It was the world of women that inspired much of Luigi Nono’s work. On several occasions in his compositions, he allowed himself to be guided by the depth of certain women’s thinking, the strength of their ideas and their unique perspectives on the world.
The ninth edition of the “Luigi Nono Festival”, to be held in Venice from 30 October to 4 December across a range of prestigious cultural venues in the city on the water, will be dedicated to the female figures in Luigi Nono’s work and life. This year’s festival, entitled ‘Voci Destroying Muros’ to reflect Nono’s desire to break down walls and cross boundaries, will focus on the voices of the women in the renowned Venetian composer’s personal life, as well as those of intellectuals and female politicians who helped shape the intellectual landscape from which his work emerged and whom he referenced in his compositions.
The Festival, organised by the Luigi Nono Archive Foundation to re-examine the composer’s life and work, will feature a packed programme of concerts, lectures and workshops, all with free admission.
“My father held women in very high regard: within the family, he always consulted and involved my mother and us sisters in his work. A man ahead of his time, he always admired and studied revolutionary women, particularly philosophers and politicians,” explains Serena Nono, the composer’s daughter and organiser of the Festival.
The event dedicated to the renowned composer will begin on Friday 30th at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatoire of Music at 4.00 pm, with a piano masterclass led by Jan Michiels.
The festival will get into full swing on 31 October at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatoire with a recital by Jan Michiels, featuring a programme centred on the works of Nono. The concert will be dedicated to Nuria Schoenberg, Nono’s wife and president of the Foundation.
Then, on 4 November, again at the Conservatoire, there will be a reading of Simone Weil’s *Diario di Fabbrica* and a performance of Nono’s *La Fabbrica illuminata*: ‘It is a piece about working conditions and the exploitation of workers. ‘My father had recorded the sounds of the factories in Genoa,’ explains Nono. The composer’s work will be brought up to date with a contribution from activist Rhitu Miah, who will speak about the current situation at Fincantieri.
On 5 November, meanwhile, the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation will host a concert organised by the composer and director of the Conservatoire, Roberto Battipavero, who will also perform one of his own pieces. “We would like to thank the director of the Conservatoire, who is due to retire, and who has for years enabled us to collaborate with such an important venue for music,” emphasises Nono.
Among the various initiatives is the opening of the exhibition “Female Figures in the Work of Luigi Nono”, which opens on 7 November at Galleria 200/c on the Giudecca, where 26 artists have been invited to create 26 portraits of female figures drawn from Nono’s imagination: “Portraits of historical figures such as the actress Kadigia Bove and the sopranos Carla Henius and Slavka Taskova will be featured.” There is great anticipation for the event on 12 November at the Prada Foundation featuring Angela Davis, the octogenarian American philosopher and activist, a leading anti-racist and feminist figure in the civil rights movement, to whom Nono dedicated the piece ‘Ein Gespenst geht um in der Welt’, which will be performed for the occasion: ‘When she was imprisoned, a movement for her release sprang up in Italy, and my father was part of it,’ continues Nono.
The event on 17 November at the Teatrino in Palazzo Grassi will, however, be dedicated to Rosa Luxemburg, a politician whose writings Nono has incorporated into several of his works: ‘Some female prisoners have read Luxemburg’s *Letters from Prison* and their voices have been recorded,’ Nono reveals, adding that one of the prisoners may even be present at the event.
On 20 November, meanwhile, a meeting will be held at Emergency’s headquarters on the Giudecca to discuss the correspondence between Luigi Nono and Rosanna Rossanda, a journalist and member of the Chamber of Deputies.
On 25 November, the German Centre for Venetian Studies is hosting a conference dedicated to Gertrud Schoenberg: ‘She was my grandmother,’ explains Serena Nono. ‘We discovered that she was also a librettist, screenwriter and author of short, comic Viennese plays. In the only libretto she ever published, however, she signed her work under the name Max Blonda. She was a central figure on the cultural scene of her time, yet remains a largely unexplored figure in twentieth-century musical culture.” The event will focus on her life story and will be followed by a screening of the new production of Arnold’s *Von heute auf morgen*
Schoenberg. The lecture will be given by Therese Muxeneder, archivist and head of academic and research affairs at the Arnold Schoenberg Centre.
The programme continues on 28 November, once again at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatoire, with Massimo Cacciari speaking about Diotima, who was Socrates’ teacher, followed by a performance of Nono’s “Fragmente-Stille, an Diotima” by the Ex Novo String Quartet.
Among the closing events, meanwhile, on 3 December at 4.30 pm, the Querini Stampalia Foundation will host the workshop ‘Electric Forests’, organised by the working group L’Impero della Luce. In keeping with Nono’s work, the session – which focuses on electromagnetic music – will consist of two parts: a historical and technical introduction, followed by a listening session featuring the participants’ musical pieces. “They have recorded the sounds of the city and the electronic devices we use every day,” Nono revealed. The full programme and booking details are available at www.luiginono.it.
Francesca Catalano
Iscriviti a VE-NICE e non perderti nessun aggiornamento, ti invieremo 1 volta a settimana i nuovi articoli!
