On Thursday, 18 December 2025, at 9:00 p.m., the Christmas Concert will be held in Pisa Cathedral, now in its 20th edition, organised by the Opera della Primaziale Pisana with the contribution of the Pisa Foundation and, this year, also the Ministry of Culture.
The solemn programme will feature Franz Schubert's Mass in B flat major D.324 and Anton Bruckner's Te Deum in C major, performed by the Cappella Musicale del Duomo di Pisa, the Coro da Camera “Ricercare Ensemble” of Mantua, the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova and a quartet of first-rate soloists: Raffaella Milanesi (soprano), Francesca Ascioti (contralto), Gian Luca Pasolini (tenor) and Mirco Palazzi (bass). Riccardo Donati, chapel master of Pisa Cathedral, will conduct. The concert will conclude with the performance of several traditional Christmas carols.
Franz Schubert's Mass in B flat major, D.324, an early work, was composed in 1815, probably for the celebration of the Nativity in the parish of Lichtental, a suburb of Vienna where the composer was born. Divided into six parts (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei) for soloists, choir, orchestra and organ, the Mass already reveals Schubert's typical harmonic and melodic sensibility. A solemn score, it concludes with a soothing section entirely dedicated to “dona nobis pacem”.
Anton Bruckner's Te Deum, composed between 1881 and 1884, has been compared to “an imposing five-nave cathedral” for its extraordinary musical architecture and represents the highest expression of the Austrian composer's profound religious sense. The choice of a masterpiece such as the Te Deum, a hymn of praise and thanksgiving par excellence, with its majestic and exultant choral style, takes on a special meaning in this concert that closes the Jubilee Year, offering the community an opportunity to give thanks for the spiritual experience lived throughout the jubilee journey “Pilgrims of Hope”.
For the twentieth edition, the graphics have been revamped, inspired by a 14th-century antiphonary relating to Advent, a precious specimen that is part of the core of choral works performed for the Primatial Church.
he Christmas Concert for Solidarity. The Christmas Concert also renews its fundraising efforts for the new Caritas soup kitchen “Come in un abbraccio” (Like an Embrace), a key project of the 2025 Jubilee: at the end of the concert, it will be possible to make a donation. The initiative is a response to the ever-growing material needs of vulnerable people that the Diocesan Caritas of Pisa encounters every day. The new soup kitchen will be accompanied by four Housing First accommodations, an innovative model of reception that provides stable housing, with personal support, as a first step towards regaining dignity.
Ticket office
Free admission with ticket. Tickets can only be booked online from 15 December.
Info and programme: www.opapisa.it
