Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Riflessi

The Ballata dall’Esilio by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the first works we encountered at the beginning of our musical journey. From there, the idea for our project was born: an artistic and human journey around the figure of the great Florentine composer. Letters and reflections by the composer will be the fil rouge of the scenic narration, of the original music for soprano and guitar by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and its reflection in the works of the contemporary composers with whom we are collaborating.

On one hand, the lesser-known works, in addition to the Ballata: Arise and Seals of Love, two of the Shakespeare Songs transcribed by Castelnuovo-Tedesco himself for soprano and guitar; La Ermita de San Simón and Romance del Conde Arnaldos, two Spanish songs reworked by the composer from the original version for voice and piano; and a Sicilian popular song, E Vui Durmiti Ancora (Mattinata Siciliana), arranged by the Florentine composer and published in 1955 in Florence.

Alongside these rediscoveries, we also look to the present: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco lives on today through the works of contemporary composers. Giovanni Scapecchi, a Tuscan composer with whom we’ve collaborated, paid tribute to the Maestro and his Tuscan heritage with Quattro Sonetti dedicated to us, using sonetti by Dante, Petrarca, and Guittone d’Arezzo. Together with Lorenzo Sorgi, we created a one-act opera inspired by the figure of Lady Macbeth, based on a Shakespearean text, an homage to the Castelnuovo-Tedesco of the Shakespeare Songs.

Another key aspect of the project is accessibility: through the creation of a tactile booklet, blind and visually impaired individuals will be able to follow the story without missing the scenic elements, an essential part of the theatrical experience. Our project is an open container, a space in constant evolution, ready to welcome new tributes from contemporary composers to the figure and music of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.