Maestrissimo

The show

Somewhere between the 17th and 18th centuries, a string quartet goes through adventures and misadventures in true Yllana style. A back-row musician, with no surname but enormous talent, wants to climb the ladder and win the title of maestrissimo.

Maestrissimo sits halfway between a chamber concert, a satirical comedy and a period portrait. Along the way come envy, egos and borrowed works: the piece speaks of ethics, creation and the value of art, without ever losing its laughter.

A sequel to PaGAGnini with an identity of its own, it premiered in 2019. It moves through great moments of classical music, from Vivaldi, Bach and Mozart to Paganini, Mendelssohn, Sarasate, Albéniz, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky, and blends them with pop, rock, folk, flamenco and film, from Morricone to the Beatles.

The four performers, all classically trained musicians, play, dance, act and challenge the audience, inviting spectators on stage. The show is mostly non-verbal, and no knowledge of classical music is needed: the pieces are instantly recognisable.

Since 2021 it has given some 300 performances, from Paris, where it had a season at the Bobino, to Busan in South Korea and to Mexico. It has been applauded in Spain, France, South Korea, Mexico and Malta.