Now in its fourth edition, the Respighi Festival Bologna is the first resident festival dedicated to Ottorino Respighi, one of the greatest Italian composers of the 20th century, in the city where he was born.
Conceived by Maurizio Scardovi, a Bologna-based performing arts manager and the festival’s Artistic Director, the event has, since 2022, turned the city each autumn into a widespread stage for concerts, conferences, film screenings, talks, and special events.
Its aim is to rediscover the work of Respighi and his contemporaries, promoting the immense musical heritage and the cultural and social vitality of early 20th-century Italy. The project also seeks to enhance the role of Bologna as a UNESCO Creative City of Music, the only one in Italy, and a leader in the international cultural scene.
Complete Program
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2025 – 9:00 PM
TEATRO MAZZACORATI 1763
CD Presentation Concert – Respighi: Piano Works (Da Vinci 2025)
Maurizio Scardovi, speaker
Pietro Beltrani, piano
Program
Respighi – Six Pieces P 44
Respighi – Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies P 135
Respighi – Sonata in F minor P 16
In collaboration with Succede solo a Bologna
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2025 – 3:00–6:00 PM
ACCADEMIA FILARMONICA DI BOLOGNA – SALA MOZART
Scholarly Conference
The Piano in 20th Century Italian Music: From Respighi to Casella
Curated by Piero Mioli
Speakers:
Giovanni Cultrera, Vitale Fano, Lorenzo Fico, Aldo Orvieto
Special guest: Gloria Campaner
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2025 – 7:00 PM
ACCADEMIA FILARMONICA DI BOLOGNA – SALA MOZART
Piano Recital
Anastasia Fioravanti, piano
Pizzetti – Songs of Remembrance Op. 121
Wolf-Ferrari – Three Impromptus Op. 13
Domenico Bevilacqua, piano
Casella – from Nine Pieces Op. 24
Malipiero – Passing Masks Op. 40
Cristina Cutuli – World premiere for piano four-hands
Commissioned by Musica Insieme
In collaboration with Accademia Filarmonica and Accademia Pianistica di Imola
SEPTEMBER 29 – OCTOBER 3, 2025
TEATRO DEL BARACCANO
Pulcinella, All’improvviso!
A co-production of the Orchestra and Teatro del Baraccano and Festival Respighi Bologna
Orchestra del Baraccano
Giambattista Giocoli, director and creator
Marco Sgrosso, dramaturgy and stage direction
Two evening performances and two morning shows for schools
In collaboration with Teatro del Baraccano
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2025 – 8:00 PM
PALAZZO BONCOMPAGNI
Dinner at Casa Respighi
Dinner-show featuring:
Beatrice Lomurno, violin
Alessandro Artese, piano
Gabriele Duma, direction and script
A musical-theatrical experience telling the story of young Respighi’s studies, family, and early artistic life
In collaboration with Palazzo Boncompagni
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2025 – 8:30 PM
TEATRO AUDITORIUM MANZONI
Part of Musica Insieme Season “I Concerti 2025/26”
Beijing Symphony Orchestra
Giuseppe Gibboni, violin
Muhai Tang, conductor
Program
Jiping Zhao – Spring Overture
Paganini – Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7
Zhou Long – Wind of Bell and Drum (from Beijing Rhyme)
Respighi – Metamorphoseon XII Modi P 169
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025 – 8:30 PM
SALA BOSSI – CONSERVATORIO G.B. MARTINI
A Duo’s Story: Seventy Years of Success
Bruno Canino – Antonio Ballista, piano duo
Program
Casella – Pupazzetti, Op. 27
Malipiero – Dialogues
Casella – Pages of War, Op. 25
Debussy – En Blanc et Noir
Fauré – Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Ravel – Rhapsodie Espagnole
In collaboration with Conservatorio “G.B. Martini” of Bologna
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025 – 6:00 PM
CINEMA MODERNISSIMO
Respighi at the Movies
Young People’s Concert – The Anatomy of a Symphony Orchestra
(1970, 51’, CBS Television)
Original English version with Italian subtitles
Leonard Bernstein conducts Pines of Rome by Respighi with the New York Philharmonic
In collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2025 – 8:30 PM
ORATORIO DI SAN FILIPPO NERI
Tribute to Guido Alberto Fano on the 150th Anniversary of His Birth
Ensemble Mark Rothko
Massimiliano Ferrati, piano
Program
Castelnuovo-Tedesco – String Quartet No. 3
Fano – Piano Quintet in C Major
In collaboration with Archivio Musicale Guido Alberto Fano Onlus
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2025 – 8:30 PM
COMUNALE NOUVEAU
Sleeping Beauty in the Woods
Opera in three acts by Ottorino Respighi
New staging – World Premiere
Soloists, Choir and Orchestra of the Conservatorio “G.B. Martini”
Matteo Parmeggiani, conductor
Giovanni Dispenza, stage director
Costumes and scenery by Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna
Morning performance for schools at 11:00 AM
In collaboration with Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Accademia di Belle Arti, and Conservatorio “G.B. Martini”
Program
| Sunday 19 October | From 06:00 PM |
| Tuesday 21 October | From 08:30 PM |
| Saturday 25 October | From 08:30 PM |
Map
Festival Respighi Bologna
Vari luoghi
Telephone: +39 051 271932
Email: info@festivalrespighi.it
Site/minisite/other: https://musicainsiemebologna.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0c7d7cef81a38779c331594a9&id=aa55a7aca6&e=1ec0286200
