The Zen Garden
Cello Concert
May 17, 2026 | h 18:00
Concert
Ticket price: €15
Music by:
Francesco Dillon Celestografie (Italian premiere)
Francesco Dillon Celestografie (Italian premiere)
Alexander Raskatov Dramatic Games
Corrado Rojac Nhamandu (world premiere)
Oyvind Torvund Seven pieces for solo cello (world premiere)
Kate Moore Rebellion
The third event in the cycle Sundays on the Periphery of the Empire will present an avant-garde programme that explores the frontiers of contemporary music, alternating world premieres with national premieres. Dillon, a versatile and refined performer, will guide the audience on a meditative and virtuosic journey, where the instrument becomes the narrative voice of new sonic landscapes.
Francesco Dillon will open the concert with the Italian premiere of his own composition, Celestografie. In this piece, the cello explores ethereal, almost floating registers, seeking to capture the light and space of the celestial spheres. He will continue with a performance of Dramatic Games, a work by the great maestro Alexander Raskatov. A cult figure of post-Soviet Russian music, Raskatov is renowned for his sombre mysticism and theatrical intensity. Dramatic Games is a physical challenge: a game of violent contrasts and heart-wrenching lyricism that lays bare the musician’s soul.
Dillon’s exploration of timbre and style will then take centre stage with the performance of two world premieres. The first is Nhamandu by Corrado Rojac, a composer and accordionist from Trieste with a profound sensitivity: Nhamandu is the supreme deity of the Guaraní, the one who creates himself through word and song. Here, the cello is not merely an instrument, but a shamanic voice evoking the creation myth. The second is Seven Pieces for Solo Cello by the Norwegian composer Øyvind Torvund, one of Europe’s most original voices. His music is a fascinating collage of “imaginary folk,” sounds of nature and urban abstractions. These seven fragments explore the contrast between acoustic purity and melodic complexity.
Eventually, Rebellion by Kate Moore, featuring an almost “minimalist-obsessive” style of composition, will bring the programme to a close. Rebellion is an energetic and hypnotic piece, typical of the Australian composer’s stylistic signature, which plays on tight rhythmic patterns and a strong emotional tension.
Francesco Dillon
Francesco Dillon is an Italian cellist among the most active and recognized in the field of contemporary and experimental music. A leading interpreter of today's repertoire, he has collaborated with numerous international composers, participating in premieres and research projects that explore new timbral, formal, and expressive possibilities of the instrument. He is a member of leading contemporary music ensembles, with whom he performs extensively at international festivals and institutions. His work is distinguished by its focus on experimentation, the dialogue between writing and improvisation, and the integration of music, performance, and other artistic languages. In addition to his performing activities, Francesco Dillon is committed to teaching and the transmission of contemporary performance practices, significantly contributing to the dissemination and development of 21st-century cello repertoire.