Contents of the Auditorium
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 10 / “Bending Rules by Lifting Your Legs”
In the past 20 years we have witnessed the birth of a new type of dancer: the pop-star ballerina and the pop-star ballerino (male dancer in Italian). Roberto Bolle, Misty Copeland, Sergei Polunin attract thousands of adoring fans to stadium-like theaters, have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and have created a new motto in the ballet world: ballet is not an elitist art. Through videos, fun facts and anecdotes we’ll find ourselves being up-to-date with these new heroes!
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 9 / “Dance, Dance, Otherwise We’re Lost (Pina Bausch)”
A different type of dance is travelling across Europe: Tanztheater (Dance Theater). Even though some of its influences come from the New York scene from the 1940s and 1950s, Tanztheater is mostly a European phenomenon. Carolyn Carlson will be the bridge from the US to Europe, Pina Bausch is one of the founders of this cryptic yet fascinating style, Sosta Palmizi will be the most important Italian voice in regards to TanzTheater. This fascinating journey will be accompanied by several videos, fun facts and anecdotes.
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 8 / “Bending Rules by Lifting Your Legs”
European Ballerinas start breaking free from Ballet’s centuries-old stiffness. Higher legs, more dramatic lines, dancers need to reach a new extreme: they are now dancing athletes as well as incredible actors. Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sylvie Guillem, Alessandra Ferri take the world by storm with their new interpretation of great classical work. Videos, fun facts, anecdotes will take us through this exciting new period of dance that will change ballet forever. IIX original choreography (previously taped) danced by Luciana Paris and Jonatan Lujan.
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 7 / “Musical. Let’s thank Puccini!”
If the musical exists we have to thank an opera composer such as Giacomo Puccini: this genre was actually born in its music! Choreographers become sort of rock stars and figures such as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Agnes De Mille reshape modern dance to tell new stories and convey new emotions! “Romeo and Juliet” turns into “West Side Story” and New York is the new Verona… Marco Pelle talked about this in the seventh lecture of “AbunDance”, now available on demand, together with his new original choreography with Luciana Paris and Jonatan Lujan, in the Auditorium of “Stanze italiane”.
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 6 / “I Begin By Condisering An Effect” (M. Ravel)
The 1950s and 1960s: in the USA dancers became choreographers, but European artists were no less important. Maurice Béjart, former dancer at the Opéra de Marseille, created a new dance style, almost as a director and his interpretation of Ravel’s “Boléro” went around the world. Roland Petit, on the other hand, former dancer at the Paris Opéra, created a new vocabulary of ballet, sensual and “exotic”. Luciana Paris and Jonatan Lujan tell us about these years of dance history, giving life to the sixth original choreography by Marco Pelle for the “Abundance” series.
AbunDance, Dancetime Stories n. 5 / “The Only Sin is Mediocrity” (Martha Graham)
As choreographer Marco Pelle tells us in “Stanze italiane”, Martha Graham started a new trend in the history of dance: dancers create their own choreographies and bring them on stage, as a way to assert themselves. Dance aims to communicate personal experiences through very intense stylized body movements, to reveal the inner landscape of human beings and, at the same time, to mirror society. Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey also pioneered this new idea. From that moment on, dancing was never to be the same again. “The Only Sin is Mediocrity”: an original choreography by Marco Pelle, starring Luciana Paris and Jonatan Lujan.
Alida Valli 1921-2021
Video interview by Fabio Finotti – Director of the ICI in New York – with Carlo Montanaro (La Fabbrica del Vedere archives, Venice), in memory of Alida Valli, on the centenary of her birth. Presentation of the documentary Alida valli. Frammenti di una diva, by Chiara Barbo, Elisabetta Di Sopra and Carlo Montanaro. Carlo Montanaro talks about the Venetian archive he founded, La fabbrica del Vedere, with its rich collection on the history of images, from 18th century vedutisti to contemporary cinema. He recalls Alida Valli’s career, from her debut under the aegis of Francesco Pasinetti, to her brilliant career in the United States and Italy, up to her work on the stage. Montanaro focuses on her great willpower, her early choice to devote herself to acting and her unwavering professionalism.
Alexo Wandael
Presentation of two films specially made by Alexo Wandael for the ICI in New York: To My Pink Lady and Tomato Soup in Skid Row. To My Pink Lady is a short film dedicated to Cristina Belenchia, author of the My Pink Chemo blog: it tells the story of her struggle against breast cancer and leukemia, fought with courage and femininity, and of her bond of friendship that overcomes time. Tomato Soup in Skid Row is a feature film, heir to the neorealist film tradition, which addresses the issue of homelessness, in an attempt to reverse the rhetoric with which this social tragedy is usually presented.
