Como Contemporary Festival 2023
Como Contemporary Festival aims to be a moment of meeting and gathering, where contemporary music intertwines and merges with other art forms, giving life to a series of unique events. During the festival, while always keeping contemporary music at the forefront, musical compositions are accompanied by other forms of artistic expression such as poetry, dance, fiber art, and theatre. Musical works composed specifically for the occasion are also presented and performed for the first time.
The fourth edition of Como Contemporary Festival - International Festival of Contemporary Music and Other Arts - will feature the participation of internationally acclaimed artists. The festival will open on November 4th with a concert by the truly incredible artist Jean-Pierre Leguay (FRA), who served as the Chapel Master at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris for many years and is a prolific composer on a global scale. Leguay will perform on the precious Balbiani-Vegezzi-Bossi organ of the Cathedral of Como, which has 4 manuals and over 6,500 pipes, to surprise the audience with his original compositions. It will be a unique event, absolutely not to be missed, preceded by a seminar conducted by Leguay himself.
From November 11th to 26th, the events will continue at Villa Olmo, Centro Cardinal Ferrari and Pontificio Collegio Gallio in Como. Among the guest artists, we will have Syntax Ensemble, which will present a monographic concert, the first in Italy, featuring the compositions of Ivan Fedele (former artistic director of the Venice Biennale); Alfonso Alberti (piano) and Maurilio Cacciatore (live electronics) will be the performers who will bring some pages of the well-known Salento composer to life, introducing electronic elements into the Como festival for the first time.
We will also have another excellence in the Italian chamber music scene, the Mdi Ensemble, presenting a monographic concert featuring the music of a pillar of European avant-garde: composer Helmut Lachenmann (GER). His experimental compositions are well-known but they will anyway offer an opportunity to rediscover rich timbres and unconventional sounds.
Next, it will be the turn of musical theatre, with the voice of Ljuba Bergamelli and the dance of Simone Magnani, taking us on an evocative journey through the works of authors such as George Aperghis, Luciano Berio, John Cage, Pasquale Corrado, Michele Sanna and Vittorio Montalti (Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2010). Another interesting event will be the one with the theatre of Alessandro Quattrone (Montale Prize 1994), whose texts will be interpreted by actress Jasmine Monti, with music by Umberto Pedraglio and directed by Stefano Annoni, all artists from Como. Como based is also the ensemble that will perform the finalist scores of the VII International Composition Competition "Appassionato Ensemble", an event that has so far involved over 950 composers from 56 countries around the world. This year, the competition will once again collaborate with Edizioni Sconfinarte, for the publication of the winning score, and Radio Cemat.
There is still room for young talents with the concert at Villa Bernasconi in Cernobbio, where the musicians selected for the Polifonie International Music Masterclass will perform, this year’s masterclass being under the expert guidance of internationally renowned violinist and educator Pavel Berman (RUS).
Among the partnerships of Como Contemporary Festival 2023, we have the privilege of collaborating with the Villa d'Este, recognized as one of the best hotels in the world, which will host our artists. We have also renewed the valuable collaboration with Mantero 1902, a historic silk company and flagship of the textile production of the city of Como that will produce silk garments representing the logo of our festival, centred around the word COMO, specially designed and created by architects Bonetti-Gravic, and strongly in line with the rationalism of Terragni, a symbol of the city of Como and its lake.
All of this will be made possible thanks to the contribution of the Municipality of Como and Cernobbio, Fondazione Cariplo, Villa d'Este, and Cassa Rurale ed Artigiana di Cantù, our official sponsor. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the accommodations Palace Hotel in Como, Hotel Barchetta Excelsior, Diocese of Como, Franz Terraneo Orchestra and Picone Pianoforti for their valuable collaboration.
Press Office
ELLECISTUDIO
Chiara Lupano
335.7835403
chiara.lupano@ellecistudio.it
SCHEDULE
COMO CONTEMPORARY FESTIVAL 2023
SATURDAY 4 November 2023, 4.00 pm
Hotel Barchetta Excelsior – Como
"Meeting with the artist"
Umberto Pedraglio and Victoria Saldarini with Jean-Pierre Leguay
Interview and coffee with the artist
Free entry
***
SATURDAY 4 November 2023, 8.30 pm
Cathedral of Como
“Jean-Pierre Leguay, da Notre-Dame a Como”
Jean-Pierre Leguay, organ
Music by J.S.Bach, P.Hindemith, J.P.Leguay
Admission by free donation
***
SATURDAY 11 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Centro Cardinal Ferrari – Como
Final Concert and Award Ceremony of
"7th International Composition Competition Appassionato Ensemble 2023"
(finalist scores)
Appassionato Ensemble
Ileana De Santis, flute
Irene Marraccini, clarinet
Davide Moro, violin
Umberto Pedraglio, cello
Federico Ceriani, piano
Music by Michael Edgerton (USA), Francesco Mariotti (ITA), Testuya Hori (JAP), Jacopo Caneva (ITA), Yuheng Chen (CHI)
Single entrance: 10€ (click here)
***
SUNDAY 12 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Villa Olmo – Como
“Una voce”
musical theatre for voice and dancer
Ljuba Bergamelli, voice
Simone Magnani, dancer
Music by G.Aperghis, L.Berio, C.Berberian, J.Cage, P.Corrado e V.Montalti
Single entrance: 10€ (click here)
***
THURSDAY 16 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Villa Bernasconi – Cernobbio
“Giovani Talenti”
Selection and proclamation of the winner of the prize-concert
Concert by the Students of Polifonie International Music Masterclass
Teacher: Pavel Berman
Free entry
***
SATURDAY 18 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Pontificio Collegio Gallio – Como
“Pianoforte e live electronics”
Alfonso Alberti, piano
Maurilio Cacciatore, live electronics
Music by Ivan Fedele (Italian première)
concert in collaboration with Syntax Ensemble
Single entrance: 10€ (click here)
***
SATURDAY 25 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Villa Olmo – Como
“E anche a me piace stare in mezzo al buio”
Jasmine Monti, actress
Umberto Pedraglio, cello
Texts by Alessandro Quattrone
Music by Umberto Pedraglio and Giovanni Sollima
directed by Stefano Annoni
Single entrance: 10€ (click here)
***
SUNDAY 26 November 2023, 6.30 pm
Pontificio Collegio Gallio – Como
“See the Sound”
Mdi Ensemble
Paolo Casiraghi, clarinet
Giorgio Casati, cello
Luca Ieracitano, piano
Music by Helmut Lachenmann
Single entrance: 10€ (click here)
***
SEASON TICKET (one seat reserved for all concerts): 50 euro visit the link (=Supporting Partner)
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