The Italian Institute of Culture in New York today marks the conclusion of a series of musical initiatives presented in collaboration with Carnegie Hall at the festival “United in Sound: America at 250” celebrating the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the United States. Between May and June, the exhibition – thanks to which the Italian Institute of Culture first entered the official program of Carnegie Hall – explored the deep and lasting links between the Italian and American musical tradition.
The final event, the screening of the documentary Ennio di Giuseppe Tornatore – a tribute to the legendary composer Ennio Morricone – was introduced by a video message of the same Tornatore and closed a program that has spaced between chamber music, jazz, opera and cinema.
“The collaboration with Carnegie Hall is a milestone for the Italian Cultural Institute in New York,” said Claudio Pagliara. “While we approach the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the United States, these programmes aim to celebrate the historic friendship between the Italian and American people, while encouraging a reflection on the importance of transatlantic links, both past and present.”.
Le cinque iniziative.
1. Concert: “Italy and America in dialogue: Pizzetti, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Bernstein” (8 May). The Trio Hermes — Geneva Bassetti (violino), Francesca Giglio (violoncello) and Greta Maria Lobefaro (piano) — performed works of three emblematic composers of a transatlantic musical dialogue: Ildebrando Pizzetti, rooted in the lyric tradition and Italian counterpoint; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, emigrated to the United States in 1939 following the fascist racial laws and subsequently author of soundtracks in Hollywood; and Leonard Bernstein, whose deeply American voice was shaped by European and Italian models.
2. Exhibition: “Sicily 1954: The musical journey of Alan Lomax and Diego Carpitella” (launched on May 15, open until May 31). The exhibition presented photographs, videos and audio recordings from the historical ethnomusicological expedition in Sicily conducted in 1954 by American folklorist Alan Lomax and Italian scholar Diego Carpitella. Among the speakers at the inauguration included Sergio Bonanzinga (University of Palermo), Anna Lomax Wood (Association for Cultural Equity), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University) and Joseph Sciorra (John D. Calandra Italian American Institute).
3. Concert: “Nick La Rocca & His Brothers” with the Some Like It Hot Jazz Band (May 29, The Players, Gramercy Park). This concert celebrated the role of Italian and Italian musicians in the birth of jazz, focusing on the figure of the Italian-American hornetist Nick La Rocca, whose Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded what is widely considered the first jazz album, in February 1917. The ensemble consisted of Luca Velotti (clarinet/sassophons, musical direction), Rossano Sportiello (piano), James Cirillo (guitar), Jon-Erik Kellso (tromba), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), Neal Miner (contrabbasso), Kevin Dorn (drums) and Imani Rousselle (voce).
4. Exhibition: “Enrico Caruso: from Naples to New York” (inaugurated on 5 June, open until 31 August). On his debut in New York after the presentation of 2022 at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, this exhibition traces the life and heritage of Enrico Caruso through photographs, videos and sound recordings, illustrating his history both as an exceptional artistic figure and as an emblem of the cultural impact of Italian emigration in America. The inauguration included the screening of the documentary “Enrico Caruso, The Greatest Singer in the World”, edited by Giuliana Muscio.
5. Projection: Ennio (19 June). The documentary by Giuseppe Tornatore dedicated to the composer Ennio Morricone, whose soundtracks have contributed to defining the sound and imagination of American cinema, has closed the exhibition. The screening was introduced by a video message from the director himself.
The Carnegie Hall festival “United in Sound: America at 250” brings together musical institutions and cultural partners from all over the world to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States through performances and reflections on the country’s musical heritage. The inclusion of these five initiatives curated by Italy in the official program of the festival has emphasized the central role of Italian artists, composers and immigrants in the development of American music in all kinds, from classical composition to jazz to music for films.
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