Titus
Videointerview by Fabio Finotti – Director of ICI in New York – to Piermario Vescovo (Ca’ Foscari University in Venice), Antonella Zaggia (artist) and Francesca Briani (Councellor for Culture, Youth Politics and Equal Opportunities of the Municipality of Verona). Presentation of the new production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus staged at the Museo Lapidario Maffeiano in Verona. Francesca Briani presents the initiative of the Municipality of Verona to stage theatrical performances within museums, with the aim of attracting young audiences. Piermario Vescovo and Antonella Zaggia discuss their decision to stage Titus by resorting to figure theater – a form of theater with puppets, which allows you to reduce the number of resources needed for staging and to create “small-scale” spectacular productions. The two producers also present the theatrical company, made up of 8 women and the celebrated narrator Bobo Marchese, who managed – despite the reduced number of members – to stage, in a faithful and at the same time topical way, Shakespeare’s bloody play.
AbunDance n. 4: An American in Paris
A series of ten lectures on the history of dance created by Marco Pelle; each Dancetime Story is accompanied by a choreography, specially created by Pelle for the ICI of New York, and performed by Luciana Paris (American Ballet Theater) and Jonatan Lujan (formerly Ballett Zürich, Victor Ullate Ballet and Ballet Argentino de Julio Bocca). In the fourth lecture Pelle tells the story of four women – born in America but who later chose Europe as their country of adoption – who rebelled against the canons of classical ballet and revolutionized the history of twentieth-century modern dance. The first is Loïe Fuller, who decided for the first time to choreograph her own performances; her famous serpentine dance is still part of contemporary pop culture. en there is the legend of Isadora Duncan, the great iconoclast, who wanted to free her body from the constraints of shoes and corset, so as to unleash her inner energy through dance. With Ruth St. Dennis (and her husband Ted Shawn) stages welcomed for the first time dance forms other than ballet, in particular esoteric and exotic choreographies inspired by Egyptian and Indian dances. Finally, Joséphine Baker, one of the first Afro-American dancers in Paris, who denounced the sexualization of the black female body through her dance sauvage (dancing topless with a skirt made of bananas), and later became a true musical icon.
AbunDance n. 3: From Russia with Love
A series of ten lectures on the history of dance created by Marco Pelle; each Dancetime Story is accompanied by a choreography, specially created by Pelle for the ICI of New York, and performed by Luciana Paris (American Ballet Theater) and Jonatan Lujan (formerly Ballett Zürich, Victor Ullate Ballet and Ballet Argentino de Julio Bocca). In the third lecture Pelle discusses the history of Russian ballet, from the moment it was imported from Western Europe to its international consecration. The introduction of ballet in Russia is due to Peter the Great, who wanted it to become the new language of power of the Russian elite – following Louis XIV’s example in France; however, it is with Tsarina Catherine the Great that European composers and choreographers (Italian and French in particular) began to work in Russia. Among the most important European figures who inspired Russian ballet in this period were French dancers and choreographers Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa; the latter, in his famous La Bayadére (1877), managed to merge French ballet with the Russian military spirit. Alexander III then had the intuition to make French choreographers and Russian composers cooperate: from the collaboration between Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa came The Sleeping Beauty (1888), which is considered the first example of the Russian style of ballet, less focused on technique but capable of expressing the physical vigor of traditional Russian dance. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian ballet conquered Europe and then America: the Ballets russes company – considered the most influential company in the history of dance – introduced Vaclav Nižinskij’s dance and choreographies to the world; among the greatest ballerinas of the century were Anna Pavlova, Ekaterina Makarova and Maya Pliseckaja; finally, choreographer George Balanchine transformed the technique and rhythm of Russian ballet to represent the spirit of modern New York.
AbunDance n. 2: This Love Is Sick
A series of ten lectures on the history of dance created by Marco Pelle; each Dancetime Story is accompanied by a choreography, specially created by Pelle for the ICI of New York, and performed by Luciana Paris (American Ballet Theater) and Jonatan Lujan (formerly Ballett Zürich, Victor Ullate Ballet and Ballet Argentino de Julio Bocca). In the second lecture, Pelle discusses the Romantic aesthetics of female beauty as illness, weakness, and madness, and its transposition into opera and ballet. Pelle explains how, in the Romantic period, the ideal of female beauty was linked to paleness, fainting, and physical weakness in general. Thus, in opera and ballet, plots centered on the illness of the female protagonist in love increased and scenes of fainting or hysteria became topical. Pelle takes into analysis Giselle, which contains the most famous scene of female hysteria in the history of ballet, and in particular Carla Fracci’s interpretation, which marked a crucial turning point in the modern rendering of the work. Finally, he discusses the paradigm shift brought about by industrialization, which led towards the emancipation of the female figure from such a stereotype of weakness and fragility; however, such Romantic aesthetics was still persistent even in the twentieth century, especially in Italian opera and in ballets such as The Dying Swan.
