Artistic excellence and medical research come together on Saturday, February 21, at 8:30 PM at the Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli, in an evening that bring together Fondazione per la Cultura Torino and Lingotto Musica with Fondazione Piemontese per la Ricerca sul Cancro as Charity Partner, supporting and promoting the activities of Istituto di Candiolo – IRCCS. This collaboration follows a model successfully tested in January 2024, when Riccardo Muti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a sold-out event that brought together the three organizations for the first time in support of cancer research.
The evening marks Zubin Mehta’s return to Lingotto Musica and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s debut in Turin. Founded in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said, the orchestra is a symbol of dialogue and coexistence among young musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Middle Eastern countries. Presented as part of Lingotto Musica per la Comunità, the evening renews the collaboration between Lingotto Musica and MITO SettembreMusica paying tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.
Alongside his extraordinary career, Zubin Mehta has always demonstrated a strong civic commitment. This is reflected in his long and significant relationship with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which he has conducted on numerous occasions since its founding. The ensemble stands as tangible proof of how music can build bridges where politics divide, transcending boundaries in the name of art. Over the years, the orchestra has established itself as one of the most highly regarded ensembles on the international scene, performing at major festivals and concert halls and exploring from the great Classical and Romantic symphonic tradition to twentieth-century music.
The program explores three symphonic milestones: from the dramatic «Leonore» Overture and the brilliant Eighth Symphony by Beethoven to the Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great”, which revisits the legacy of Beethoven within an expansive, luminous and timeless dimension.