Fabrizio Meloni and Sandro Laffranchini, principal players of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, together with pianist Francesco Libetta, form a well-established trio that takes center stage in a program spanning Beethoven and Brahms, paired with a contemporary piece by Laffranchini himself: a dialogue between different eras, united by intense and deeply expressive chamber music.
Fabrizio Meloni, principal clarinetist at La Scala since 1984, is one of the most distinguished performers on his instrument; he is joined by Sandro Laffranchini, principal cellist of the Milanese orchestra, and pianist Francesco Libetta, a figure of international renown. Together, they form an ensemble that has achieved complete musical cohesion over time.
The program opens with Beethoven’s Trio, Op. 11, an early work brimming with energy and brilliance, in which the dialogue between the instruments alternates between thematic momentum and expressive lightness, culminating in the famous finale based on a theme that was very popular at the time.
“Claudia” by Sandro Laffranchini then introduces a more intimate dimension: an evocative and nostalgic elegy inspired by Claudia Cardinale.
In the second part, Brahms’s Trio, Op. 114, unfolds in a restrained and contemplative style, in which the timbres intertwine with balance, allowing the clarinet to emerge in an atmosphere of melancholic introspection.
The result is a musical tapestry rich in nuance, in which Beethoven, Laffranchini, and Brahms come together to create a cross-genre listening experience of great expressive intensity.