Festival Events in Italy :Carnival of Venice, Italy:
The Carnival in Venice is said to have originated from an important victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima" (Ancient name of Venice), in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, in the year 1162. To celebrate this victory, dances and reunions started to take place in SAN MARCO SQUARE. The term "carnevale" comes from the Latin for "farewell to meat" and suggests a good-bye party for the steaks and stews that Catholics traditionally gave up during the weeks of fasting before Easter. The masquerade aspect of Carnival is even older: the Romans celebrated winter with a fertility festival where masks were worn by citizens and slaves alike. Another hypothesis suggests that the word comes from 'Carrus Navalis', which was in times past a Roman festival in honour of Saturn. This was celebrated with horse drawn carriages that used to carry men and women in fancy dresses and masks and singing obscene songs. Today's concept of Carnival, as celebrated in certain countries, could have possibly originated or at least associated with this
hypothesis.
When the carnival first begun it was celebrated from December 26 and reached its climax the day before Ash Wednesday, also known as "Mardi Gras". Carnival was the stage of lavish masked balls, Commedia dell'Arte plays, musical celebrations and costumed parades that included the different segments of society. Eventualy the mask became the symbol of the Carnival.
Thus Carnival of Venice is considered one of the world’s most famous festivals and fills the whole city with musicians, acrobats, clowns, magicians, puppeteers, beautiful masks, elaborate costumes, and parades. People come from around the world to participate in masked balls and general festivities in the ancient Venetian tradition, and to enjoy theatrical and dance performances, exhibitions and concerts along the canals, squares and the magnificent palaces of the city. Carnival traditions are the same, but every year the theme is different.
During the period of Carnival it seems that every excess was permitted and the fact that everyone wore masks seemed to abolish all social division. All the open spaces (campi) and the streets were thronged with people intent on partying, carousing, singing, dancing and playing games. The most common costume (the baùtta) was composed of a black silk hood, a lace cape, a voluminous cloak (the tabarro), and a three-cornered hat and a white mask that completely covered the wearer's face. This allowed revelers to go around the city incognito. It would be exciting to visit the Casini, where you could play a game of chance.
Since 1980 the celebration of Carnival in Venice has gained popularity. People come from the world over to attend private and public masked balls and masked revelers of all ages invade the campi where music and dancing continues nearly day and night. Theatrical performances and an array of ancient games are organized for the amusement of Venetians and visitors alike.
The types of masks and costumes worn today are based on character types drawn from Italian folklore, history, and society.
The masks depict characters ranging from. Most of these creatures have been popularized and crystallized in the Commedia dell’ Arte.
Commedia dell'Arte masks are based on traditional characters like satyrs, demons and lawyers to sailors, bakers, butchers Harlequin and Pierrot.
Fantasy masks are figments of the maskmaker's imagination, although they may be inspired by historical designs.
Traditional Venetian masks such as the white volto half-mask with nose cover and its variant, the "plague doctor's" mask with its phallic beak. (According to tradition, the beak was intended to protect the wearer from being infected by the plague
The Puccini Festival and biography of Giacomo Puccini :
Take one look at the landscape from the banks of Lake Massaciuccoli in the city of Torre del Lago, Tuscany and it is easy to understand Giacomo Puccini’s inspiration for his operas. The great Italian composer, Puccini, once wrote to his friend Forzano, “I always come out here and take a boat to go and shoot snipes … but once I would like to come here and listen to one of my operas in the open air.” Forzano brought alive his friend’s wishes in 1930 when he organized the first Puccini festival celebrating not only Puccini’s operas but also the beautiful landscape that inspired Puccini.
The open-air theatre, which hosts about 40,000 opera lovers every year, has the Massaciuccoli Lake in its background, presenting an unforgettable experience to Puccini fans, opera lovers and visitors alike. The incomparable natural scenery, the stage designed by among the most reputed designers, painters and sculptors in the world and Puccini’s music together paint fantastic images in the mind of the viewer.
The festival attracts among the biggest names in world opera. Tito Gobbi, Mario del Monaco, Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Placido Domingo, Josè Cura among other reputed names have performed here. The highlight of the festival is the attention to details invested on it. Each set, costume, opera, ballet and the colors resonate with the Puccinian spirit. The Puccini Prize, an award instituted in 1971, is a statuette resembling Puccini and handed out on the death anniversary of the composer on November 29th.