AbunDance n. 1: Never Give Up a Crown to Anybody
A series of ten lectures on the history of dance created by Marco Pelle; each Dancetime Story is accompanied by a choreography, specially created by Pelle for the ICI of New York, and performed by Luciana Paris (American Ballet Theater) and Jonatan Lujan (formerly Ballett Zürich, Victor Ullate Ballet and Ballet Argentino de Julio Bocca). In the first lecture Pelle discusses the relationship between dance and power throughout history, in particular starting with the figure of Catherine de’ Medici. After a brief overview of dance in classical times and the Middle Ages, Pelle engages with the evolution of dance from a popular art form to an instrument of representation of power, starting with Catherine de’ Medici. During the Renaissance, dance was perceived as an art “against nature” that challenged the force of gravity and human physicality, and it contributed to the establishment of the Renaissance ideal of man as the center of his own world. In the history of dance and power, a crucial role is also played by Louis XIV, who first codified dance and hierarchized it in relation to the different degrees of power. He chose a ballet performance as the tool to legitimize his political role. With the French Revolution, the first female prima ballerinas emerged, including Marie Camargo and Marie Sallé (the first to introduce what would become dance shoes and tutus). This story ends with Romanticism, during which dance was transformed from an expression of the “beauty of power” to a symbol of the “power of beauty”, from an instrument of power to a form of expression.
The Cinema of Francesco Rosi in a Book
Video interview by Fabio Finotti – Director of the ICI in New York – with Gaetana Marrone-Puglia (Princeton University) to present her book The Cinema of Francesco Rosi, with actress Carolina Rosi, Maria DiBattista (Princeton University) and Gian Pietro Brunetta (University of Padua). During the conversation they explore the main themes of Rosi’s artistic activity and the genesis and writing of Marrone-Puglia’s book. Emphasis is given to the sense of adventure that emerges from each of Rosi’s films; the “missionary” vocation of his work, which blends the social criticism that is typical of investigative cinema with an enduring call for active action on the audience’s part; the ability to project local problems onto a global panorama. Rosi’s relationship with the theater, with American cinema and with students is also discussed. The book The Cinema of Francesco Rosi is praised for its ability to represent not only the artist, but also the man, and to highlight the modernity and relevance of Rosi’s work; finally, all speakers agree that Professor Marrone-Puglia’s work will hopefully foster the rediscovery and new appreciation of Rosi’s cinema in the United States.
Italians at the Chopin Competition!
The text is a praise of the two Italians, Leonora Armellini and Alexander Gadjiev, who were among the finalists of the “Chopin” Piano Competition in Warsaw. It also highlights the importance of Italian Conservatories and of the study of music in Italy, which is a beacon in the international panorama.
In Memory of Enrico Caruso
Fabio Finotti, director of the ICI, in conversation with conductor Alvise Casellati about the latter’s initiative for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of Enrico Caruso’s death. Casellati presents the pieces in the program, all masterfully sung by Caruso during his career – taken from operas by Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti. You will then watch the full masterclass directed by Castellati with singers Gabriella Reyes, Jennifer Rowley, Stephen Costello and pianist Jeremy Chan. The relationship between singing and the Italian language, the importance of interpretation and of the rendering of feelings in singing, and the preparation required of opera singers are also discussed.
Rebirth!
Concert tribute to Enrico Caruso held in Central Park, New York City, on June 28, 2021. Directed by Alvise Casellati; sung by Gabriella Reyes (soprano), Jennifer Rowley (soprano), Stephen Costello (tenor) accompanied by the Musicians of the Metropolitan Opera and members of the New York Philharmonic.
Quartetto Adorno, Concert n. 4
Four concerts exclusively for the ICI in New York by the Adorno Quartet with music by Luigi Boccherini and Ludwig von Beethoven. The four recordings feature: Enrico Bronzi (cello), Giampaolo Bandini (guitar), Francesco Di Rosa (oboe), Andrea Oliva (flute).
