Very excited for this upcoming concert – Saturday October 23rd – together with cellist Frances-Marie Uitti in Udine at Salotto Musicale Fvg. “Visionaries”, dedicated to Sylvano Bussotti, is a duo exploration of music by Bussotti, Feldman, Brown, Cage, Stockhausen, together with works by Cardini, Uitti and a brand new work created for us by artist Luciano Martinis.
Looking forward to such a great experience!
A dreamy open-air location surrounded by majestic lime trees will host the recital “Lento trascolorare”, with music by Giancarlo Cardini, Caterina Venturelli, Tan Dun, John Cage and Giacinto Scelsi.
First planned on a very special day, the 8th of August (see G.Scelsi, 5 Jan 1905 – 8 Aug 1988), then moved to the 22nd to… follow the sun.
An ideal place to resound in quietness.
Honoured to be part of the third publication of (re)cover by Libreria Martincigh in Udine, an editorial project that redeems out of print books and (re)presents them to the public along with new contributions in dialogue with the original work. Quoting the text introducing this edition:
“Started in 2016 by the bibliographic studio Martincigh, (re)cover creates hybrid publications that make resonate past and present, tracing connections between great masters and contemporary authors. (re)cover/3 presents the artist book by Giancarlo Cardini, Soap bubbles, published in 1991 by the Centro Di Edizioni, paired with the music album, Lento trascolorare, by the pianist Agnese Toniutti, produced by Da Vinci Classics, stemmed from collaboration between the Friulian interpreter and the Florentine composer.”
Bolle di Sapone/Soap bubbles includes a collection of short poems or, as the author writes, “Fragments of daily contemplations” collected from 1971 to 1989, the libretto of Il Castello Insonne, “scenic nocturnal mystery in 29 episodes, to be played between about two and four o’clock on a moon- less night” performed at Venice Biennale Musica in 1991, and the score of Neo-Haiku Suite for piano, flowers, lights, objects and two performers (1979), together with photographs from the performances. One of them, a picture by Enzo Della Monica, served as a cover image for the cd Lento trascolorare.
The (re)cover edition is also accompanied by a precious text by journalist and writer Brunella Torresin.
Grateful and excited to play live again: a weekend on the road with music I love.
On Friday 18th Sept in Bologna, for Angelica 30th Festival. In program the intriguing music for timbre piano by Lucia Dlugoszewski (a European premiere) and a solo piano piece by Giancarlo Cardini from my new disc Lento trascolorare. Double set: it was great to share the stage with Frances Marie Uitti’s legendary cello (and music)!
On Sunday 20th Sept. in Villa di Toppo Florio (Buttrio, Ud), immersed in an enchanting botanical garden, for TreeArt Festival. A program dedicated to Giacinto Scelsi, introduced by Luciano Martinis’s lecture about the famous Palm Tree of Scelsi. In collaboration with Scelsi Foundation – Rome.
Below some pics and video of the events.
Angelica Festival, Bologna, before and during the concert
photo by Angelo Salvin
photo by Angelo Salvin
TreeArt Festival, Buttrio (UD), with Luciano Martinis and his series “La Palma di Scelsi” (Scelsi’s Palm Tree)
TreeArt Festival, Buttrio (UD), the concert (photo Lara Carrer)
TreeArt Festival, Buttrio (UD), a video of the event
Despite we’re definitely living in “interesting times”, as Venice Biennale 2019 seemed to foresee, music finds its way.
My new recording Giancarlo Cardini: Lento trascolorare, piano music is finally available on line at Da Vinci Classics website, and from June, 12th on digital distribution (iTunes, Amazon, etc) and in store.
On the playlist four unreleased pieces, “Via del Fico, Firenze. Una piccola strada disadorna, silenziosa, quasi immota, arida e bella” (2011), “Tre momenti di sessualità infantile” (2007), “Terza Fantasia, ad Agnese Toniutti” (2018) and a new version of “Foglie d’autunno lentamente trascolorano” (1983, rev. 2018), together with the fascinating “Rituals for the Ryoanji Garden” for piano, gong and voice (2012) and “Una notte d’inverno” (1982) (preview here and below).
