Alessandro Bonato expresses delight in sharing stage with Indian musicians
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At 31, Alessandro Bonato has earned renown as one of Italy’s most promising young conductors. Besides conducting the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, he has collaborated with other orchestras and soloists too. “My approach does not change with the orchestra I conduct. I prioritise preparation and respect the musicians I work with,” he says.The Verona-born musician is now looking forward to his debut concerts in India — on August 26 and 30 — where he will conduct the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI). Presented by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the concersta are a part of the Autumn Season 2026. British maestro Martyn Brabbins, who took over as the chief conductor of SOI earlier this year, will lead the season’s first two concerts on August 16 and 21.The season also marks 20 years of SOI. Bonato says he is delighted to share the stage with the musicians in a country that is new to him and eager to discover. He adds: “Music is something we create together and everyone has to give their best in order to achieve the common goal — to bring the scores we perform to life in the best possible way.”The programme, for Bonato’s August 26 concert, includes compositions by Italian genius Gioachino Rossini, besides German legend Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Francesca Dego. On August 30, the programme includes Rossini’s GuillaumeTell Overture, Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 4, Beethoven’s Symphony No 8 and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.According to Bonato, the programme includes two major compositions by Beethoven because 2027 will mark his 200th death anniversary. He says, “I have conducted Violin Concerto many times, but never with Francesca. I know her by reputation and am absolutely delighted to have an opportunity to collaborate with her.”The other composer to feature prominently is Rossini. Bonato explains, “Ever since I played at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy, at age 23, I have lived Rossini’s music to the fullest, breathing the atmosphere of the festival and of the foundation which oversees all the critical editions of his works. We will perform two of the most beautiful overtures Rossini ever wrote — La gazza ladr and Guillaume Tell — his last extraordinary opera. Both are demanding, musically and technically. One of the challenges of Rossini’s music is its dynamics, in particular, the famous ‘Rossinian crescendo’, one of his distinctive stylistic features, which has to be carefully balanced and calibrated.”
