Cello und Klavier Abend „Suite Italiana“ / REVISION Project

When talking about Italian music between the 19th and 20th centuries, one usually thinks immediately of the great opera composers. However, it is little known that there was also a rich and diverse chamber music culture during the same period – and their works are now rarely heard on concert stages.

With the program Suite Italiana, the REVISION Project invites the audience to rediscover forgotten masterpieces for cello and piano – works by Ferruccio Busoni, Giuseppe Martucci, Francesco Cilea, and Alfredo Casella, which, with their very own unique styles, offer a fascinating perspective on instrumental music from Italy.

In a country that was not unified until the second half of the 19th century, each of these composers developed a distinctive musical language – shaped by their place of origin and cultural environment. Busoni, the son of a German mother, grew up in an international musical environment and combined the depth of Central European tradition with Italian melody. Casella studied in Paris and was inspired by French modernism. Cilea and Martucci, on the other hand, remained in Italy, studied at the Conservatory of Naples, and shaped a music full of lyrical expressiveness.

Valentina Dubrovina (cello) and Silvia Carlin (piano) are not only the directors of the REVISION Project but also the musicians who embody the high standard of the project. Valentina and Silvia came to Basel ten years ago to study at the Hochschule für Musik (College of Music), and have been performing together since their studies. Both are prizewinners of renowned international competitions and have built their musical careers in Switzerland and Europe.

Valentina is active as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles, and with her clarinet trio, the “Varga Trio”. She also plays in various orchestras. Silvia teaches piano at the Basel Music Academy and performs concerts in Switzerland and Europe.