The booklet offers a writing by Giancarlo Cardini himself about his music. On the cover a picture by Enzo Della Monica taken during one of Cardini’s performances in the 80ies, part of the artist book Bolle di sapone/Soap bubbles (G. Cardini – Bolle di sapone, Centro Di, Firenze 1991). Inside some shots by the photographer Alberto Moretti.
The piano is a Steinway & Sons B-211 dated 1890, restored by Steinway Academy technician Lorenzo Cerneaz, with a magnificent sound, rich in resonance.
It’s a joy to finally see the first public (virtual but real) appearance of a project about music that I love. Let’s hope these sounds will have a long life, generous as they are in peaceful colours!
“… there is a (contemplative) process absorbed with the rational calmness of those who practice the voluptuousness of critical thinking. […] And Toniutti is really good at returning these impressions and sensations.”
Mario Gamba, Alias – Il Manifesto, 16/5/2020
“Beyond time and space. […] spirals of enchanting repetitions that run alongside the silence, of expressive modesty in peace with the world. These Zen meditations progress lightly away from the care of the present, with a placid, ceremonial step, even without ever really advancing towards a specific goal. […] the album is in all respects (Cardini’s) portrait, light, intimate […]”
Gregorio Moppi, la Repubblica, 15/6/2020
Interview with Paolo Cantarutti, Radio Onde Furlane (Italian/Furlan): Lento trascolorare cun Agnese Toniutti
“A very beautiful CD, with music made up of consonances and soft dissonances that fade into each other, just like the title, and above all with a beautiful sound, with this old Steinway piano from 1890 with its so particular harmonics.”
“Giancarlo Cardini, the unrepeatable moment –
Pianist Agnese Toniutti in Lento Trascolorare reads with extraordinary depht piano compositions by the Tuscan composer”.
Review and interview by Paolo Carradori , il Giornale della Musica, 2/7/2020, (article in italian)
“… pages […] that the virtuoso pianist Agnese Toniutti expresses enphasizing the lyrical constructivist scattered between note and note.”
Guido Michelone, Alias – il Manifesto, 11/07/2020
“Giancarlo Cardini/Agnese Toniutti, Lento trascolorare piano music
Cardini entrusted to play some of his composition pianist Agnese Toniutti, who gave evidence of extraordinary accuracy and depht, capable as few others to recognize and enhance the implications and nuances of Cardini’s thought.”
Enzo Boddi, Musica Jazz, 12/07/2020 (italian)
“For Cardini’s 80th birthday, a critical contribution and a review of Agnese Toniutti’s cd
[…] Toniutti is good at grasping the very slow transfigurations, the subtle nuances, highlighting mottled dissonances or sweet consonances, the evocation of nature, the sense of mystery, the rituality of the gesture, returning us in a ‘cardinian sound’, possible only if the the interpreter adheres with participation to a completely personal and vaguely arcane (musical) world like that of Cardini’s music. An excellent example of how it should work.”
Renzo Cresti, www.renzocresti.com, 25/07/2020
“[…] it’s up to the interpreter – the talented pianist Agnese Toniutti – to bring out the most minute details and the most hidden expressive nuances, jealously guarded, but still eager to be shared with the listener.”
Filippo Focosi, Kathodik, 15/10/2020
Interview with Marco Maria Tosolini, RAI Radio Uno – Il concerto che vorrei 5/9/2020 (podcast): Playing with…il gioco nella musica
“I recommend this cd […] whose songs induce a state of profound pacification”
Interview with Luca Berni, Rete Toscana Classica – Cronache musicali 9/9/2020 (podcast): Nuovi Album di Agnese Toniutti e Alberto Bocini
“A valuable publication […] the listener is engaged in a sort of walking journey within the music. In this moment we may need a music that is so rarefied but very present and very alive, which speaks to us of today, of our time. It is a very special record, let me tell you, it is a record that requires work from the listener, which requires attention.”
RAI Radio Tre – Battiti 24/9/2020 (podcast): Lento trascolorare
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!
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.
