il Manifesto 4maggio 2020

The figure of prodigiously gifted violinist Nicola Matteis looms large in this program featuring composers active in Restoration England. Transplanted from his native Italy to London, he was one of a host of artists and performers from across Europe who flocked to the city and made a crucial impact on the country's musical culture.

Billy Strings has been hailed as the future of bluegrass, transcending tradition and genre with his high velocity, flat-picking guitar technique and intense, confessional songwriting. HOME, Strings’ remarkable second studio album, is undoubtedly the Michigan-born, Nashville-based artist’s bravest excursion thus far, completely rewiring bluegrass with elements of punk, country, folk rock, and genuine psychedelic exploration to fashion something altogether his own.

Outre son intérêt artistique s’exerçant dans tous les arts, l’époque baroque est un passionnant chaudron, bouillonnant, qui secoue l’Europe en tissant des échanges sur tout le continent. Les différents courants de la création se croisent et se recroisent en se propageant à la manière d’une épidémie positive, pour le bien des sens et de l’esprit. Cet incessant va-et-vient entre peuples et musiciens est exploité par l’ensemble français Ground Floor qui s’est donné pour mission de rendre à la musique sa puissance de transformation et d’interrogation, à travers des programmes conçus autour de la basse continue, cœur battant et soutien de la voix humaine ou, comme dans cet album, du violon roi à la cour d’Angleterre personnifié ici par la violoniste Alice Julien-Laferrière.

For centuries, Venice has been a point of attraction for travelers from all over the world. Besides the palazzi, the squares and churches, the lagoon city is especially famous for its living landmarks: the singing Gondolieri. Baritone Holger Falk slips into this Venetian parade role and takes the audience on a ride through centuries-old musical repertoire. Joining him on board are the renowned early music group nuovo aspetto and Merzouga, who contribute soundscapes from today’s Venice: the music, moods, and atmospheres of one of the world’s most fascinating destinations.

Il professor Theodore John Kaczynski, passato alla storia come Unabomber, è stato l'uomo più ricercato d'America: per quasi 18 anni - dopo aver abbandonato la vita accademica per trasferirsi in una baracca nella natura selvaggia - ha spedito pacchi bomba e tenuto in scacco la più potente organizzazione di polizia del pianeta. I bersagli dei suoi 16 attentati esplosivi - 3 vittime e 23 feriti - hanno sempre a che fare con la tecnologia, con i suoi utilizzi e con tutto ciò che, ai suoi occhi, impone la dinamica meccanica del progresso e la trasformazione della persona in mero ingranaggio di una mega-macchina scollegata dalla natura e dai suoi equilibri.