Aozhe Zhang | Valentina Messa

Monday July 13, 2026, at 9:00 PM in the Cortile dell’Archiginnasio in Bologna: Aozhe Zhang, violin: three centuries of dialogue with the piano

PROGRAM:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata in A major K. 305
• Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer”
• Sergei Prokofiev Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94bis
• Niccolò Paganini I palpiti, Op. 13
  Introduction and variations on the theme “Di tanti palpiti” from Tancredi by Rossini

The Paganini Prize is a symbolic milestone in the history of the violin: the Genoa competition has seen artists who today define excellence in violin performance, as demonstrated by the success of Salvatore Accardo, Gidon Kremer, Leonidas Kavakos, Isabelle Faust, and Ilya Gringolts.

The latest to join this lineage is Chinese violinist Aozhe Zhang (born 2008). At just 14 years old, he was already able to master the 24 Caprices by Paganini, a testament to an extraordinary precocity. In his Bologna debut, Zhang condenses into a single evening the evolution of the relationship between piano and violin over three centuries, culminating in a final tribute to Rossini: offered by Paganini himself, who—like Stendhal—was fascinated by the cabaletta “Di tanti palpiti” from Tancredi.

Talents:

• Aozhe Zhang – violin
• Valentina Messa – piano