Concerts, but also photographic exhibitions, conferences and workshops: the second edition of the Mediterranean Festival of sacred music, scheduled in Catania from 10 to 17 May on the theme “Justice and Peace”. For a search «in the sacred not only for an artistic expression, but for a concrete way of reconciliation in a time wounded by conflicts. Of particular interest are the photographic exhibitions and new artistic productions dedicated to the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Sicilian Puppet Opera Theatre”, the organizers comment.
Furthermore, «through the repertoires of sacred music cultivated in the Mediterranean basin, the Festival becomes an instrument to promote a deeper understanding and a peaceful dialogue between different cultures and faiths». Promoted by the AreaSud association and the archdiocese of Catania, in collaboration with the Pordenone International Sacred Music Festival. The artistic committee is coordinated by the Dominican Father Francesco La Vecchia, delegate of the bishop and prior of the San Domenico convent, and by Giuseppe Sanfratello, scientific director of AreaSud. The events will take place in some of the symbolic places of the historic center of Etna and the province: the former Benedictine monastery, the art gallery of the diocesan museum, the churches of Sant’Anna, Santa Rita and Sant’Agata la Vetere, the Temple of the Waldensian Evangelical Church, the Convent of the Dominican Fathers and the basilica of Santa Maria dell’Elemosina in Biancavilla.
«The Mediterranean has often been the protagonist of sad news, on this occasion we want to make the Mediterranean what it is: the meeting place. The waters are bearers of life, so the sea becomes above all the place where men and women of good will meet in our beautiful and beloved Catania, a stage for cultural and above all musical events.
Music is the common thread that unites”, highlighted Father La Vecchia, adding: “We need to dream, not because we want to distract ourselves from the reality that sometimes presents us with dramatic pages of war and death, but because we want to start living again every day, so that life is truly a song and people can thus meet again to understand that only from humanity can we start again. A humanity that becomes a symphony of life and music of hope». Maurizio Cuzzocrea, president of Areasud, underlined «the innovative character of the Festival, which lies in the common belonging to Italiafestival of AreaSud and the International Festival of Sacred Music of Pordenone. Experiencing the associative reality at a national level, it was simple to combine the novelty of the Catania festival with the inspiration that comes from the great experience of Pordenone, in a project that places artistic production in the great Mediterranean basin and becomes an experience of dialogue between faiths and cultures”.
The musical program «embraces the great pillars of sacred song of the Mediterranean basin. Through the practical study of Renaissance song and Byzantine song, with particular attention to the Sicilian-Albanian heritage, participants will be able to explore the fascinating peculiarities of these artistic expressions.
It is a sound journey that crosses the centuries, revealing how these ancient melodies have shaped the cultural identity of the area”, point out the organizers. Preview on Sunday 10 May at the Temple of the Waldensian and Baptist Church, at 7.30 pm, with the concert “Doxa to Theo” by the Byzantine choir of Palazzo Adriano directed by Giuseppe Milazzo. «A journey into the sound iconography of the Greek-Byzantine tradition of Palazzo Adriano, where singing becomes prayer and identity heritage. The program spans the liturgical year exploring the complexity of the eight tones, alternating the solemnity of the hyrmological style with the evocative melismatic evolutions of the styeraric and asthmatic repertoires. An experience of authentic spiritual elevation that combines the depth of Eastern theology with the beauty of age-old art.”
The conference “Italo-Greek Byzantine music: between tradition and contemporaneity. Byzantine culture and melorgy between Calabria and Sicily” will be held on Monday 11 May at 3pm at the former Benedictine Monastery (Night Choir), while at 7.30pm in the Pinacoteca of the Diocesan Museum the opening multimedia concert of the festival “Sound paintings for Justice and Peace” will be staged, with the art historian Vittorio Ugo Vicari who will decode symbols of justice and peace, while the Frottole Vocal Ensemble directed by Salvo Fresta will give them a voice by launching a universal message. To access this multimedia concert, the public will be invited to collect a virtual ticket by providing plastic waste to be recycled, which will be collected in a stand organized by the Gema Catania Centro Consortium: a sign of attention to eco-sustainability that characterizes the Festival, which has the patronage of ASviS (Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development) and seeks to reduce the environmental footprint of each individual event. Some examples? «We eliminate single-use plastic, optimize consumption with LED technologies and manage dedicated ecological islands in each location. We have chosen to replace paper room programs with digital systems via QR code. Through these good practices, we raise awareness among our public of virtuous and planet-friendly behavior».
On the exhibition front, the collective photographic exhibition of the Acaf members (Associazione Catanese Amatori Fotografia) will be inaugurated on Tuesday 12 May at 7pm in the church of S. Anna, on “Popular piety in Sicily”: «The sacred meets anthropology, documenting the expressive force and collective feeling», anticipate the organizers. Another interesting installation can be visited from Thursday 14 May at 7pm at the Santissimo Crocifisso dei Miracoli parish: “Ketsia… her voice” is the title of the photographic story signed by Antonio Raciti, in collaboration with the Ro’ la Formichina cooperative, which in Santa Venerina transforms the wood of the boats of shipwrecked migrants into musical instruments through the hands of children with disabilities, prisoners, refugees. Complete program on www.musicasacracatania.it.
