Puccini and Zappa. Women and female archetypes

Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli – double bass
Stefano Teani – piano

With the extraordinary participation of historian and writer Angelo Floramo

In case of bad weather the concert will take place at the Teatro San Giorgio in Udine

A concert-event featuring not only music, but theatricality, sociability and innovation.

In 2024 the entire cultural world celebrates the Puccini Year, 100 years after the death of the great composer from Lucca (1858 – 1924). The multidisciplinary project How I met Puccini®, conceived by composer and performer Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli, pays homage with its chamber and solo repertoire to the music of the genius from Lucca, enhancing its modernity and versatility. This is why it has been juxtaposed with Frank Zappa, an author tackled since her adolescence by the composer, since as a brilliant innovator he succeeded, like Puccini, in breaking the mould of the musical genre in which he debuted, modernising it and opening the way to new contaminations. Thanks to the excellent results achieved since 2020, the project has become a registered trademark and aims to bring new generations closer to the stage, to live music and to the world of opera, adapting Puccini’s poetics to modern language without betraying its essence.

In addition, for this special date, How I met Puccini brings the concept of female archetypes closer to Puccini’s heroines, revealing the feminine in Giacomo Puccini and addressing gender stereotyping. Indeed, Giacomo Puccini grew up in a family of women, and this profoundly influenced his representations of women in his operas. Through archetypes such as the Mother, the Femme Fatale and the Heroine, we will hear how Puccini was able to capture and convey the universal traits of the female condition. In this repertoire, we can explore two Fantasias that portray the Huntress woman in whom the figure of Minnie is embodied, and the maiden who is Cio-Cio- San. An extract from the Fantasy on Turandot, on the other hand, tells us about the archetype of the queen with the aria ‘In questa reggia’.

To seal the strength of this innovative event, which combines musical themes with important gender and social issues, there will be the presence of the well-known historian and scholar from Friuli, Angelo Floramo, who has just been awarded the prestigious Nonino Prize Risit D’Aur – Barbatella d’oro 2024 together with the cooperative “Insieme”, founded in the area of Srebrenica by ten women of various backgrounds. The author and essayist, in dialogue with the artistic director of Nei Suoni dei Luoghi, Valentina Danelon, will focus on the theme of the feminine starting from art, with particular reference to the important presence of women and artists in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and neighbouring areas.

The international level of the initiative is guaranteed and expressed through the presence of the two guest musicians, both internationally renowned under-35 talents.

In particular, Valentina Ciardelli, a double bass and composition graduate with honours, has won several major international awards and the prestigious title of Rising Star in July 2020 from the British BBC Music Magazine; her career led her to move to London, where she is currently Professor of Double Bass at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and performs in concerts; she has also gained great experience in Jazz music, playing in important jazz festivals in Italy and abroad and recording CDs with original music.

Stefano Teani, pianist, composer and conductor, has important collaborations and debuts in Italy and abroad to his credit. He was selected by Riccardo Muti within his conducting academy as Maestro Collaboratore, and is currently Gustav Kuhn’s collaborator for the important Tiroler Festspiele in Erl (Austria), where he was also able to see one of his works performed.

Programma Musicale:

Peaches en Regalia F. Zappa/ Trascr. V. S. Ciardelli  
E soffitto, e pareti, un viaggio in “Madama Butterfly” V. S. Ciardelli
Cletus Awreetus Awrigtus F. Zappa / Trascr. V. S. Ciardelli  
In Questa Reggia dall’opera “Turandot” G. Puccini
Echidna’s arf (of you) F. Zappa / Trascr. V. S. Ciardelli
Che puoi Farmi? Non ti temo! / Trascr. V. S. Ciardelli 
Fantasia sui temi di Fanciulla del West Blessed Relief F. Zappa / Trascr. V. S. Ciardelli

Durata totale: 60 minuti circa

INGRESSO LIBERO

Event in collaboration with the series Nei Suoni Dei Luoghi of the Associazione Progetto Musica.