Notturni al castello presents the second edition of its International Music Festival.
This year’s theme is water, an element that makes up the universe, the symbol of transformation, and of life energy.
The scarcity of water, as a consequence of the progressive change of the ecosystem, is a subject of increasing focus in artistic as well as scientific research.
This year’s programme is a series of three concerts and three conferences on this theme.
For the concerts we have selected music which evokes symbolic images of water, so for example, the Legend by F.Liszt St Frances of Paola walking on the waves and the piece Samâ and…winds by Cisternino (“The water grew into waves, it turned into foam, it produced vapours: these vapours remained above the Water and God called them Samâ – to be elevated – in other words Sky”)
The conferences will discuss water and wine in a picture by Raphael, and Lacrimae (Tears) in the poetry of Dante and Cavalcanti, and the meditation of water as landscape.
Daniela Costa
Valentina Piccioni
Chiare, fresche et dolci acque,
ove le belle membra
pose colei che sola a me par donna;
gentil ramo ove piacque
(con sospir mi rimembra)
a lei di fare al bel fianco colonna;
erba e fior che la gonna
leggiadra ricoverse
co l'angelico seno;
aere sacro, sereno,
ove Amor co' begli occhi il cor m'aperse:
date udienza insieme
a le dolenti mie parole estreme.(…)(Petrarca)
At last the secret is out,
as it always must come in the end,
The delicious story is ripe
to tell to the intimate friend;
Over the tea-cups and in the square
the tongue has its desire;
Still waters run deep, my dear,
There’s never smoke without fire. (…) (W.H.Auden)
O beau lac, ô limpide azur,
tes reflets sont calmes et purs,
Mais sur ma tête se flétrit ma verte couronne,
Ma couronne de romarin. (…)(Chanson polonaise-Lerolle)