PRESS RELEASE (17/07/2016)
Monday, July 18 we will get to the heart of the matter twelfth edition of City of Loano National Award for Italian Traditional Music, organized by the’Society of the Curious Association in collaboration with the’Department of Tourism and Culture of the City of Loano, with contributions from the A. Foundation De Mari and the sponsorship of the Liguria Region and of the’ANCI.
The festival will kick off at 6:30 pm, in the Nassiriya Fallen Gardens, the initiative “Prize Meet...” Beppe Greppi (Felmay label), Davide Baglietto (producer of the record) and the Sacco Company of Ceriana will present the album “Tabulae”(2016, Felmay) a complete collection of songs performed by the brotherhoods of Ceriana on the occasion of the rites of Holy Week.. The meeting will be led by Cyrus De Rosa.
La Sacco Company of Ceriana was founded in 1926 on the initiative of a group of friends and singers linked to the traditions of the village. Over the course of its 90 years of history, He crossed oceans, flew across half the world, traveled the roads of dozens of countries and cities, with the aim of introducing people of different cultures and languages to the beauty of Ceriana's “drone singing.”.
Although an informal performance was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1954, the history of “Sacco” officially began with its debut at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan in 1966/67 for Ronconi, Leydi, and Strehler during a major traditional singing festival. Since that distant 1966, the “Sacco” has embarked on a journey of success, encounters, and exchanges with other associations of popular tradition. Worth mentioning are the 1975 trip to the United States, concerts in major European capitals, and tours in Serbia, Tunisia, and Lithuania.
In the evening at 9:30 pm, in the’N.S. Rosary Oratory (Cappe Turchine), the singers from Ceriana will perform the songs from the CD live. The group will sing without a conductor and in a circle, because the men must look each other in the eye, as they do in taverns during festive gatherings, but also for a very practical reason related to the lyrics and harmonies.
The vocal tradition of Ceriana features a strong presence of the drone, a voice that creates a basso continuo structure. The song is introduced by the baritone (second voice), which is joined by the higher, more acute voice of the tenor (first voice). The basses accompany and support the soloists.
The City of Loano Award, under the artistic direction of John Vignola, will continue until July 21.
The July 19, the festival will move to the Lungomare (Orto Maccagli Cultural Space) to bring the musical tradition of Molise, represented by Joseph Moffa, a multi-instrumentalist who manages to combine the unmistakable musical influences of his homeland with the deepest blues in his repertoire. A songwriter who favors telling stories belonging to a remote but by no means inert province, Moffa sets out from the popular world of southern Italy on a musical journey to discover the inner world that expresses itself through voice, guitar, and bagpipes, mixing rhythm and melody with an original and attractive combination of traditional instruments and materials from the blues, popular, and world music genres.
Also on the waterfront, the July 20, Philip Gambetta, after receiving the Best Album Award 2015 for the album “Eight Whiskers”, will transport the audience into the world of traditional dance. The Genoese artist has devoted himself to composing original music for the accordion, drawing on the rhythms and melodies of traditional dance music. Canadian pianist and violinist Emilyn Stam will also be performing at the concert.
The festival will close at the Giardino del Principe Summer Arena with a production-event that this year will be “Dust.” Vinicio Capossela (July 21) will return to Loano to present his latest project, “SONGS OF THE CUPA” (La Cùpa/Warner Music) with a brand new lineup created especially for the Premio Città di Loano award.
The festival program will be enriched, again this year, by the afternoon initiative (hrs. 18.30 - Nassiriya Fallen Gardens) the “Prize Meet...”.
The July 19, Stefano Arrighetti, Cesare Bermani, Antonio Fanelli, accompanied by the songs of Gualtiero Bertelli, will recount the 50-year history of the Ernesto De Martino Institute, hosted by Enrico de Angelis.
The July 20, Goffredo Plastino, Ciro De Rosa e Jacopo Tomatis, accompanied by the music of Philip Gambetta e Emilyn Stam will present the volume “Folk music” Edited by Goffredo Plastino.
