▶ Freedom — “Piemonte: an Italian wrote the French national anthem
The extraordinary story of Viotti and the Marseillaise — the Piedmontese musician whose theme inspired the French national anthem.
VIOTTI AND STRADIVARI.
The Quest for Perfection
Vercelli, ARCA Exhibition Centre | 13 April – 2 June 2024
Exhibition Details
Title: VIOTTI AND STRADIVARI. The Quest for Perfection
Venue: ARCA Exhibition Centre — former Church of San Marco, Piazza San Marco 1, Vercelli, Italy
Dates: 13 April – 2 June 2024
Conceived and curated by: Guido Rimonda
Organised by: Fondazione Viotti with founding members: City of Vercelli, Fondazione CRV, Camerata Ducale
Multimedia design: Heritage
Narrator: Pierpaolo Spollon (actor)
Occasion: Bicentenary of the death of Giovanni Battista Viotti (1824–2024)
Tickets: Full price €15 · Reduced €12 · Schools €5 · Free for under-6s
Side event: 26th Viotti Festival featuring international soloists and over 40 events
Introduction
2024 marked the two-hundredth anniversary of the death of Giovanni Battista Viotti (Fontanetto Po, 1755 – London, 1824), the greatest Piedmontese musician of all time: a prolific composer, a virtuoso violinist celebrated at the foremost European courts, admired by Mozart, Haydn and Brahms, and the architect — together with bow maker François Xavier Tourte in Paris and English bow maker John Dodd in London — of the modern bow, the instrument still used today by every string player in the world.
To mark this extraordinary anniversary, the Fondazione Viotti — together with its founding members the City of Vercelli, Fondazione CRV and Camerata Ducale — paid tribute to their most illustrious fellow citizen with the creation of the first ever immersive, multimedia exhibition dedicated to Viotti: “VIOTTI AND STRADIVARI. The Quest for Perfection”.
The Exhibition
Conceived and curated by Maestro Guido Rimonda — violinist and leading contemporary scholar of Viotti — the exhibition welcomed visitors to the ARCA Exhibition Centre (the former Church of San Marco in the heart of Vercelli) with a unique experience blending narrative, emotion and historical knowledge through an immersive, hi-tech installation designed by Heritage.
The exhibition unfolded across three main sections:
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THE MULTIMEDIA NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE — Dramatised dialogues and monologues, narration by actor Pierpaolo Spollon, original music, immersive projections and interactive installations guided visitors through the adventurous life and creative genius of Viotti: from 18th-century Fontanetto Po to the courts of Versailles, from the Concert Spirituel in Paris to the London Opera and the city’s finest salons.
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THE VIOLIN VAULT — At the end of the narrative path, an extraordinary display: four Stradivari violins once owned by Viotti, of inestimable historical and artistic value, on loan from the world’s most prestigious collections. Among them, for the first time ever in Italy, the 1709 ‘ex Bruce’ Stradivari from the Royal Academy of Music, London — the instrument most directly associated with the composer.
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THE LUTHIER’S WORKSHOP — In the adjacent Cappella Pettenati, an active workshop staffed by luthiers and bow makers allowed visitors to witness first-hand the stages of violin and bow making, bringing to life the artisanal tradition that Viotti helped bring to perfection.
The Stradivari on Display
For the first time brought together in a single exhibition, the four Stradivari linked to Viotti:
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Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1709, ‘ex Bruce’ — Collection of the Royal Academy of Music, London
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Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1718, ‘ex Arnold Rosé’ — Collection of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
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Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1718, ‘San Lorenzo’ — Munetsugu Collection, Nippon Violin
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Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1704, ‘ex Viotti’ — Munetsugu Collection, Nippon Violin
Over his lifetime, Viotti owned at least twelve Stradivari instruments. He was one of the principal architects of the myth surrounding this extraordinary luthier, whose universal fame owes much to the judgement and passion of the great Piedmontese violinist.
The Accompanying Programme
The exhibition was embedded within the XXVI Viotti Festival, featuring seven concerts at Vercelli’s Teatro Civico and over 40 associated events: theatrical performances, historical re-enactments, lectures, workshops, guided tours of Viotti’s places and the celebrated Face to Face Concerts — private recitals for a single listener. Guest soloists included Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Kerson Leong, Uto Ughi and the Goldmund Quartet playing four of Paganini’s Stradivari.
Download the exhibition catalogue
(Formato PDF)
THE VIDEOS — Viotti’s Life in Chapters
At the heart of the immersive experience were original videos narrating Viotti’s life in thematic chapters: the key milestones of his artistic and human journey, the most significant anecdotes, his relationships with the great figures of his time. A story told through images and sound, projected onto full-height screens, transporting the visitor into the musical Europe of the 18th century.
The chapters unfolded in chronological sequence, weaving Viotti’s biography with the broader historical context of Europe between the 18th and 19th centuries: the French Revolution, royal courts, Enlightenment salons, the Napoleonic Wars. The story of a man who lived through an era of radical transformation without ever ceasing to play and to teach.
Each chapter — from birth in Fontanetto Po to revolutionary Paris, from London’s salons to his death in exile — was projected onto full-height screens that enveloped the visitor, dissolving the distance between the present and 18th-century Europe. An experience many visitors described as the most moving moment of the entire exhibition.
Video production: Wonderage Production ▶ Video backstage
This extraordinary audiovisual work was created with a purpose that extends far beyond the exhibition itself: the chapters on Viotti’s life are conceived as the narrative core of the future Museo Viotti, to be housed in the composer’s birth house in Fontanetto Po. A work built to last.
VIOTTI IN THE MEDIA — Press Coverage
Freedom — Oltre il Confine (Mediaset) — Two episodes dedicated to Viotti and his world, presented by Roberto Giacobbo:
▶ Freedom — “Stradivari — The Angel’s Voice: the Black Violin”
The story of the Stradivari Leclair known as ‘il Noir’ — the black violin at the heart of the exhibition and of Maestro Rimonda’s collection. Roberto Giacobbo travels to Vercelli to tell its story.
The exhibition received extensive national and local media coverage:
Rivista Musica — “The first exhibition ever dedicated to this extraordinary artist”
Finestre sull’Arte — In-depth feature on the exhibition and the Viotti bicentenary
Prima Vercelli — “More experienced than seen” — press preview report
La Sesia — Interview with Maestro Rimonda at the opening
Il Monferrato — Full calendar of associated events
Trenitalia — Exhibition promoted as a regional cultural destination
Visit Valsesia Vercelli — Listed among the region’s cultural highlights
Visitor Reviews
"A unique emotion! Discovering Viotti's adventurous life, his genius, his innovations... a truly beautiful experience. Thank you for bringing these priceless violins to Vercelli!"
"Not just an exhibition. An emotional journey through Viotti's life and his turbulent times."
"Fascinating, admirable, unique, sensational. The atmosphere enchants every visitor."
"A brilliant idea. A symphony of communication, enthusiasm and passion — illuminating history and Vercelli."
"An unexpected concentration of genius, music and poetry with a truly engaging installation."
"A plunge into beauty and harmony, with impeccable organisation!"