“FOLLOWING THE TRACES OF VENICE”
OLD MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENED AT NATIVE MUSEUM OF ROVINJ
Old Music Sounded as New
In spite of the attention and admiration of more than a hundred thrilled visitors that Giorgio Ferraris and his fantastic medieval “instrumental artillery” quite deservedly earned, the main attraction of the first evening of the Old Music Festival was nevertheless, in keeping with the good old tradition, a beautiful, funny, and this Saturday a very charismatic woman - Silvia Piccollo, a soprano.
The Old Music Festival called “Following the Traces of Venice” began successfully on Saturday night by a concert performance dedicated to Istrian composers of the 16th century. The festival, organized by the European Cultural Center and the Tourist Association of Rovinj in cooperation with the Public Open College and the Alternativa Youth Club, was opened by the performance of an Italian duo namely Silvia Piccollo (voice) and Giorgio Ferraris (lute).
Accompanying the singer with great sensibility on authentic medieval lutes (from the smallest, the eight-string lute, to the arch-lute and the biggest, the theorbo also known as chitarrone lute), Ferraris, who holds a degree in classical guitar from the Guiseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, and a degree in lute from the Veronese Conservatory, proved himself quite easily a great master of this unusual instrument. Yet, in spite of the attention and admiration of more than a hundred thrilled visitors that Giorgio Ferraris and his fantastic medieval “instrumental artillery” quite deservedly earned, the main attraction of the first evening of the Old Music Festival was nevertheless, in keeping with the good old tradition, a beautiful, funny, and this Saturday a very charismatic woman - Silvia Piccollo, a soprano.
Apart from having more than ten years of experience in opera singing (Marriage of Figaro, Cosi’fan tutte), a degree in violin from the Conservatory in Alexandria, a degree in vocal performance from the Nicolo Paganini Conservatory in Genoa, and a specialization in Baroque vocal performance earned at the Institute of Old Music in Pomparat, an Italian town, she excelled by giving her direct yet highly professional stage performance an inspirational tone.
The duo performed the works of Italian composers from Tromboncin, Bossinensis, Da Laurana, Andrea Da Montona, Borrona, Car, and Kapsberger to Sances, Monteverdi, Merula and Cesti. In spite of the fact that medieval music tradition places importance on the lyrics and believes that the role of music is to serve the word and not the other way around, minute by minute it became clearer that the journey through the mysterious sounds of the long-gone musical past was in fact a journey towards the present. Although the theme of lost love or mocking the same – as in “Aspetate! Adesso canto”, the last composition performed in the framework of the official part of the program – has been present in art throughout centuries, in the imagined, self-sufficiency of everyday life of the 21st century man, this theme penetrates the consciousness of even greater masses of people, with a fare share of pure irony (turn on the radio, get off the internet).
We were convinced by such a large audience as well as by the extraordinary liveliness and freshness of creativity of the two exceptional Italian musicians, who dedicated their performance to the Music in the museum (part of the organizer’s goal), that old music “does not belong in a museum”. We must admit, however, that the first floor of the Native Museum of Rovinj, where the festival takes place, is really an ideal scenery for this commendable cultural event.
Bordering on performative controversy (which is a characteristic of new music) when Piccollo sings walking through the audience and even shouts at the end of the composition (Andante via!); the composition by Antonio Cesti which, although “old”, is almost cabaret-like (!); the newest 2005 paintings by Quintin Bassani or Fluvio Jurišić and Đuro Serdar which decorated the background scene, and which are included in the Native Museum’s regular exhibition – all this almost convinced the visitors, in the thrill of the moment, that it was not the Festival of Old but the New music!
Tonight at 8 PM, you can check how this “New music” sounds performed in a museum setting. The second theme concert of the Old Music Festival called “Following the Traces of Venice” and the performance of solo artists from the Croatian Baroque Ensemble from Zagreb are scheduled for tonight.
Petar ĆURIĆ
