The powerful breath of the accordion blends with the elegance of the string quintet, creating a unique and deeply evocative sound. Each piece unfolds like a short film in sound, offering a listening experience that takes the audience through visionary landscapes, guided by the narrative voice of the accordion. Alongside renowned works from the repertoire, the evening will also feature the live presentation of the new album, Orizzonti Sonori.
All members of the quintet are also members of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino:
Accordion: Francesco Furlanich
Violin: Simone Ferrari
Violin: Anton Horvath
Viola: Dézi Herber
Cello: Wiktor Jasman
Double bass: Riccardo Donati
Francesco Furlanich: Biography
Born in Trieste in 1969, his artistic journey began at a very early age. He started studying classical accordion at the age of five and received numerous awards in national and international competitions. He trained at the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory in Trieste, where he studied piano, bassoon, organ and organ composition, graduating with the highest honours in both bassoon and accordion.
Since 1997, he has served as Second Bassoonist with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, a position he still holds today. He has worked with world-renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel and many others. At the same time, he has continued to perform and record as an accordionist, making recordings for RAI, Radio Capodistria and major record labels. He has appeared at prestigious international festivals and concert halls, from the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow to the St Petersburg Philharmonia, as well as in Lugano with the Martha Argerich Project.
His musical curiosity has led him to explore a wide range of styles. In 2006, he co-founded the Klezmerata Fiorentina, dedicated to improvised Jewish music. Since 2011, he has also explored the bandoneon and Argentine tango through various projects combining tango, classical music and jazz. In 2015, he founded the trio Quartocolore, bringing together the accordion’s many expressive possibilities.
In recent years, he has expanded his work as a composer and arranger, collaborating with Carlo Chiarotti and the Florence Pop Orchestra, taking part in international festivals and developing his artistic practice through masterclasses with internationally renowned composers, including Tamiya Terashima and Cho Sung-Woo. Today, he continues to combine tradition and innovation, pursuing an open and constantly evolving musical journey.