The Puccini festival invites worldwide attention attracting diverse artists. Some of the previous set designers have included the Japanese sculptor Kan Yasuda for Madama Butterfly, the Belgian painter and sculptor Jean-Michel Folon for La Boheme and Igor Mitoraj for Manon Lescaut.
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini was born in the province of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy on 22nd December 1858. He was born into a family with a long tradition in music. Generations before him had all been musicians and organists at San Martino, Lucca’s ancient church. Puccini’s father, a music composer and church organist, died when he was only five years old. In order to continue the family tradition, Puccini was sent to study music with his uncle Fortunato Magi and later with Carlo Angeloni, the director of the Istituto Musicale Pacini. He started off his musical career at the age of 14 as an organist at Lucca’s churches, St. Martino and St. Michele.
Puccini was quite content to follow in his ancestors’ tradition and continue as an organist in Lucca’s churches until fate intervened. Little did he know that the direction of his life would change on the fateful day that he went to the city of Pisa to see Verdi’s opera Aida. Puccini was wonder-struck by Verdi’s musical brilliance and amazed at his form of musical composition. Obsessed with the opera, he finally decided to break from his family tradition of church music and pursue his new-found passion, operatic composition.
His tutoring under Angeloni ended in 1880 which he marked by composing the Messa di Gloria. Financial aid from one of his uncles and a scholarship from Queen Margherita allowed him to join Royal Conservatory of Milan, the perfect place for upcoming musicians. He studied at the Milan Conservatory from 1880 till 1883 under the mentoring of the legendary Amilcare Ponchielli, the composer of La Gioconda, and Antonio Bazzini.
In 1883, Eduardo Sonzagno, the publisher of the music journal Il Teatro Illustrato, announced an opera competition for young musicians. He called for the submission of one-act operas; the winner would be awarded 2000 lira, and more importantly would be given a chance to perform his opera at a theater in Milan, sponsored by Sonzogno. Such opportunities were like a dream come true to young musicians and goaded by Ponchielli Puccini decided to compete. Puccini and Ponchielli convinced the librettist (lyricist) Fontana to write a libretto for Puccini. The opera, Le Villi, though it failed to win, marked the beginning of Puccini’s career in operatic composition.
Le Villi was later staged at the Teatro dal Verme in 1884 where it not only achieved immense success but was also noticed by the Milanese publisher Giulio Ricordi. Ricordo was to become his friend, philosopher and guide in this new world of operas. He commissioned Puccini to write another opera with the same librettist, Fontana. The new opera, Edgar, was to be based on a drama by Alfred de Mussett. Puccini’s style of composition was not suited to the form that Edgar required and for the first time Puccini met with failure when the opera failed to make any splash in the La Scala, where it debuted. Undaunted, Puccini tried several revisions to Edgar but had to abandon the whole project later calling it a blunder. It was during this period that he got associated with Elvira, marrying her in 1904.
Puccini then chose Abbé Prévost’s autobiography for his next opera, Manon Lescaut. This time, Puccini took an active interest in the libretto, working with five librettists, suggesting changes to its form and structure until he thought it to be perfect. Manon Lescaut debuted in Turin and achieved great success. It made him known outside Italy as well; George Bernard Shaw called Puccini a natural successor to Verdi.
Puccini bought a house in the village of Torre del Lago which was to become his most favorite spot in the world. After the success of Manon, Puccini went onto compose La Bohème, considered by some to be his best work, Tosca and Madama Butterfly among other operas.
Puccini probably would have reached greater heights if it were for his wife who falsely accused their maid of having an affair with him. The poor girl committed suicide. Puccini never completely recovered from this incident. In November 1924, Puccini died of throat cancer leaving Turandot unfinished, later completed by Franco Alfano. He was buried at the Torre del Lago.
It is interesting to note that most of Puccini’s protagonists were women and many of his operas tended towards tragedy. Puccini’s gift for tragedy, despair and sensuality are readily evident in his orchestrations. Indeed, Puccini ranks among the greatest composers like Mozart, Verdi and Wagner.
Giro d’Italia, Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali duel :The Race
The Giro d’Italia more famously known as the Giro, is a long distance bicycle race for professional riders. It is held in and around Italy over a span of three weeks in May or June. Started on the 13th of May, 1909, in Milano’s Piazzale Loreto, and inspired by the Tour de France, this Great race was aimed at boosting circulation of the Italian Sports newspaper La Gazella dello Sport. Such is the importance of this race that along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, it is part of the Triple Crown of Cycling.
