L'Oro d'Italia Photographic Concert

In the context of the Italian presidency of the Council of the European Union, my husband and I attended this event at the BOZAR in Brussels last night.  I had no idea what to expect, as it was billed as a "photographic concert".  It turned out to be an very entertaining tribute to Italian cinema.  The Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra played the music composed for famous Italian movies while still photographs from the production of those movies were projected on a huge screen at the back of the stage.  In between, commentary was provided by well-known Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini.

The best moment of the evening was the only time actual moving picture footage was used, when a short clip of Anna Magnani singing in one of her films was projected, and after a few bars, the live orchestra joined in to accompany her.  It gave me goosebumps.  Magnani, the first Italian woman to win an Oscar, and considered one of the greatest actresses in Italian cinema, died in 1973 - however, for a brief moment, it was as if she had come back to life in a Brussels concert hall.

The evening left me wishing I knew more about Italian movies.  The only things that were familiar to me were the music from Sergio Leone's westerns (famously composed by Ennio Morricone), the theme from Il Postino (composed by Luis Bacalov) and of course, both the movie and the theme song La Vita e Bella (directed by Roberto Benigni and composed by Nicola Piovani).  Of all the films spotlighted in the concert, this was the only one I have actually seen, and in retrospect, it seems quite a shame.

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Linda picked this one, and I had no idea what to expect, but was curious: two young South Korean women who play traditional instruments in a modern way - they were billed as having an affinity for Phillip Glass type minimalist music.  The venue was also a new one for me: the concert was held at the Keizersberg Abbey, which turned out to be a very fitting location.

The music was actually more melodic than I would have expected, given the comparison to minimalist music, but I was actually glad - to me, a melody makes a piece that much more accessible and enjoyable.  It was fascinating watching the two musicians play their very unique instruments (we were lucky enough to nab seats in the first row), in the sober and mystical abbey church.  They played pieces that alternated between on the one hand, quite loud and rhythmic, and on the other, softer and quite contemplative.

Below a video I found of one of the pieces I enjoyed the most, entitled "Passing Rain":





After the concert we had the opportunity to have a glass of abbey beer in the monks' dining room, served by two monks in full attire, which was a first for me!

All in all, an enjoyable and unique evening.