Marble
guitars and antique string instruments are just
some of the wonders awaiting you at Modena and Sabbioneta
for a unique festival of early music
Lovers
of ancient music will be flocking to Modena
from September 23rd to November 10th for the by now traditional appointment with
the Associazione Musicale Estense - the Estense
Musical Festival.
This year's edition, poetically named Grandezze
e meraviglie (Splendour and Marvels)
will be inaugurated in the beautiful surrounds
of Modena's Palazzo Ducale, in the recently
renovated salone d'onore, to the exquisite
late-mediaeval notes of the Mala
Punica ensemble. The next date is
in the Galleria
Estense to pay homage to an exceptional
instrument and emblem of this year's festival, the
marble guitar, from Francesco II's collection
along with a selection of other string instruments
on loan from the Civic
Museum. One of the novelties of this year's festival
is an anthology of vocal and instrumental pieces
written by the Bononcini family. The concert
is part of project devised by Chiara
Banchini which focuses on Modenese
musicians and which will continue to develop over
the next few years. The Septenarius choir,
conducted by Giacomo Baroffio will play a
repertoire of Gregorian chant which flourished in
the ethnic French part of Modena.
Other highlights include a recital of sonatas with
violins, violones and dulcimers in the Chiesa
di San Pietro followed by a rare concert dedicated
to the magnificent old organ in Chiesa di San
Carlo featuring pieces on the dulcimer. The
revelries close with the festival production of
the Farnese court musician Francesco
Antonio Pistocchi's oratorio Il
Martirio di S. Adriano. The piece, which was
written for the marriage of Francesco II d'Este
to Margherita Farnese, celebrates Saint Hadrian's
martyrdom in a rich orchestration of arias and recitatives.
Sabbioneta Festival The first edition of the Sabbioneta
Festival opened on August 31st
and will run until Sunday November 11th.
Sabbioneta, with its high cultural profile is the
ideal setting for a music festival and the programme
of this debut edition is dedicated to the music
composed in Lombardy and Emilia between the XIV
and XVIII centuries.
All concerts will be held in Sabbioneta's
magnificent old buildings and visitors will surely
enjoy this delightful corner of the Province
of Mantua which overlooks the Po
river and the plains of Emilia Romagna.
There are three events for your diary in October.
On Sunday 7th in the Teatro all’Antica
you have the chance to hear Ensemble 415, conducted
by Chiara Banchini. On Friday 12th, still
in the Teatro all'Antica, you can look forward
to a somewhat unorthodox evening of music and dance
dedicated to Domenico
Scarlatti and the rhythms
of Spanish folk music where Scarlatti's folk
roots will be unveiled for all. On Thursday 25th
in the Regno di Napoli the soprano Lavinia
Bertotti accompanied by the Complesso Seicento Italiano
and conducted by Daniele Boccaccio will perform
one of Scarlatti's most moving works - Tre lettere
amorose. The festival closes on Sunday November
11th with a Gala evening in Antonio
Galli Bibiena's stunning Chiesa
di Sant'Antonio Abate in Villa Pasquali,
just outside Sabbioneta, with a stirring rendition
of the Martirio di S. Adriano.
Mala
Punica - The home page of the renowned
ensemble. Galleria
Estense - Visit the Estense Gallery
housed inside Modena's Museum. Museo
Civico - Modena's magnificent museum
houses a number of important permanent collections. Sabbioneta
- Information on what to do in Sabbioneta. Provincia
di Mantova - All you need to know
to enjoy a trip to Mantua and province. Antonio
Galli Bibiena - Information in the
illustrious Bibiena family including Antonio the
famous architect and designer.
THE SURVIVOR'S 
Lovers
of ancient music will be flocking to 