From June 16, 2020 to January 10, 2021 , the San Colombano Museum, a jewel of the Genus Bononiae museum circuit and home to the Tagliavini Collection, hosts the Still Alive exhibition with string instruments from the collection of Prof. José Vázquez , director of the Orpheon Foundation of Vienna.

There are over 80 ancient bowed instruments from the Vázquez collection (Orpheon Foundation), dating from 1550 to 1780 , all restored and brought back to their original conditions, exhibited alongside the harpsichords and spinets from the collection of Maestro Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini , in an ideal dialogue and timeless between stringed instruments and those with plucked and beaten strings.

The entire Vázquez Collection , the largest of its kind in the world, includes violas, violas d'amore, violins, violas, cellos, violons and baryton. Among the most valuable are a cello built by Simone Cimapane (1692) which was played in the Arcangelo Corelli orchestra in Rome, a highly prized viola da gamba by William Bowelesse (London, c. 1590), which probably belonged to Queen Elizabeth I d 'England, a viola da gamba by Gasparo da Salò (Brescia, c. 1570).

Ample space is given to instruments built in England in the era of William Shakespeare and Henry Purcell, and in the Hapsburg Empire by the dynasties of luthiers such as Thir, Leidolff, Stadlmann and Posch. As an ideal homage to the Emilian city, some instruments of the Bolognese school are exhibited, such as a violin made by Gian Antonio Marchi (c. 1770) or a viola da gamba by Giovanni Fiorino Guidantus (18th century).

Starting from October, the exhibition will be enriched by a rich calendar of events, with concerts, conferences and guided tours, as well as a series of events dedicated to schools, universities and conservatories. Soon all the information on the site and on our social channels.