Italian ensemble I Virtuosi Italiani plays the Great Hall of the Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade on November 28 from 8 p.m. The concert is called "Extravagances and Follies - an evening of Italian music", organised by the International Opera Foundation and Verdi Opera.

The ensemble was founded in 1989 and has performed at La Scala, La Fenice, the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Royal Albert Hall, as well as across Europe, Asia and the US. It has more than 50 releases for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Warner Classics, and its awards include Opus Klassik and the Diapason d'Or. Artistic director and first violin since 2006 is Alberto Martini, who has been concertmaster of leading Italian orchestras and has worked with conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev and Yuri Temirkanov. In 2021 he won the Diapason d'Or de l'Année for the Rossini album "Amici & Rivali".

The programme is dedicated to the great Italian masters, with Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" at its centre - one of the most performed works in classical music. The oboe soloist is Paolo Pollastri, and Martini leads the ensemble as concertmaster. From Vivaldi's baroque splendour to the virtuosity of one of the most admired Italian ensembles today.

Tickets start at 4,600 dinars via tickets.rs and at the Kolarac box office.