Igudesman & Joo , the comedy and musical duo formed by the Russian violinist Aleksej Igudesman and the Anglo-Korean pianist Hyung-ki Joo, famous all over the world for their brilliant executive and interpretative ability and for having captivated millions of people by creating comedy shows that unite classical music to popular culture, will be a guest of Lucca Puccini Days 2022 with a program designed exclusively for the Festival. The duo, who are performing for the first time in Lucca, will present the world premiere of some musical sketches dedicated to Giacomo Puccini and the world of opera, and created exclusively for the Lucca Puccini Days 2022.In the program there will also be other gems already known to the public, to which will be added a preview of the project that the duo will dedicate in 2023 to Sergej Rachmaninov.

The “New York Times” wrote of them: “The fusion of classical music and comedy – enriched by references to pop culture and a completely new attention to the farcical – is fueled by a genuine and astonishing virtuosity”. The duo – who have performed with soloists such as Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Viktoria Mullova and Julian Rachlin, and orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra – have surpassed 50 million views on YouTube and continues its journey aimed at making great music accessible to as large and young an audience as possible.

Simone Di Pasquale (piano) and Federico Guido Ricci (violin), students of the “L. Boccherini” Conservatory of Music, will take part in the show.