The inaugural edition consisted of eight stages and a total of 2448 kilometers in which Luigi Ganna finished first among a field of 127 riders. Only 49 riders finished the race which ended after 17 gruelling days. The first time the event was held outside Italy was when San Marino hosted the race in 1965. The Principality of Monaco hosted the race the very next season.
Similar to the Tour de France which awards its winner the prestigious yellow jersey, the winner of the Giro gets a Maglia rosa (pink jersey) – pink representing the color of the newspaper La Gazella dello Sport. This tradition started from the year 1931 onwards. The ‘King of the Mountains’ adorns a green jersey while the points leader wears a mauve jersey. (The best climber in a road race is given the title of ‘King of the Mountains’)
The best riders in history lost several years of their prime racing careers due to the two World Wars. Very few of them survived the Wars and appeared on the start line of the post War races. Though the German occupied territories hosted some wars during World War II, it was not possible to travel to those places safely, so many riders who mattered, did not participate. It was almost a given those days that big riders participated mostly in home races only. For example, Giradengo and Binda mastered over the Tour of Lombardy and Milan-San Remo but hardly took part even in Tour de France competitions. Only after the war did racers take the northern classics seriously.
The Rivalries
A Giro would not be fun if there were no rivalries among the various riders. There have been a host of great rivalries on the Italian race circuits over the years, the first of them being between Constante Giradengo and Afredo Binda, the former being Italy’s first superstar. There was no love lost between Giradengo and the good looking Binda. Binda, the five time Giro winner refused to even talk to Giradengo for a while. In 1927, Binda established a clear advantage when he won by a large margin to claim his first world-championship title.
But the rivalry between Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, is arguably the greatest in cycling history. The contrasting natures of both the riders spiced up the affair even more as Italy took sides between the religious Gino and the self-professed atheist, Fausto.
Gino Bartali
Born in 1914, Gino was typical hard working Tuscan. His religious ways counter pointed his ruthless attitude on the race tracks. In the morning of his career when two popular Italian racers tried to box him in near the finish of a race, he rammed through them right in the middle ending the event in a bloody crash. That was the last time anyone tried to box Gino. When he was 20 he won the climber’s jersey (in 1935). He was a great climber and won the mountains jersey a record seven times. He was also the first rider to win the Tour de France overall title and the mountains jersey in the same year (1938). He repeated the feat in 1948, when he won seven stages. Gino retired in 1954 at the age of 40 and died on 5th of May, 2000.
Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi (also known as the Campionssimo, or the Champion of Champions) was born in 1919 and won a total of seven tours. He was known for his flamboyance and the way he publicized his affair with his mistress. Personal life apart, he, along with Gino infused life into war torn Italy, which was searching for heroes in sport to revitalize the national spirit. He won races by large margins and conquered the Tour de France twice- in 1949 and in 1952. One of the momentous races by Fausto is the 1946 Milan-San Remo race. Over a span of 181 miles, he aggressed early and won 14 minutes clear of the man who came second, and more importantly, 18 minutes clear of Gino. In 1951, overcoming the emotional setback of his brother Serse’s death, he finished a creditable tenth in the Tour de France. Having been malnutritioned in his youth, his brittle bones gave way a lot of times causing innumerous fractures. While on a hunting safari to Africa, he was infected by malaria which was fatally misdiagnosed by the Italian doctors. Fausto Coppi died in 1960, at the age of 40.
Their Rivalry
Gino was the undisputed leader of Italian cycling until Fausto came along. World War II interrupted the riders in the peak of their careers, but Gino still won the Giro in 1946, and Fausto did it four more times after the war. (In fact in between Fausto’s victories in 1940 and then in 1946, he spent some years languishing as a prisoner of war on North Africa.) The tussle between the two was the stuff that legends are made of and there were numerous one-day classics between the two, not to mention the epic battles in the Giro and the Tour de France, which endeared both of them to the Italian public. Though Gino was the first one to identify Fausto’s talent and draft him into his cycling team, Fausto soon asserted his superiority leaving Gino frustrated. But Gino soon recognized Coppi's natural gifts. He wrote, "On a bike Fausto was like a god. When he got off he was a mortal, but when he pedalled he was supernatural. His suppleness, his form, this plastic in motion constituted a complete spectacle. It's easy to understand the enthusiasm of so many to see him in action.” Fausto was considered better talented than Gino. Gino spared no idea to keep track of Fausto and to discover his Achilles heel. One such time he found out that Fausto had a weak vein which troubled him between the 160th and 180th kilometers of a race. Asking a friend to keep tabs on him, Gino attacked when his friend gave signal that the weak vein was troubling Fausto, and won easily. There were also times when personal rivalry got the better of both of them and they put their quest for besting the other, over the cause of the race. This attitude got them suspended from racing for Italy for a period of three months. Eventually Fausto was rid of Gino’s troublesome intrusion into his privacy when the latter retired.
The 2006 Giro
The 2006 Giro –the 89th edition - would be held in the Mazda Palace. The 3553 kilometers would take the riders from Belgium to Italy. The gruelling nature of the race track has invited criticisms from various quarters but this is how it will stand and this race should be something to watch out for.
The Giro d’Italia, started as a means to popularize a newspaper, has come a long way. From surviving two great wars, to producing champions and irresistible battles and cold wars between racers, this race, along with the other two great races, will continue to be the premier annual event to look forward to in the cycling calendar.
Rome Film Festival : A celebration of modern cinema!
The city of Rome witnessed one the greatest festival of films. Movie enthusiasts and lovers had a real and rewarding feast they could carry in their memory for long. It was a festival for the entire film personalities, not only those who work for films, but even those who love cinema for the best part of it had great time to rejoice. The festival would take place at the Auditorium - Parco della Musica in the Parco del Cinema for full nine days. The screening of the movies and other relevant events were held at locations that symbolized Rome.
The festival was not about movies alone. It also took into its fold exhibitions, meetings, panels, music concerts, fashion and theatre performances all related to films. Internationally famed musicians like Antonio Pappano, Ennio Morricone and Riccardo Muti displayed high level movie inspired soundtracks. There were also exhibitions conducted by memorable actors like Bertolucci, Rossellini, Antonioni and Visconti on movie costumes, photography, future cinema and photojournalism. The streets wore a festive appearance and there was lively participation from all corners. The nine days were of festivity and celebration for the whole of Rome.
The Organizing Team
The organizing team consisted of famous personalities from all walks of the society of Rome. These committee members are:
Walter Veltroni, Irene Bignardi, Gaetano Blandini, Bruno Cagli, Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, Luciana Castellina, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Davide Croff, Aurelio De Laurentiis, Enrico Gasbarra, Piers Handling, Kim Dong-ho, Felice Laudadio, Gianni Letta, Piero Marrazzo, Andrea Mondello, Renzo Piano, Ettore Scola
The Board members included:
Goffredo Bettini, Nicola Barbato, Gianni Borgna, Pietro Calabrese, Antonio Calabrò, Innocenzo Cipolletta, Giovanni Ferreri, Carlo Fuortes, Carlo Fuscagni, Francesco Gesualdi, Giorgio Gosetti, Giovanni Malagò, Mario Marazziti, Andrea Mondello, Giovanna Pugliese, Giulia Rodano, Antonio Rosati, Mario Sesti
The Festival Venues
The heart of the event was at Rome’s famous Auditorium - Parco della Musica that had four screening theatres with state-of-the-art facilities, conference rooms, reception areas for the purpose of get-togethers with celebrities, conversations with key personalities and premieres. Alongside was the Via Veneto that took the stage and became the prime business area during the festival. Beginning from Piazza del Popolo to Trevi Fountain, and from the studios at Cinecittà to Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia: the festival became a movie lover’s dream city that was redesigned with new cultural and traditional itineraries, from the Casa del Cinema, to Casa delle Letterature, and the Casa del Jazz. There were at least 20 screens that were dedicated to the screening of premieres.
The Cinema Festival
The festival was aimed to discover the great potential of moving images and cinema as powerful agents of spreading social and cultural moments. The grand event was also in the event of promoting modernization and experimentation in the field of techniques, audiovisuals, creativity and the overall quality of cinema even for the younger generation to master. As an initiative to nurture a new public backup for cinema, the event was also on the look out for a new audience for film festivals. The festival also focused on the craft of acting, the role of an actor/actress and the connection to the actual making of the film.
The programs for the festival were divided into many parts:
Competition - This section comprised movies of innovative nature. They were from movie makers from all over the world. The films released in the homelands required a world premiere or an international one for premiering in the festival. Italian films needed to be premiered in this festival. The feature films should have been presented only at one other festival other than that held in Europe.
Première: This hosted a series of grand evenings dedicated to big international premières. The stars and directors also participated in debates on the craft of filmmaking with the public. The Santa Cecilia saw the screenings of the premieres.
Première Movies
Alatriste (Agustín Díaz Yanes) - Spain
Fur: an Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (Steven Shainberg)- U.S.A.
La sconosciuta (Giuseppe Tornatore) - Italy, France
Le Concile de pierre (Guillaume Nicloux) - France
N (Io e Napoleone) (Paolo )Virzì) - Italy, France, Spain
The Hoax (Lasse Hallström - U.S.A.
The Namesake (Mira Nair) - U.S.A.
The Prestige by Christopher Nolan - U.S.A.
Uno su due (Eugenio Cappuccio) - Italy
Cinema 2006: This comprised of latest selection of new works by directors from all over the world. A jury by the people assigned the award for the best film. It carried a cash award of 200,000 euros and awards for the best actress and best actor. Films that were in and out of the competition were included in this section. The Sinopoli saw the screenings of the movies.
Special Events: A celebration of movies that captured the attention of the public and still had a distinct mark of its own. The movies had all kinds of emotions packed with all kinds of elements that included art and technology.
The Actor’s Craft - A living legend and a great actor and an acting technique was glorified in this event. This was made possible by means of projections, exhibitions, conversations and workshops with the popular star.
Extra - One could also see some of the latest documentaries and new forms of audiovisual representations. The works were those released in the country of their makers and not been a part of film festivals held in Venice, Cannes, Berlin and Locarno.
Alice in the City - Young audiences is targeted in this section. It is a festival within a festival and had a separate program and encounters with young experts. European or world premiere was required for entry to this section.
Area Business - The festival wanted to support upcoming filmmakers. The last four days of the festival was dedicated to helping and discovering initiatives to support, sales and acquisition, production, distribution etc.
New Cinema - There was an equal opportunity for new filmmakers to showcase their creations. There was also a special interest on Italian and European films in collaboration with international organizations.
The entry into the festival was governed by many rules and regulations.
Whatever formats the film was in had to exceed a time limit of 60 minutes. The films had to be in original languages with subtitles in English. The films should have been produced past 1st November 2005. There should be a European or a world premiere for the films that participate, and can be released in their own country and should not have participated in more than one film festival. The board of directors is responsible for the final selection of films to participate in the festival. The board can also seek the advice of international advisors for the same. The medium of presentation will not be taken into account while deciding.
Jury and Awards
The jury consisted of 50 filmgoers from movie audiences headed by a president from a cultural of film circle selected the prize for the best film in the competition section. The cash prize of 200,000 Euros was to be divided among the director and the major producer. There were prizes for the best actor and actress as well. The jury’s decision was as always considered as final.
Winners
Three official awards were announced. They are for the best actor, best actress and the best film. The awards were designed by renowned Bulgari artists, famous all over for making Italian jewelry.
The acting award in the Actor’s Craft section was given away to Sean Connery. The special award was created in collaboration with IMAIE. Sean Connery was the hot favorite of the entire city during the festival. The PMQ award for a manager or an agent, who represented an actress or actor with an interesting career, was also given away.
The black comedy, ‘Playing the Victim,’ by Russian director and playwright Kirill Serebrennikov, bagged the first prize. The comic adaptation ‘Hamlet,’ walked away with the 200,000 Euros voted the best by the jury of the people. A special award went to ‘This Is England.’ Arianne Ascaride, the French actress won the award for the best actress for her role in ‘The Journey to Armenia,’ and Italy’s actor Giorgio Colangeli won the award for the best actor for his role in ‘Salty Air.’ ‘Lisco,’ an Italian movie won in the Alice in the city section, ‘Just like the son,’ in the Young audiences section. The blockbuster Premiere award went to ‘The Unknown,’ by Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy and the Cult Network award for documentary went to ‘Deep Water,’ by Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell, U.K. The L.A.R.A award for Italian performer went to Ninetto Davoli for his ‘Uno su Due.’
Robert De Niro was a major attraction towards the end of the film festival when he gave a public interview and also screened his CIA thriller ‘The Good Sheperd.’ De Niro's was one of the numerous stars who were responsible for the fest to be noticed internationally. Other celebrities who were present are Sean Connery, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Richard Gere, Harrison Ford and Monica Bellucci.
Movies are magical. They seem to draw all those who have a drive for creativity and passion for art and its various forms!
