Beginning of Autumn dedicated to the music of Giancarlo Cardini, working with the composer himself and recording in studio on a marvellous resounding Steinway B dated 1860, restored by Cerneaz Pianoforti – Official Steinway Dealer. The recording, including three unedited pieces, will be released at the beginning of 2020. Below, the inspiringly silent view from Cardini’s studio, in the Tuscan countryside, and some pics from the recording session (thanks to Luca Piovesan, sound engineer and… photographer.)
The view (and silence) of Tuscan countryside from Cardini’s studio
Playing the marvellous Steinway B dated 1860, restored by Cerneaz Pianoforti…
…and the impressive gong by AltrOnde/Stefano Dalan. Plenty of beautiful sounds!
Thrilled to play Giacinto Scelsi‘s piano music in Paris, the city that first recognized and supported his music. First concert on the 21st May at the intimate and refined Galerie Hus, then at the coloured and lively Pavillon Le Corbusier – Fondation Suisse on the 24th. As often, the recorded reading voice was by the film author Sebastiano D’Ayala Valva. Below some pics.
at Galerie Hus – pic Alice Boeri
Lovely drawing by Maryam Geravandi and Tristan Cormier on the Galerie program notes, inspired by music.
Pavillon Le Corbusier – Fondation Suisse: playing immersed in colour, design and nature
Fluxus arrived in Trieste on May 11th, during the 28th edition of Satierose Festival at Teatro Miela. Surrounded by the exhibition Satieflux curated by Sara Codutti and Cristina Burelli – Libreria Martincigh, and the humorous “furniture music” chairs created by artists and creative people who answered the call of curator Eleonora Cedaro and Teatro Miela, I premiered A really lovely piece made for & by Agnese by Philip Corner (video), together with music by Shiomi, Higgins, Corner, Glass and of course… Satie (here the programme). Inbetween, extracts from “Boredom and Danger” by Higgins and from an interview by Mieko Shiomi at MoMA.
Listening with Satie in background, before the piece of Philip Corner… (pic: Eleonora Cedaro)
…and smelling the Krapfenpouff from Lella Varesano – yes, real fresh krapfen.
With Sebastiano D’Ayala Valva and Riccardo Costantini pics by Elisa Caldana, courtesy of Le voci dell’inchiesta Here a small video of the event
E’ stato un piacere introdurre al pianoforte la proiezione dell’intenso documentario di Sebastiano D’Ayala Valva su Giacinto Scelsi, “The first motion of the immovable”, il 12 Aprile a Pordenone. Il film è stato proiettato per il Festival del documentario internazionale Le Voci dell’inchiesta, organizzato da Cinemazero e alla sua dodicesima edizione.
In March two concerts focussed on the work of women composers. On the 10th of March the performance for Camino deGenere Festival at Camino al Tagliamento (Udine, Italy): music by Fanny Mendellsohn, Alina Piechowska, Giovanni Vannoni, Caterina Venturelli, Stathis Gyfthakis, Mieko Shiomi. On the 15th an other step in my research on connections between men and women composers at Salotto Musicale del Friuli Venezia Giulia: a first encounter with Lucia Dlugoszewski‘s music for timber piano, together with pieces by John Cage for prepared piano (and not).
A marzo due concerti a forte percentuale femminile: il 10 marzo ore 17.30 per il festival Camino deGenere (un nome, un programma…) a Camino al Tagliamento (Ud), con musiche di Fanny Mendellsohn, Alina Piechowska, Giovanni Vannoni, Caterina Venturelli, Stathis Gyfthakis, Mieko Shiomi. Il 15 marzo ore 21 una nuova tappa della ricerca di connessioni tra compositori e compositrici per il Salotto Musicale del Friuli Venezia Giulia: una serata dedicata ai newyorkesi Lucia Dlugoszewski e John Cage, inventori rispettivamente del timber piano e del pianoforte preparato (e non solo!).
Camino de Genere Festival, 8th-10th March 2019
Salotto Musicale del Friuli Venezia Giulia, 15th March 2019
Very excited to bring some piano music of Giacinto Scelsi in Texas, USA! From February 18th, recitals and lectures in Denton, Fort Worth and Austin. More details on the Events Page. Below, some pics and a live recording from Denton’s recital, in the perfectly resounding Voertman Concert Hall of UNT with the great Steinway “hybrid” piano by Cyrillus Aerts.
Pronta a volare negli Stati Uniti con la musica per pianoforte di Giacinto Scelsi! Concerti e conferenze a partire dal 18 febbraio a Denton, Fort Worth and Austin, Texas. Tutti i dettagli nella pagina degli Eventi, Sotto, alcune foto del tour e un’estratto dal concerto nell’acustica perfetta della Voertman Concert Hall a Denton, con il meraviglioso Steinway ibrido di Cyrillus Aerts.
With the friends of Fogolar Furlan Southwest/Dallas after the recital with music and writings by Giacinto Scelsi at UNT in Denton (reading voice: S. D’Ayala Valva). Pic: Heidi Dietrich Klein
At TCU in Fort Worth: lecture-performance “The piano music of Giacinto Scelsi”.
