CONCERT 27 OCTOBER 2026 – “XENIA NEXT GENERATION” IN FLORENCE

Xenia Next Generation Series

Florence, Tuesday 27 October 2026 – 8:30 PM
Teatro Niccolini – Via Ricasoli 3/5

The Xenia Next Generation Series returns to Florence with a concert dedicated to a new generation of chamber musicians.

Four young musicians from Italy and the Netherlands – Akiko Scimemi, Margriet van den Hoven, Magali Duindam and Virginia Bosio – come together as part of the Xenia Florence Project, continuing the musical journey they began through their experiences at the Xenia Chamber Music Course.

In the days leading up to the concert, the ensemble will work intensively on two major works of the string quartet repertoire with Igor Polesitsky, Xenia teacher, and Daniel Llewellyn Roberts, Xenia’s Artistic Director.

The programme brings together two masterpieces written at very different moments in their composers’ lives: Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 No. 3, a bold and powerful work from his mature period, and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 12, written when the composer was only twenty years old.

Beethoven’s influence can clearly be heard in Mendelssohn’s quartet, yet a distinctive voice is already emerging, full of freshness, elegance and imagination. Performing Beethoven first and Mendelssohn afterwards offers a fascinating opportunity to hear how the younger composer absorbed that legacy and transformed it through his own musical language.

The evening will be introduced and guided by Igor Polesitsky and Daniel Llewellyn Roberts, offering the audience an insight into the music and into the ensemble’s work during the Florence Project.

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 No. 3

Felix Mendelssohn
String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 12

Performers

Akiko Scimemi – violin
Margriet van den Hoven – violin
Magali Duindam – viola
Virginia Bosio – cello