 At the end of March, in a crowded Council meeting room, Maurizio Costanzo presented to the press the next edition of the Todi Art Festival, of which he is the artistic director as of this year. This is therefore the first festival without Simona Marchini who had followed on from Spada.
Major changes have been made to the XV edition of the festival, which is much loved by Todi citizens and appreciated by the many tourists that crowd the Medieval town from Spring to Autumn. The first obvious novelty is the length of the bill, indeed the Todi Art Festival streches into September, while it used to take place in July. The intention is probably to avoid overlapping with other major Umbria Summer festivals: Umbria Jazz in Perugia, Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and Festival delle Nazioni in Città di Castello. Or else, maybe, the Artistic Director decided to begin his reign with an obvious change.
Costanzo stated that the this eventful appointment is still being defined, but that the backbone is already quite solid with its fundamental elements. What we do know, is that the Festival will open with the State Police Band: this is an obviously “popular” appointment that carries with it the history and the traditions of the land, this will be followed by the adventures of witch Matteuccia ( a historic Todi character, interpreted by Loredana Cannata) with readings of selected passages from Saint Francis. Then there will be music by Alex Britti, the Maestro Pino Massara and the conductor of international fame, Walter Attanasi.
"La Strega Matteuccia” is a dramatic text that Costanzo and Enrico Vaime are creating on the basis of the witchcraft trial held in Todi in 1428.
Todi will become the stage for the national première of “The Gospel according to Pilatus” by Glauco Mauri, but also for “La discarica” by Silvano Spada the artistic cast of which is still incomplete.
Umberto Broccoli will reconstruct the work of Alberto Tanegalli, a radio comedian who passed away prematurely in 1961 and Pier Francesco Poggi will be putting on “Prima di dormire” in a smaller venue.
“Todi is at the centre of the history of Rome and of our Country” said Maurizio Costanzo, as he invited everyone to “Presagio d’estate”, in June; this is an itinerant procession with mimes and jugglers that will move among the people of Todi and will be shown in the town squares thanks to small film cameras, all of which will be organised by Lamberto Sposini.
(12-05-2008 10:10)
|
