The forty-fifth concert season of the Filarmonica della Scala, organized with the support of the Main Partner UniCredit, opens on Monday 25 January 2027 at the Teatro alla Scala.
2027 marks the bicentenary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the Filarmonica della Scala has chosen to mark the anniversary not with an isolated homage, but with a plan that runs through the entire Season: each concert opens with one of the Bonn composer's nine Overtures, in a cycle that returns, appointment after appointment, the complete arc of his production for the theater and for the occasion. The project transforms Beethoven into the observation point from which to read the entire programme: his figure, his legacy, the legacy for subsequent composers and the possibilities that were opened up by him.
The connections that this drawing makes visible span a century and a half of music history. For the inauguration Myung-Whun Chung chooses the Overture from Coriolanus and combines it with Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Bruch's Scottish Fantasia (25 January). Brahms' Second Piano Concerto, which Lorenzo Viotti places alongside the Fidelio Overture (8 March), is the masterpiece in which the Hamburg composer measures his symphonic voice in front of the Beethovenian model, without fearing it. The Passacaglia op. 1 by Webern, in the concert directed by Simone Young (19 April), dialogues with the Leonore Overture n. 3 and with Bach's Ricercata for six voices in Webern's own orchestration: a journey backwards, from the Second Vienna School to the contrapuntal roots of the seventeenth century, which the Australian director describes as the search for a "fleshy, expressive" sound, closer to tradition than to contemporary music. Michele Mariotti (22 March) brings the narrative arc of Beethoven's Egmont into dialogue with the Spain imagined by Saint-Saëns and Manuel de Falla, rediscovered in autumn in Lalo's Symphonie espagnole which Gianandrea Noseda compares to Symphony no. 7 by Dvořák (10 October), another chapter in the nineteenth-century search for a national musical identity through popular song.
The Russian repertoire, a thread that has continuously marked the Philharmonic's programming in recent years, returns in Shostakóvič's Second Piano Concerto, conducted and played by Lahav Shani with the Münchner Philharmoniker, guest orchestra of the season (8 February); in Rachmaninov's Third Concerto which Riccardo Chailly tackles with Kirill Gerstein (24 May) and, at the end of the Season, in Stanislav Kochanovsky's debut with Shostakóvič's Violin Concerto and Rachmaninov's Third Symphony (24 October): two works born from exile and censorship, mirrors of their respective authors.
The 2027 Season confirms a now distinctive feature of the programming of recent years: the presence of great international soloists alongside a significant number of debuts. The season opens with violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, alongside Myung-Whun Chung (January 25); followed, among others, by the cello of Sol Gabetta (22 March), the piano by Nikolai Lugansky (8 March) and that of Yefim Bronfman (3 May), until the return of Kirill Gerstein with Riccardo Chailly (24 May). Canadian violinist James Ehnes makes his debut at the Philharmonic alongside Gianandrea Noseda on 10 October, and Russian conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky accompanied by violinist Sergej Khachatryan (24 October). Thirty-three-year-old Thomas Guggeis also makes his season debut (22 February), one of the most promising conductors of his generation, while on 8 February the Münchner Philharmoniker will be guests for the first time, led by their new director Lahav Shani, also as solo pianist.
The Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Milan Tommaso Sacchi comments: "With the new 2027 season the Filarmonica della Scala celebrates Beethoven and confirms the central role it has always played in the cultural life of Milan: bringing some of the greatest performers on the international scene to the stage, valorising young talents and, together, strengthening the bond with the city through openness and participation projects. The charity Open Rehearsals, the programs for schools and the Open Filarmonica initiatives are a concrete expression of this vision: a great musical institution that does not limit itself to offering artistic excellence, but puts it at the service of the community".
The President of the Filarmonica della Scala Maurizio Beretta declares: "Each Season of the Philharmonic is born from the desire to offer an artistic project of great quality and to renew a commitment that has accompanied the life of the Orchestra for over forty years: alongside the concert Season, the Open Rehearsals for charity purposes, the educational projects in schools, the scholarships dedicated to young musicians and the Open Filarmonica initiatives are strengthened every year. I would like to thank the Professors of the Orchestra, the Supporters, Partners and Institutions that make this path possible."
Artistic Director Damiano Cottalasso adds: "The 2027 Season offers a very high profile calendar, which brings together some of the most authoritative conductors and soloists on the international scene, including prestigious returns and new debuts. 2027 marks the bicentenary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, which the Philharmonic will celebrate by opening each concert with one of the nine Overtures: an original homage that will accompany the public throughout the year".
UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel declares: "Even on the occasion of the 2027 Season, UniCredit is proud to support the Filarmonica della Scala, giving continuity to a partnership that has lasted for over twenty years. Supporting an excellence that belongs to the Italian cultural heritage and which, thanks to its international vocation, continues to inspire people and communities far beyond the borders of the country is a source of pride for us and reflects our commitment to promoting its value. We believe that supporting culture means investing in the future, contributing to building a more open, inclusive and opportunity-rich society".
With over 700 concerts all over the world since its foundation, the Filarmonica della Scala confirms its international vocation also in 2027, from the United States with Riccardo Chailly to Asia with Myung-Whun Chung, passing through the most prestigious halls in Europe. In 2027 the orchestra is on tour with Riccardo Chailly for two concerts in Seville and Madrid together with Gautier Capuçon (20 and 21 January); and for five dates in May in European musical capitals, alongside pianist Kirill Gerstein: from the Musikverein in Vienna (26-27 May), at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (30 May), from the Philharmonie in Paris (1 June) to the Bozar Center for fine Arts in Brussels (31 May).
The social initiatives of Open Filarmonica continue, carried out with the Main Partner UniCredit and recognized in 2024 by the Municipality of Milan with the Ambrogino d'oro. In addition to the Open Rehearsal Season, Sound, Music!, the educational project on symphonic music which every year involves a thousand small spectators from Milanese primary schools, continues in 2027: this edition is dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven and is scheduled for Friday 9th (school performances) and Saturday 10th April (performances for children and families). For over ten years the "Maura Giorgetti" scholarships have represented an important springboard for very young talents: registrations are open until Monday 14 September for young European harp and percussion/timpani students aged between 15 and 24.
