Lucca
Lucca and Pisa in Harmony
Forget all the old jokes about the ancient rivalry between Lucca and pisa. Not only is it the latest idea to promote both cities as a joint tourist destination, but this year, the annual concert for San Michele in Lucca will feature choirs from Lucca and Pisa combining in harmony.
On 25 September in Lucca, repeated on 26 September in pisa, audiences can hear the Polifonica Lucchese, the Società Corale Pisana and members of the vocal group Stereo Tipi come together to perform Braham’s towering choral work, the Deutsches Requiem
The initiative comes jointly from Egisto Matteucci, musical director of the Polifonica Lucchese and Gianpaolo Mazzoli, maestro of the Società Corale Pisana and also Director of Lucca’s prestigiuos music school, the Istituto Boccherini. In the version of the Requiem for two pianos and timpani, the choirs will be joined by pianists Carlo Palese and Simone Soldati and timpanist David Mazzei. the solo vocal parts are taken by two favourites with Lucca audiences, Korean soprano Hye Won Nam, and lucchese bass Francesco Facini.
First performed in 1868, when Brahams was 34 years old, the Deutsches Requiem, so called because it was written with German (rather than Latin) text, has been variously described as ” a masterpieces of exceptional vision”, a masterful fusion of new and old techiniques and by Clara Schuman as ” a truly tremendous piece of art”. It was dedicated by Brahams to his mother and to Robert Schuman, both of whom had recently died, but also “to humanity in general”.
Concerto per San Michele, at Church of San Michele in Foro, Lucca at 5.30 pm on Saturday 25 September, tickets at the door, euro 10,00. In Pisa on Sunday 26 in the Church of San francesco at 9 pm.
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