In Austin at UT Austin, lecture-performance “The Amateur composer: Giacinto Scelsi and his piano music”. Pics by Andrew R Stoltz
Great opportunity to spend some time at IsabellaScelsi Foundation in Rome! On 8th January, Scelsi’s anniversary of birth, I performed a programme with his piano music and extracts from his poetic and biographical texts, playing one of the two instruments of the composer, a Bechstein grand piano. Then I dedicated some days to research at Scelsi Foundation Archive.
With Irmela Heimbacher, President of Scelsi Foundation (pic courtesy of Alessandra Carlotta Pellegrini)
Un’emozione suonare sul Bechstein di Giacinto Scelsi l’8 gennaio 2019, nel giorno del suo anniversario di nascita, alla Fondazione Isabella Scelsi di Roma! In programma una performance con brani pianistici del compositore più registrazioni di estratti dai suoi testi poetici e biografici. E poi, qualche giorno di ricerca in archivio.
Giancarlo Cardini‘s enchanted music at 39th GIF – GAMO International Festival in Florence. I had the opportunity to work together with the composer on several of his piano pieces, and to often perform them in concert. This time I played “Tre momenti di sessualità infantile”, two of his arrangements of songs by G.Paoli and C.Veloso, and the magic “Rituals on the Ryoanji Garden”, for piano with gong, dedicated to John Cage.
With Paolo Carradori, Giancarlo Cardini, Francesco Gesualdi e Ilaria Baldaccini after the concert (pic by Silvia Dossena)
La musica incantata di Giancarlo Cardini al 39° GIF – GAMO International Festival a Firenze. E’ sempre un piacere suonare in pubblico questo repertorio, sul quale ho avuto l’opportunità di lavorare assieme al compositore. Questa volta erano in programma i “Tre momenti di sessualità infantile”, due dei suoi amati arrangiamenti di canzoni di G.Paoli e C.Veloso, e il magico “Rituals on the Ryoanji Garden”, per pianoforte con interventi di gong, dedicato a John Cage.
At Artissima Fair 2018 in Turin with Cristina Burelli – Libreria Martincigh to present the video of the premiere of Emmett William’s ear, a graphic score by Dick Higgins, performed at Art Park, Egidio Marzona collection in Verzegnis (Udine, Italy) in June 2018. The score was published in 1977 by Rosanna Chiessi, Pari&Dispari edition. Rosanna Chiessi was a fascinating, unique figure in the international world of the Avant-garde art: Lorenzo Balbi, artistic director of MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, presented the catalogue of the exhibition dedicated to Rosanna at MAMbo in 2018. The day after, unexpected Fluxus encounters: Philip Corner and Phoebe Neville, gong performance and talk.
With Cristina Burelli – Libreria Martincigh Udine.
With Philip Corner, Phoebe Neville, Cristina Burelli, Caterina Gualco (pic courtesy of Sandro Martincigh)
Ad Artissima 2018, Torino con Cristina Burelli – Libreria Martincigh per presentare il video della performance de L’orecchio di Emmett Williams di Dick Higgins, prima esecuzione ad Art Park, Collezione Egidio Marzona, Verzegnis (Udine, Italy), giugno 2018. La partitura grafica è un’edizione del ’77 di Pari&Dispari, casa editrice di Rosanna Chiessi, figura di grande rilievo e fascino nel panorama dell’arte internazionale di avanguardia del secolo scorso. Lorenzo Balbi, direttore artistico del MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, presenta il catalogo della mostra speciale a lei dedicata nel 2018. E il giorno dopo, incontri Fluxus inaspettati con Philip Corner e Phoebe Neville!
The title of the 5th season of Salotto Musicale del Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Hauskonzerte 4.0, is “…e le donne?” (…and what about women?). The leitmotiv is the artistic work of women composers, especially (but not only) those who have been or are professionally connected to the composers we focused on in our past seasons (Giacinto Scelsi, John Cage, Giancarlo Cardini, Dick Higgins and Fluxus movement). An adventurous research in often hidden musical worlds and human connections. Works on the programme include the ones of Mieko Shiomi, Alina Piechowska, Caterina Venturelli, Lucia Dlugoszewski, Kaija Saariaho and many others, from the 60s to nowadays, featuring several world and Italian premieres. At this link a review of the project and of the April concert on the national journal Il Giornale della Musica (in italian).
With Paolo Cantarutti, Radio Onde Furlane (bilingual interview italian/furlan)
La 5^ stagione del Salotto Musicale del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Hauskonzert 4.0, si intitola “…e le donne?” ed è il nostro contributo musicale al riequilibrio “di genere” nelle programmazioni concertistiche. Ci siamo rivolti in particolare alle donne compositrici che hanno intrattenuto, o tutt’ora intrattengono, rapporti di stima professionale con i compositori protagonisti delle nostre passate stagioni. Una ricerca appassionante da cui è emerso il lavoro di Mieko Shiomi, Alina Piechowska, Caterina Venturelli, Lucia Dlugoszewski, Kaija Saariaho e molte altre, dagli anni ’60 ai giorni nostri. Non mancheranno diverse prime esecuzioni, italiane e assolute. Ne parlo qui sopra con Paolo Cantarutti di Radio Onde Furlane, mentre a questo link è possibile leggere l’articolo sul progetto e sul concerto di Aprile a firma di Paolo Carradori per la rivista nazionale Il Giornale della Musica.
