The program

Wednesday 3rd July (21.30), concert by Ara Malikian. It will be the internationally live show of Ara Malikian, violin prodigy, in his fantastic and exciting "Royal Garage World Tour", to open the event. The Pisa concert is a stage of a world tour that has touched symbolic places, such as the Royal Albert Hall (sold out last May 20th) and that will lead him to perform at the Olympia in Paris, as well as in all major European capitals, as well as in Los Angeles, Miami and South America. Defined by the press the "Jimi Hendrix" of the violin, Malikian will perform with his super band that has been following him for years, the same one with which he presented himself at the May Day concert in Rome last year, an appointment that revealed him to the public Italian. The violinist will present to the Italian public "The Incredible Story of Violin", a variegated and colorful record, in which all his extraordinary talent emerges, both as a performer and as a composer. But the strength and the explosiveness of the concert lie in Malikian's ability to put together, without gender limitations, the classical repertoire with extraordinary interpretations of pop and rock songs. Thus we find Mozart and Radiohead, David Bowie and Bach, Paganini and Pulp Fiction, Astor Piazzolla and Led Zeppelin in an exciting crescendo. "Attending a concert by Ara Malikian is a multi-sensory experience," wrote Secolo XIX, "and the public does not resist long before it goes wild". Of Armenian origin, born in Beirut and resident in Madrid, where he conducts the symphony orchestra of the Madrid Royal Opera, Ara Malikian has numerous awards behind, including the prestigious Niccolò Paganini Award. His career seemed relegated to the "classic" context, but his violin took other paths, crossing the Armenian tradition with Middle Eastern and European influences. The passion for the classic, together with that for popular music, make Ara Malikian a unique artist of its kind, as well as a force of nature for the intense and very particular live. The Tour has so far strung over 176 concerts around the world, most of which have sold out, for over 300,000 tickets.

 

 

Friday 5th July (9.30 pm), "Rigoletto", opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. One of the most famous and beautiful works of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, "Rigoletto" will be in Piazza dei Cavalieri in full edition, with an orchestra of 45 elements, choir, sets, costumes and protagonists of absolute level. The prestigious cast sees in the main roles Gabriele Spina (Rigoletto), Domenico Menini (Duca di Mantova) and Anna Delfino (Gilda). The direction is entrusted to Franco Zappalà, the "Amedeo Modigliani" Orchestra will be conducted by Mario Menicagli and the choir of the Società Corale Pisana will have Stefano Cencetti as its Choir Master. The lights will be curated by Riccardo Tonelli, while scenes and costumes will be created thanks to the collaboration of Europa Musica. Finally, the Danzaria dance group by Arianna Quaglierini, who will take care of the choreography with Federica Taffoni. The Pisa performance coincides with the opening of the Tuscany Opera Festival, the first edition of a Tuscan circuit dedicated to opera, under the patronage of the Tuscany Region, which throughout the summer will cover towns and villages in Tuscany. Rigoletto, was composed by Giuseppe Verdi in 1850, on a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (taken from "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo) and performed for the first time at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851. Rigoletto, from its appearance, is one of the most loved and known works of the entire opera repertoire. The public will find theatrical splendor, fascinating and famous melodies that have even entered into everyday life, such as "The woman is mobile", a plot that leaves without breath in the suspense of the events and the tragic final, even unusual atmospheric references and landscaped, but it is above all the true nature of Rigoletto, the bitter humanity of the overprotective and insecure father, the other-worldly affection that binds him to his daughter, to capture the sensitivity of the spectators and remain unforgettable. Rigoletto, on the occasion of the first performance, and for a few years was also represented with the title of "Viscardello", as at the time it took place at the behest of censorship.

 

 

Sunday 7th July (21.30) concert by Tuck and Patti. Unmissable jazz event with a duo of rare complementarity, which represents in an airy and minimalist key, the elegant musical eclecticism of San Francisco. In the early Eighties San Francisco and the Bay Area were the training ground for memorable and in some cases epic experiments in the area of jazz singing. Tuck Andress, a guitarist rooted in the fertile blues and country terrain of the Southwest (he is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma), has evolved into the stylistic sign of Wes Montgomery, up to a complex harmonic-rhythmic-melodic dimension: alone, weaving bass lines, chords and counter-melody, it becomes a whole, very articulated rhythm section. Patti Cathcart, creature of San Mateo, in the San Francisco area, has experienced formative experiences between rock'n'roll and Rhythm & Blues, in particular some months (the last life of the great bluesman) spent with the band of T-Bone Walker. Its vibrant and moody contralto, shaded but mottled with liquid (quasi-folk) head tones, their sensual and electrical communication and the descriptive tension of the gospel of its roots have made it a cult group on the world scene.