It has no characters, no plot, and an apparently unpronounceable title; it is a cult film and a formidable visual-musical fresco. It is Koyaanisqatsi – in the Hopi American Indian language “unbalanced life” – or the first of three cinematic jewels that bear the double signature of director Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass. In the year in which Ravenna Festival reflects on the relationship between man and nature, the Alighieri Theater hosts the screening of Koyaanisqatsi (today at 9pm), followed closely by those of Powaqqatsi (tomorrow) and Naqoyqatsi (Sunday). The triptych is proposed with the original music performed live by the Philip Glass Ensemble, a legendary formation that has been an unsurpassed interpreter of its founder’s work for over fifty years, and the Orchestra della Toscana conducted by Michael Riesman. For the opening evening, the Siena Cathedral Choir “Guido Chigi Saracini” joins the PGE and the ORT.
As in a classical ballet, the soundtrack develops in eight scenes: the choreographies are the movements of the camera, which captures breathtaking landscapes and boundless horizons as much as the frenzy of the great metropolises. The age of man is dancing, for a tight pas de deux between nature and technology. The three events are possible thanks to the support of Pirelli. “While we were working on the film I often met Godfrey to find out directly from him how his ideas were developing,” Philip Glass said of the creative process behind the films.
“Godfrey’s version was that of a dialogue between us. The truth is simpler: he spoke to me about his ideas and their context, and I simply listened. Godfrey gave voice to a powerful vision, perhaps taken for granted today but rather unique time, far from the stereotype that denigrates technology and idealizes traditional lifestyles. The interaction between technology and lifestyles is a topic on which he has reflected and continues to reflect a lot, but what makes his work. even more special is the absence of preconceptions and prejudices. Godfrey Reggio and I are pleased that Ravenna Festival, of which I was a guest in the past with the Philip Glass Ensemble, welcomes the Qatsi Trilogy in its live and most complete version ever presented before. “. Info: 0544/249244 – www.ravennafestival.org; single numbered seat 35 euros (reduced 32); under 18 5 euros; National Youth Card (18-35 years): 50% discount.
Trilogy booklet: 75 euros (reduced 66) can only be purchased at the ticket office.
