Tribute concert near Pistoia

Went to an art+ sculpture park in the hills above Pistoia that is owned by the collector Giuliano Gori. Amazing. I went last evening with a group of friends. This private collection is never open. You must book a month or two in advance for a private tour, so my friends had never seen the sculptures that are scattered around the property. When Rita’s friend Columba was invited to a tribute concert for the futurist composer/musician/visual artist Daniele Lombardi, Rita asked me and a couple others to go, we all jumped at the chance. I had no idea what the evening was about. I thought we’d wander around and look at the art in the park. No word of a concert.

Well…

It was a big deal. Very cool. The tribute consisted in three separate concerts, each in a different location. The first was in a small simple open-air amphitheatre. They provided cushions and we sat wherever we liked. A pair of flutists played some music composed by Lombardi, whose style is very dissonant, like Berio.

And I took a short video, so you can get a sense of being there.

When this portion was done, we all moved up to a small building near the entrance. Art was scattered every where.

Again, the flutists played. This time in a narrow gallery with walls painted to visualize the music they’d be playing. And on the floor were blocks of cardboard with a snippet of music on them. After the duet, the older man walked along the gallery, reading & playing the music under his feet. Wonderful resonance in the space and I found delight in the unconventional approach.

Finally we all trouped down to the main palazzo area. There was a small building that was a memorial to the composer. The outside doors were covered in semi-hieroglyphics that were in fact musical notes. And, what is more (!), the doors played that music when they were opened. I gotta say, it was cool!

The first man who played was a skilled violinist who read the doors and played the notes. After him, the two flutists came back for one last set.

And as the light faded, I wandered off to some nearby sculpture that was aglow with the sunset light. It’s not as clear here. But in person, it was alive with light.

And finally, a couple extra shots:

Our hosts offered us a glass of wine from their own cellars and some snacks. All in all, it was great.