box office and online at www.vivaticket.it.
Prices: €200 for sections A/B/C/D/E/H/I – €150 for sections G/F – student promotion €12 for sections G/F

*Subscription valid for STRADIVARIfestival concerts on: 31/03; 27/04; 19/05; 29/09; 10/10; 17/10; 07/11; 26/11; 05/12 and 18/12.

Box Office:
Museo del Violino, Piazza Marconi 5, Cremona
Tel. +39 0372 080809
Tuesday to Friday: 11.00 am – 5.00 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm