TALKS

PAOLO COGNETTI
GIÙ NELLA VALLE
(EINAUDI)

In conversation with Vasco Brondi

There are free, dark and wild animals, and others that seek a soft hand and shelter. In between, between the shade and the sun, runs the river. The two brothers are Luigi and Alfredo, a larch and a fir tree: a house up there in the mountains divides them, and the bar counter approaches them. And then Betta, who bathes in the stream and expecting a baby girl.
In this novel as hard and smooth as a stone, Paolo Cognetti descends from the glaciers of Monte Rosa to listen to the shocks of life on the valley floor. His voice sings of fragile existences, lost behind anger, alcohol and a mysterious force that drags them deeper and deeper, overwhelming everything. Along the Sesia, as in the rest of the world, animals and trees are left in silence to suffer the pain of man. Paolo Cognetti has written his ‘Nebraska’ with the speed and succinct language of great writers.

As part of the program Le voci dei libri, in collaboration with Coop Alleanza 3.0

TALKS

GIOVANNI DE PLATO
CARAVAGGIO
LA LUCE E IL BUIO DELLA MENTE
(LIBRI SCHEIWILLER)

In conversation with Lorenzo Sassoli de’ Bianchi

Who was Caravaggio truly? A violent man in a time of ordinary violence? Or a madman, the victim of a prejudiced society? Giovanni De Plato’s book takes this question as its starting point, proposing to illuminate the chiaroscuro that dominates the life, work and clinical case of Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. The most elementary facts of his biography, marked by a constant struggle between the brilliant light of his art (the light) and the nocturnal impetuosity of a complex personality (the dark), are still under discussion: the great, acclaimed and controversial artist is a man accused of being a ‘cursed’, a ‘delinquent’, a ‘murderer’, while even today some psychiatrists and psychologists consider him to be suffering from ‘mental illness’.
Using documents and testimonies from the period, Giovanni De Plato, through a novel-like narrative, reconstructs the true story of Caravaggio, giving voice to the characters that surrounded his life, in an attempt to discover whether there are good reasons to exonerate the artist from the accusation of infamous crimes and redeem his figure from the mark of psychopathy. The research begins with an analysis of the first twenty years of Caravaggio’s life, little studied but fundamental for understanding his human and artistic evolution.

As part of the program Le voci dei libri, in collaboration with Coop Alleanza 3.0

PERFORMANCE

Saxofollia
Portraits

Fabrizio Benevelli soprano sax
Lorenzo Simoni alto sax
Marco Ferri tenor sax
Giovanni Contri baritone sax

The Saxofollia Quartet is one of the most active and recognised chamber ensembles in Italy (winner of eight national and international competitions). Since 1993 the quartet has been performing and recording extensively, and its members have collaborated with the most prestigious symphony orchestras (La Fenice in Venice, Filarmonica della Scala in Milan, Arena in Verona, Teatro Comunale in Bologna).
The remarkable versatility of the ensemble is manifested in a constant desire to explore new musical horizons: the various projects that the group puts on stage are the best expression of this. Saxofollia tackles with mastery and ease both classical repertoires, such as baroque and opera, and jazz-like programmes, ranging from swing to bebop and modern jazz. Portraits is a tribute to some of the most influential figures in the history of jazz music, with references and takes on Cole Porter, Charles Mingus and John Coltrane.

In collaboration with the Bologna Jazz Festival

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Film program
Future Film Kids

PIXELS
Chris Columbus, USA, 2015, 106’, Italian

A recording of the 1982 World Video Game Championships is sent into space as part of a NASA experiment, and apparently someone receives it. An alien race analyses the various video games shown in the video and interprets them as military training tools. After 33 years, these aliens arrive on Earth with real versions of these video games, ready to destroy the planet. Earth’s army and defence therefore rely on a group of former video game prodigies, now adults, the best in their field.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Film program
MBM. MAST Best Movies

FREE TO PLAY
Valve Corporation, USA, 2014, 75’, o.v. with Italian subtitles – documentary

In this documentary, three professional video game players overcome personal adversity, family pressures and the realities of life to participate in a million-dollar tournament that could change their lives forever.