This year the Stresa festival reaches its 48th edition, the great musical event in Stresa on Lake Maggiore which attracts musicians of an incredible high calibre and visitors from throughout the world every year. With the Easter and Spring concerts as appetisers, the festival officially starts with Meditazioni in musica [meditation in music] from 1st to 9th August and continues with its main part from 21st August until 5th September 2009.

The rich and exciting programme will once again boast great names from the world of international music. Under the artistic direction of Gianandrea Noseda Stresa Festival 2009, also known as Stresa music weeks, will start with the big opening concert on Friday 21st August performed by the Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt conducted by Paavo Jarvi (at 20.30, Palazzo dei Congressi Stresa).

The 2009 theme, Encounters and dialogues, will cover over two centuries of music paying particular attention to lesser known pages between 19th and 20 century: examples include Aleko and The Isle of the dead by Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich's Eighth. A dialogue that is established with more famous and universally known such as La cenerentola by Rossini and concerto for clarinet by Mozart. Vivaldi's Four seasons, alongside that of Astor Piazzolla, La Mer by Debussy and Dvorak's seventh whereas anniversary tributes to both Haydn and Handel have been programmed.

Among the concerts not to be missed with internationally famed artists we suggest 25th August in Stresa for the concert by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev (only date in Italy), La Risonanza (28th August), Cameristi della Scala (29th August), Ensemble Zefiro (30 August) and Jerusalem Quartet (1st September). Solo artists at this year's edition include Ilya Gringolts who will play the entire sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J.S. Bach, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore (26th August) and Violinist Pavel Berman who will perform a duet with pianist Roberto Cominati (22nd August).

For the 2009 festival's closing concert on 5th September, Noseda has decided to confer an original tribute to Serge Rachmaninoff, directing the symphonic poem The isle of the dead and his first opera Aleko which boasts a prestigious Russian cast including Serguey Murzaev, Evgheny Akimov and Svetla Vassilieva. On stage, in addition to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino will also be present.

For more information:
www.stresafestival.it