The Two Faces of Ravenna by Maria Chiara Mazzi A city with ancient history, a musical bridge between the East and the West. |
Because of its vocation and its geographical location,
bridging the East and the West, between Rome and Byzantium, Ravenna from
ancient history has never denied, even in musical events, the two sides of
its vocation, its openness to the most varied musical expressions,
its capacity to merge, in extraordinary and original proposals, worlds far
away on a map. The most ancient music, proposed since the High Medieval
times in basilicas shining brightly of gold and mosaics, the liturgical
songs intoned in these basilicas showed in their progression and in their
wealth this interaction between eastern and western sounds. |
There are also the activities
of the Angelo Mariani Association which, since 1963, has
been involved in the dissemination of music culture, in the
development of young talents and in the research of little known
repertoires. The Association organizes three reviews: Ravenna Musica
(gathering in the city the most important interpreters in the world),
Concerti della Domenica (concerts dedicated to young and now successful
interpreters) and Giovani in Musica (education to music and other creative
expressions). At last, but only because its activities take place in the summer (this year from June 13 to July 19), the Ravenna Festival celebrates almost 20 years of activities and is considered one of the most important manifestation in Europe to which participate the highest expressions of music and theater life of our time and where are presented operas, concerts, dance performances, jazz and ethnic music, drama and experimental theater, cinema, conferences and exhibits using the very rich architectural legacy of the city. This festival has been since 1997 creating "avenues of friendship", crossing the Adriatic to make music in Sarajevo and then building "bridges" (from Beirut to Jerusalem, from Moscow to Yerevan and Istanbul, from New York to Cairo, from Damascus to El Djem and Meknès). Once again, we can try to forget her but our history is our DNA and, eventually, it emerges again even with new forms and faces. An the history of Ravenna is this: from there and beyond the sea, not considered like an unsuperable barrier but as "highway" to connect worlds and cultures. |