The 24th Emilia Romagna Festival – ERF opens under the banner of ‘classic is contemporary’, the long musical itinerary which begins this year on 3 July and ends on 11 September, putting on an impressive edition with 55 extraordinary performers appointments, in the most precious places of the architectural tradition, from castles to ancient parish churches, from theaters to squares, and involving 20 municipalities distributed between the provinces of Bologna, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Ferrara, with 37 locations that will host more than 600 artists from from all parts of the world.
From classical to jazz, from pop to ethnic music, from musical theater to world music, the festival signs a program in search of a new definition of “classical”, breaking temporal boundaries and embracing multidisciplinarity, with the aim of exploring connections unexpected events and bring classical music to an increasingly wider and more varied audience.
From the first appointments, the coordinates of this search are clear: after the preview on June 27th at the Cloister of the Bishop’s Palace in Imolawith a dear friend of ERF, Ramin Bahrami, the inauguration, on 3 July at the San Mercuriale Abbey in Forlìis entrusted to an extraordinarily current musical giant, Claudio Monteverdi, and one of his masterpieces Il Vespro della Beata Vergine, a concert which is a declaration of love towards Great Music, here performed by an ensemble which is a point of reference in the philological performance of ancient music, the Venice Monteverdi Academy together with the “Lorenzo Da Ponte” Orchestra and the Schola Gregoriana choir.
The entire edition will be marked by this concept of “classic” aimed at a more dynamic and inclusive perspective, promoting the fusion and interaction between different artistic disciplines and proposing works both rooted in tradition and open to contemporary innovation. This is the case of the last appointment, September 11th at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, when the New Made Ensemble, for the first time, will present La correspondence, a tribute by the composer Rossella Spinosa to Gio Ponti, in which the texts of this extraordinary artist will intersect with music. The event was conceived on the occasion of the beautiful exhibition on Gio Ponti at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza.
Alongside timeless classics, the 24th ERF therefore bets on new and researched music for a vast and not exclusively specialist audience, proposing the works of original composers active on the international scene. Among these, also the focus on new music by overseas composers, presented by two young and talented American quartets, the Aruna Quartet and the Poiesis Quartet, with pieces in their first Italian performance or very rarely heard by Emma O’Halloren, Jennifer Higdon, Award Pulitzer for Music 2010, David Maslanka, Marc Mellits, Eleanor Alberga and Kevin Lau.
Many artists are involved this year too, among which names such as Noa, Peppe Servillo, Danilo Rea, Martin Kasik, the duo Igudesman & Joo with the national premiere of CODA – The Final Nightmare e Pino Donaggio who will be awarded the XV ERF Lifetime Achievement Award. The 24th edition will also see the return of the great international orchestras, such as the Korean one Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra Ningbo, Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra Budapest, Czech Chamber Orchestra Philharmonic Pardubice and the Venetian Ensemble already mentioned for the inauguration.
From an interdisciplinary perspective, there will also be space for bel canto with opera stars from the international scene and acting voice, with actresses and actors, among others, of the caliber of Vanessa Gravina, Sonia Bergamasco and Stefano Fresi. Of course the First Prize cycle is back! in which young winners of international competitions will have the opportunity to show all their skills. Finally, in an area rich in organs, ERF wanted to propose three concerts dedicated to this extraordinary instrument of very ancient origins.
The valorization, discovery and knowledge of the territory, its architectural heritage, but also the history and culture to which it gave rise has characterized the ERF program since the first editions. The spaces that host events have always been not mere containers but an integral part of the cultural “fact”. With The Enchantment of Places, spectators will be able to discover the many museums, parks, villages, abbeys, crypts and historical libraries that host the long event this year, from the most well-known and prestigious ones, to the smallest and least known, by participating in the over 20 guided tours planned for this edition.
Organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Emilia-Romagna Region and an important network of Municipalities Forlì, Imola, Cesena, Codigoro, Comacchio, Castel San Pietro Terme, Alfonsine, Bagnara di Romagna, Borgo Tossignano, Budrio, Lugo, Castel Bolognese, Castel Guelfo, Massa Lombarda, Mordano, Faenza, Fontanelice, Riolo Terme, Russi. Also for 2024 the Emilia Romagna Festival will be able to count on the support of numerous organizations and private individuals, such as Turkish Airlines, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Imola, Con.Ami, Banca di Imola, Andalò Gianni, AutoSica, CLAI, Confindustria, and numerous other sponsors and foundations being defined.
For the complete calendar with all the dates, please refer to the website: https://www.emiliaromagnafestival.it/erf-summer/.
THE PROGRAM ERF Summer 2024 Calendar
Tags: program XXIV Emilia Romagna Festival Classic contemporary presented events municipalities artists involved
