September 2008 Newsletter

‘As you say, sometimes that atmosphere of quiet focus and concentration and care can really produce something a cut above – and, at least, I felt we did it this time – something special in clearly such a special place.
And for this part-time performer – thank you for making my first time performing in Italy such a thoroughly satisfying experience’. (Thomas Adès, August 2008)

Emma Kirkby and London Baroque at Castelluccio

Our 20th anniversary festival was celebrated in style! It is hard to choose the highlights – each concert and event had its outstanding feature, from jazz to baroque, from Beethoven to Stravinsky to Adès, not forgetting the Etruscan and contemporary art exhibitions. We would, however, like to mention a few exceptional events and share some special moments with you.

Incontri’s first jazz concert with Dianne Reeves was one such moment.

Dianne reached us at the end of a long summer European tour, and yet her energy and artistry on the night was in no way subdued. Quite the opposite. She gave it her all, giving us the full breadth of her extraordinary voice and communicative powers, in the usually austere Terme building in Chianciano, transformed for the occasion into a rather trendy jazz space by our wonderful team of assistants. The fusion and swing of the quartet who accompanied her were greatly admired and clearly a source of inspiration for Dianne, as she sailed through the program without a break. The public was enthusiastically responsive, participating loudly and dancing on the sidelines, as though their bodies were dying to release all traditional restraints.

The much anticipated participation at two concerts of composer/pianist Thomas Adès was another high point. Media attention was very prominent, as his profile is as close to rock star status as you can find in the contemporary classical music milieu. The challenge of playing one of his most adventurous chamber works was immense, with much mind-stretching, early preparation, then many long and sweaty rehearsals on site, all rewarded by a gratifying performance at the close of the festival. Tom is as exceptional a pianist as he is a composer, witnessed in the illuminating Stravinsky violin and piano program with Anthony Marwood. Working with him was sheer pleasure, as he is accommodating, sincere and affable, with a quick wit and great charm.

I was so delighted to see a full house join us in our journey and rediscovery of Beethoven through the cycle of cello and piano sonatas. We played through them chronologically, with an hour’s interval in which the public could savor some Tuscan antipasti and wines in the Castelluccio garden, at dusk. By the time we returned for the second half, everyone was sufficiently prepared, courtesy of the multiple sips of different wines, to fully enjoy the dramatic extremes of emotions expressed in the two opus 102 sonatas.

It is impossibile not to mention other memorable occasions, if only briefly.

Dame Emma Kirkby’s pure and sophisiticated voice, heard in a sublime program of baroque music in Castelluccio’s ancient courtyard, allowed one to travel back in time, look up at the stars and experience something no concert hall can provide.

The ‘best of Incontri’ concerts included artists who were returning from past visits, like Anthony Marwood, Ani Kavafian and Pascal Rogé, to celebrate our twentieth birthday and to remind us of their superb talent. Intimate chamber music masterpieces came to life in their hands, finding different colors, textures and angles to express, like being enchanted by a reading of a familiar fairy tale.

A word about the exhibitions should include mention of the Etrsucan digs which are carried out every summer in the necropolis below Castelluccio. Twelve years’ work have brought to light artefacts and tombs that date from the VIIc BC to Roman times: and this year the subject of the show was art from the Hellenistic period.

At the same time, the Castelluccio Granary hosted a show, Collages on paper, by the well-known Croatian artist Jagoda Buic, whose work can be admired in most museums and galleries in America and Europe.

The evenings were all perfect climate-wise. Perhaps the most perfect of all was during the gala evening at La Foce, with the garden looking its most magnificent best, and people reluctant to leave. There was only one summer thunderstorm, which coincided with the concert with the Schola Choir in the cathedral at Città della Pieve. An aspect of the Incontri which we are heartened by every year is the participation of talented children, bringing with them a unique element of joy, hope and freshness to our festival. This celebrated boy’s choir was looked after beautifully by kind patrons and ‘amici’ who brought them, dry and fed, to impress a plentiful and appreciative audience.

Antonio Lysy