Concert n. 4
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca 1743 – Madrid 1805) Quintet with flute op. 19 n. 2 in G minor G426 (Allegro e con un poco di moto – Minuetto con moto)
Luigi Boccherini Quintet with flute op. 17 no. 6 in E flat major G424 (Larghetto – Rondo: Allegro con moto)
Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn 1770 – Vienna 1827) Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major op. 130 (Adagio, ma non troppo – Allegro – Presto – Andante con moto, ma non troppo. Poco scherzoso – Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai – Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo – Große Fuge: Ouverture. Allegro – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegretto – Fuga. – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegro molto e con brio – Allegro)
Quartetto Adorno, Concert n. 3
Four concerts exclusively for the ICI in New York by the Adorno Quartet with music by Luigi Boccherini and Ludwig von Beethoven. The four recordings feature: Enrico Bronzi (cello), Giampaolo Bandini (guitar), Francesco Di Rosa (oboe), Andrea Oliva (flute).
Concert n. 3
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca 1743 – Madrid 1805) Quintet in D major Op. 55 n. 3 G433 (Allegretto – Tempo di minuetto – Andantino – Allegretto)
Luigi Boccherini Quintet in E flat major Op. 55 n. 5 G435 (Andante lento – Minuetto con moto – Lento come prima)
Luigi Boccherini Quintet with oboe in D Major Op. 55 n. 6 G436 (Allegretto comodo assai – Minuetto)
Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn 1770 – Vienna 1827) Quartet n. 15 in A minor op. 132 (Assai sostenuto. Allegro – Allegro ma non tanto – Canzona di ringraziamento offerta alla divinità da un guarito, in modo lidico. Molto Adagio – Alla marcia, assai vivace – Allegro appassionato)
Quartetto Adorno, Concert n. 2
Four concerts exclusively for the ICI in New York by the Adorno Quartet with music by Luigi Boccherini and Ludwig von Beethoven. The four recordings feature: Enrico Bronzi (cello), Giampaolo Bandini (guitar), Francesco Di Rosa (oboe), Andrea Oliva (flute).
Concert n. 2
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca 1743 – Madrid 1805) Quintet for guitar and strings in C major, G453 (Allegro maestoso assai – Andantino – Allegretto – Ritirata “Retraite de Madrid” con variazioni)
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca 1743 – Madrid 1805) Quintet for guitar and strings in D major G448 (Pastorale – Allegro maestoso – Grave assai – Fandango)
Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn 1770 – Vienna 1827) Quartet n. 1 in F major, op. 18 n. 1 (Allegro con brio – Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato – Scherzo. Allegro molto – Allegro)
Quartetto Adorno, Concert n. 1
Four concerts exclusively for the ICI in New York by the Adorno Quartet with music by Luigi Boccherini and Ludwig von Beethoven. The four recordings feature: Enrico Bronzi (cello), Giampaolo Bandini (guitar), Francesco Di Rosa (oboe), Andrea Oliva (flute).
Concert n. 1
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca 1743 – Madrid 1805), String Quintet in E major, op. 11 n. 5 G275 (Amoroso – Allegro con spirito – Minuetto – Trio – Rondeau – Andante)
Luigi Boccherini String Quintet in C major, op. 30 n. 6 G324 (“La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid” – “Le campane dell’Ave Maria” – “Il tamburo dei soldati” – “Minuetto dei ciechi” – “Il Rosario” – “Passa calle” – “Ritirata”)
Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn 1770 – Vienna 1827) Quartet n. 8 in E minor, op. 59 n. 2 “Razumowsky” (Allegro – Molto Adagio «Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento» – Allegretto – Maggiore “Theme russe” – Finale. Presto)
Greek Theatre and Opera Direction
Marina Valensise – Managing Director of the National Institute of Ancient Drama of Syracuse – and director Robert Carsen in conversation with Fabio Finotti – Director of the ICI in New York. The video interview opens with a brief presentation by Fabio Finotti on the importance of Greek heritage in Italy, one of the greatest examples of which is the theater of Syracuse, and on the crucial role played by seventeenth-century Italian melodrama in the rebirth of theater on a European level. Marina Valensise then presents the work of INDA, an institute whose aim is to revive the tradition of Greek theater as a “comprehensive form of art” (a fusion of music, poetry, song, painting, architecture) and to restore its moral and civic strength; in particular, she presents the theater season scheduled at the Syracuse theater, which includes a performance of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles directed by Robert Carsen. Finally, Valensise and Carsen talk about the connection between classical tragedy and melodrama (a genre invented in Florence, conceived as an instrument of rebirth of the Greek dramatic spirit) and about the future prospects of Greek theater in contemporary times (namely in relation to “cancel culture”).