L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 Andrea Morricone's U.S. premiere: natural-born talent, professional technique, and innovation Maestro Andrea Morricone, Award-winning Italian composer and conductor, will present his premier U.S. concert at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater, The Herb Alpert Educational Village at New Roads School in Santa Monica, on April 29, 2014. Organized under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy, and in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles and the Coalition for Engaged Education of Santa Monica, the performance will feature the American Amor Symphonic Orchestra with spe- cial guests Italian soprano Elisabetta Russo and tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti. A unique opportunity to appre- ciate Maestro Morricone's talent and original style, this awaited event will certainly win the hearth of classical and contempo- rary music lovers alike. But let him tell us more about it. What should the LA audi- ence expect from this concert? It will be something truly inno- vative, due in particular to the use of the voice. About three years ago, in fact, I decided to dedicate at least part of my work to the role of the voice within the orchestra and the relationship between them. The reason is because, in my opinion, there aren't good examples of it in contemporary operas, compared with the greatest and unforget- table melodies of the XIX centu- ry by artists the likes of Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, or Gaetano Donizetti. New forms of theater and music were devel- oped in the 1900s, but they also represented a break with tradi- tion. Therefore, contemporary composers need to take this evo- lution into consideration and to reinvent their music language by incorporating, for example, syn- thesizers, percussions, and elec- tronic music into the classical structure of the composition. Embracing modern technologies is also the only way to reach out to a larger and younger audience. This is what I did in some of my new arias and mainly in the duets, where the composer's fan- tasy can explore innovative sounds and combinations. And yet, I still consider myself a clas- sical author on the basis of my music education and artistic sen- sibility: I firmly believe that clas- sical means timelessly beautiful, just like Bach's melodies are still fresh and fascinating after four centuries of music history. L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 How did the collaboration with lyricist Paola Lorenzi, tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti, and soprano Elisabetta Russo come about? Paola and I have been friends for about 10 years. She authored the original lyrics of my brand- new melodies and compositions, and we had already worked together in the past on the occa- sion of a Christmas concert in Rome, hosted in the Basilica Santa Maria della Minerva and organized in collaboration with Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra. That concert also featured tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti, who has now been invited to join us again here in Los Angeles. He is considered by the critics as the new Luciano Pavarotti for the style and power of his voice, and he studied with soprano Elisabetta Russo, an extraordi- nary LA-based artist. I am sin- cerely glad to collaborate with all of them, and I also count on the high quality performance of the 45-piece orchestra. It will certainly be an amazing concert. How did you prepare for it? Moving to the United States, I have been working hard to per- fect my composing technique, which is crucial for any compos- er and conductor as it enables to understand the deepest essence of music. Since I was a child, I have always had the gift of cre- ativity to write original music, but I have also trained all my life to combine inspiration with pro- fessional know-how, developing my own secret codes that lie behind my scores. In addition, contemporary technology allows an immediate feedback on my work, something that was impos- sible a few years ago. I have also produced a number of film scores - like the new arrange- ment of the Academy Award- winning "Love Theme" in Cinema Paradiso - to experi- ment new sounds. Now I feel ready, focused, and determined. I look forward to this Los Angeles premiere, that will be followed by more dates in the U.S. and probably in Italy during the sum- mer. What is the added value of this concert? Through these original melodies and lyrics – all of them in Italian -, it is meant to con- tribute to promote and make our traditional culture known in all its forms to the American public. Even if I live here now, I want to represent my native Country in the best way possible through my music. Finally, what kind of mes- sage would you like to pass on to the new generations of com- posers? I believe that the secret to com- pose great music is to aim higher and higher, never resting on one's laurels or being easily sat- isfied. Every artist or profession- al should call into question his or her own work from an external and unbiased perspective, in order to evaluate how it can be improved even by removing redundant elements. Self-criti- cism is essential to rise above mediocrity and to create some- thing really outstanding. SILVIA SIMONETTI Composer and conductor Andrea Morricone Apr. 25, Fri.- Santa Lucia Society Dinner Meeting 6:30 pm at Casa Italiana. Mass 6:00 pm St. Peter's Italian Church; Reservations: 323-257-2182. Apr. 26, Sat.- Scalabrini Discernment House Seminary 16th Annual Fundraiser Banquet at Casa Italiana. Mass 5:00 pm; St. Peter's Italian Church, Cocktails 6:30pm, Dinner 7:30pm. Tickets $45.00 per person. For information and reservations: 323-225-8119, ext 10. Apr. 27, Sun.-POINTers (Italian genealogy group) Luncheon 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. at Salvatore Italian Restaurant (125 N. 6th St., Montebello, CA 90640). For reservations and information call Diane at (310) 645-9442. Apr. 27, Sun.-Italian Cultural Arts Council Presents Cinema Italiano! 1:30 PM RECEPTION; 2 PM SCREENING. L'arrivo di Wang (The Arrival of Wang) (2011) (80 mins). Bowers Museum, Norma Kershaw Auditorium. Fee: $10 Admission; $5 Students with valid I.D. Italian with English subtitles.For more information, please email programs@bowers.org or call (714) 567-3600. Apr. 27, Sun.-80th Anniversary of the feast to honor Maria Santissima della Stella, Protectress of Cannetani. St. Peter's Italian Church (1039 N Broadway, Los Angeles 90012). Mass at 11 AM followed by a procession through the streets of Los Angeles and feast at Casa Italiana. Tickets for the event are $50 per person. For tickets and to purchase tickets, contact the President of the Canneto Colony of Saints, Palmie Crispi: (818) 246-5749. Apr. 28, Mon.-ICF Branch 67 General (Dinner) Meeting. 6:30pm at Casa Italiana (1051 N. Broadway, L.A. 90012). $15pp. For information/reservations contact: Teresa Thompson (323) 721-1673 mottino1227@gmail.com or Maria Teresa Bravo (310) 914-3186 mtbravo@ix.netcom.com or Lou Mages (805) 492-9858 pat.lou.mages@gmail.com or Nick M. D'Egidio (562) 947-2819 san1nicola@yahoo.com Apr 28, Mon. - - El Toro Library - Cooking demonstration by Chef de Cuisine, Joe Collora (Retired), to include gnocchi, marinara sauce and boning and roasting of a pork shoulder. 6 - 8 PM . Seating is limited. Admission: $10.00. Reservations please call: Teresa at (949) 830-0351. Apr. 30, Wed.- Abruzzesi e Molisani General Meeting. 6:30pm at Villa Scalabrini. Dinner will be served. Cost of dinner is $15.00 p.p. For information and reservations call Adelio Di Gregorio at (818) 985-0951. May 2, Fri.-San Trifone Society General Meeting. Mass at 6:00pm, 7:00pm at Casa Italiana (1051 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012). For information call Angela Gallidoro (323)255-2163 or Mike Foschetti (323) 257-0302. May 3, Sat.-Comboni Missionaries, Covina "11th Annual Music for the Missions" featuring "Classics to Pop!" directed by Alex Lagman. Reception and Social Hour 6:00pm with Raffle and Silent Auction items on display in the church Hall.Concert begins at 7:30pm at St. Louise de Marillac Church (1720 E. Covina Blvd, Covina, CA 91723). 1 ticket $25.00/pp; 2 tickets $45.00 + 1 comple- mentary ticket. For info: Roxanne (626) 991-0992 or Jim (626) 622- 5392.

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