Musical Review – Sound Box 2026

“THE EMPIRE AND THE EXILE” – Saturday, January 24, 8:30 PM – Barco Teatro – Padua

2nd Concert of the Hermes Trio: Ginevra Bassetti, Violin – Francesca Giglio, Cello – Greta Lobefaro, Piano

Program:

– Ludwig V. Beethoven (1770-1827) Trio No. 7, Op. 97 in B-flat Major “The Archduke”

– Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Trio No. 1, Op. 8 in C Minor

– Florence Price (1887-1953) – Night (1946) Song for voice and piano on poetry by Louise C. Wallace (arranged by the Merz Trio).

The pieces on the program, though distant in time and origins of their composers, are more closely linked than one might imagine. The light emanating from Beethoven’s Trio No. 7, Op. 97, dedicated to Archduke Rudolf of Habsburg, evokes the prosperity and pride of the Empire and the deep, grateful friendship that bound the German composer to the Habsburg ruler. The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich conveys his troubled relationship with Stalin’s Soviet government in his Trio No. 1, Op. 8: an “empire” of fleeting lights and many shadows, which forced the composer to see many of his works periodically censored and which were only brought to light after the dictator’s death. The concert concludes with a piece by the first African-American musician, Florence Price (originally written for voice and piano and presented here in a trio version), which transposes the theme of exile into modernity, a condition that particularly concerns the composer, a Black woman exiled in America during the era of racism and thus often unable to write her music. Introduction to the listening experience by Carlo Emilio Tortarolo.

Tickets and season tickets are available at: https://www.barcoteatro.it/musica/trio-hermes-24-1-026

The Barco Teatro bar is open from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM, serving delicious cicchetti and aperitifs prepared by Barco chef Claudia Fioraso to enjoy while waiting for the concert.