Pianissimo Festival (Rome leg)

The Roman debut of an international festival

The Pianissimo Festival arrives in Italy for the first time, and it does so in the most evocative way possible: with a concert-event in the Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, a jewel of Roman Baroque overlooking the square of the same name, just a stone's throw from the Pantheon. The appointment, scheduled for Friday, February 20, 2026, marks the arrival in the Capital of a musical project born in Saint Petersburg and active for nearly ten years, which has already graced iconic locations such as the Hermitage, Moscow, Geneva, and St. Moritz.

A dialogue between music and architecture

The festival's philosophy is clear and fascinating: to present great classical music not in traditional concert halls, but in museums, monuments, and architecturally significant spaces, where the sound naturally dialogues with the history and beauty of the venue. Under the frescoed vaults of Sant'Ignazio, a masterpiece of illusionistic perspective by Andrea Pozzo, the music finds an exceptional resonance chamber, capable of amplifying its emotional impact.

The concert program

The evening offers a refined itinerary between Baroque and Classicism, entrusted to two young performers. The program includes the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903 and the Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 by Johann Sebastian Bach, alongside the Piano Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:52 by Franz Joseph Haydn. A demanding repertoire, designed to highlight the maturity and sensitivity of the young talents involved.

The young performers

The heart of the Pianissimo project is supporting pianists during a crucial phase of their professional training. The protagonists of the Roman debut are Davide Ranaldi, an Italian pianist born in 2000, and Konstantin Emelyanov, trained in Russia: two musicians called upon to engage with a discerning audience and the acoustics of one of Rome's most famous sacred spaces.

A cultural bridge in the heart of Lazio

Hosted in the Municipality of Rome, the capital of the Province of Rome and the Lazio region, the concert represents much more than a simple musical evening: it is a cultural bridge that unites music, architecture, and European intellectual heritage. Making the initiative even more precious is the free admission policy, which opens the doors of the great piano repertoire to a wide audience in one of the most fascinating settings of the Eternal City.