CONCERTS 2026 | SYMPHONY
DIAN TCHOBANOV
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor op. 11
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor op. 2
Program
Fryederyk Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor op. 11
It is not often that one hears in a single evening the two piano concertos that Chopin completed in his twenties, before his final farewell to Poland, and in reverse order of their numbering. Youthful works only in appearance, for the expressive reasons and forms that support them are already perfectly finished, following a pattern far removed from Beethoven. In 1830, in fact, the five Beethovenian concertos in Warsaw were still half-unknown, while those of Hummel, Kalkbrenner (dedicatee of the First Concerto) and especially Field, “father” of the Nocturne, were known. The role of the orchestra does not yet assume the weight and impetus it will in the more mature Romantic concerto, to the point that in certain passages one has the impression that the instrumental fabric remains an imperceptible veil. Nonetheless, Chopin’s pianism rises to heights in which poetry and virtuosity press into each other, not without the contribution of popular reminiscences. In the author’s memories, the First Concerto will always hold a privileged place: it was in fact Chopin’s last public performance before leaving Poland in 1830.
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor op. 2
Leaving Poland (which he would never see again), Chopin chose his Second Concerto for its Paris debut in 1832. It is not surprising that the Polish composer focused on this calling card, considering the persuasive force of the central Larghetto, in which an intimate and delicate cantabile alternates between dreamy moments, broken by a tension-filled central episode with stirring tremolos in the strings and dramatic interventions by the woodwinds. An intense monologue of the soul, by which Schumann and Liszt were deeply impressed, recognizing in Chopin a new voice capable of blending virtuosity and introspection. Officially dedicated to Countess Delphine Potocka, the Concerto is actually linked to memories of Konstancja Gładkowska, a singing student who had impressed the composer in his younger years in Warsaw.
Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
45 min. before the start of the concert, the audience is invited to an in-depth discussion of the program by Luca Baccolini, which will be held on the lower floor of the Theater.
Luca Baccolini
journalist, music popularizer and writer, works with the Bologna editorial office of Repubblica and is on the editorial staff of the monthly Classic Voice. For Newton Compton he has published ten books on the history of Bologna. He is the author of theatrical subjects and collaborates as an essayist and popularizer with the most important Italian lyrical symphonic institutions.
SECTOR 1
Full: €45
Over65: €35
Reduced30-35: €30
U30: €25
SECTOR 2
Full: 40€
Over65: 30€
Reduced30-35: 25€
U30: 20€
SECTOR 3
Full: 35€
Over65: 25€
Reduced30-35: 20€
U30: 15€
SECTOR 4
Full: €15
Tickets at €10 for all students enrolled at the University of Bologna, the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna and the G.B. Martini Conservatory of Music for concerts of the 2026 Symphonic Season.
On sale only during Ticket Office presale hours (Tuesday to Friday from 12 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), from one week before the concert, by presenting university badge and self-certification of enrollment for the current year.
This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)




