Commission to Giorgio Battistelli

Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned by Ensemble Icarus to revise his opera Experimentum mundi. The opera has been performed over 400 times since its premiere in 1981. The new work is entitled WORKING CLASS (Operapaese per Castelnovo ne’ Monti) and is a music theatre project that brings real craftspeople and their tools to the stage. It brings to life a world of sounds and gestures that is threatened with extinction today. The protagonists are sixteen craftspeople from the Emilian Apennines, five female natural voices, a youth ensemble, the Ensemble Icarus, the percussionist Nicola Raffone, the actor Pierluigi Tedeschi and the creator of the work, Giorgio Battistelli. The craftspeople perform their own trades on stage in perfect synchronisation with the musical and theatrical timing of the score, in a game of tonal and rhythmic interweaving that reinforces the traditional gestures.

The composition, which was made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, is created as part of the Storie dell’Appennino festival. This festival, organised by Ensemble Icarus, is part of a larger festival called L’uomo che cammina, which has been taking place for many years and involves all the institutions of the mountains of Reggio Emilia.

Further information:
icarusvsmuzak.com

Dates

August 31, 2024
Parco Tegge Felina, Castelnovo ne’ Monti

October 19, 2024
Mercato Sonato, Bologna