Events

Between approvals and disease, the Ancient Theatre.

Just the voters outline in ‘Areopago’ as a setting on a grieving backstage for ‘Eumenidi’ 2021 (Eschilo, 458 a.C.), director Davide Livermore at ‘Teatro Greco’ in Siracusa, Sicily (Italy). Refer.: 0_5528858_125008.jpg

“Enjoy, enjoy!!” shrills on final scene of ‘Eumenidi’[1] the voice of Athena, after favouring the absolution of prince Oreste, previously stopped at a balance in the ‘Areopago’, the first Court of Law set up in Athens for homicides.

Oreste the avenger, the young man who murdered his mother, queen Clitemnestra and her lover Egistus which fraudly kept the throne to king Agamemnon, at the end has been discharged by homicide : together his charge has been absolved any anxiety or anguish, which the ‘Erinni’ use to persecute anyone escaping from the sentence, i.e. the not self confessed criminals. Thanks to Oreste, the ‘Erinni’ won’t be any more in the obscurity, then they’ll obtain a social relevance in the newly instituted ‘Areopago’ by Athena : moreover they’ll be named ‘Eumenidi’, the ‘Goodwilling’, as they’ll keep on humans the sacred fear.

“And I, with firm faith to you promise that you’ll have worthy side in this land of justice, and honour from citizens, side by the altar sitting, on shining thrones…” - Athena speaks to precious but not agreable ‘Erinni’ - “Be quiet in your heart the bitter dark fury, and then together myself you’ll participate honours and richness : of this large land will be offered to you every …the early fruits…”

Anxiety then – if really it can be kept ‘quiet’ – can go on diffusing on humans, through its unsuspected goodwilling, and the sacred ‘fear’ will indefinitely prosecute in subdueing.

Oreste made Justice, without really confessing his omicides as he diverted on a god, Apollo : Oreste followed Apollo who seduced him up to avenge father Agamemnon and so honouring him, as he was betrayed by his wife Clitemnestra. There are different murders, the tragedy tells to us, and gods can put grievance into humans and in the same time sweep that away whenever they like.

The meeting ‘Oreste e il diritto’[2], which has been arranged in Siracusa (Sicily) the latest July 31, has also anticipated the last performance of ‘Coefore ed ‘Eumenidi’ at the annual survey of Greek Theatre, offering not similar positions between the lecturers.

So that, at the end, are or not the pluri-homicides effected by Oreste legitimate ?

In Aeschilus work – loyally catched by the smart, ironic direction of Davide Livermore, who already directed ‘Elena’ by Euripides in 2019 - Oreste will stay as the melencholic prince who doesn’t dare to  charge to himself any of his murders – useful imputation instead, from which he could then solute those invisible strings which make him a prisoner. He won’t come into the successful final where the only protagonists will be Athena, god of knowledge and war, and her ‘goodwilling’ shining ambiguous ‘Eumenidi’.

A victory can be sustainable – and how much in this world – on fluid gods, but missing to lead humans. 

The unsuspectable discover of a only human ‘pulsion’ – no more istinctive but exposed to the adverse winds of pathological ‘removal’ – surely and definitely opened to an hypothesis of ‘individual Constitution’[3] which, also in his/her fragility does point to a sustainable defence, real and not ingenuous.

                                                    Marina Bilotta Membretti, Cernusco sul Naviglio August 4, 2021

[1] ‘Eumenidi’ is the third act  - after ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Coefore’ - of ‘Orestea’, tragedy by Aeschilus and firstly set up at Athens (ancient Greece) in 458 a.C. : Aeschilus so winned the gold to the celebration of ‘Dionyisum Event’.

[2] To the Congress ‘Oreste e il diritto’, set up by ‘Fondazione I.N.D.A. Istituto Nazionale Dramma Antico’ www.indafondazione.org and ‘Società Amici del pensiero – Sigmund Freud’ www.societaamicidelpensiero.it also participated Eva Cantarella, Law historic; Alessio Lo Giudice, Law phylosopher; Giacomo B. Contri, psychoanalyst and president of ‘Società Amici del pensiero – Sigmund Freud’; Maria Campana, member of ‘Società Amici del Pensiero – Sigmund Freud’ and speaker.

[3] ‘Costituzione individuale’ in www.giacomocontri.it   www.operaomniagiacomocontri.it

‘Eumenìdi’ at Greek Theatre of Siracusa (Sicily).

‘Eumenidi’ on ‘Ancient Greek Vocabulary – Italian’, L. Rocci – ‘Società Editrice Dante Alighieri’ (2002), p.798. Picture ref.T : 0_5528418_125008.jpg

The meeting on next July 31[2] would like to propose the anticipation of an exciting work by Aeschilous, first of ancient authors of tragedies[3], who often fighted together with Athens army and then had to experience that specific affect of pain which is anguish. ‘Eumenidi’ does finish, after ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Coefore‘, the trilogy of ‘Orestea’ performed the first time in Athens, in 458 a.C., winning Aeschilous the first prize in ‘Grandi Dionisie’ Games : it is a not usual item the work where prince Orestes, escaping from Argo without admitting his responsibility in the murder of his mother Clitemnestra – who was already murderer of king Agamemnon, father of Orestes – in order to look for asylum next to temple of god Apollo, who suggested Orestes to revenge Agamemnon. Now the prince is fiercely suffering, notwithstanding the divine Justice is in his favour, his own defence is unuseful because of the fury of voluptuous and monstruous ’Erinyes’, whose istinct pulls to aggress everyone, and also able, on the other hand, to suddenly fall in a deep noising lethargy‘. “Catch him! Catch him!”, they shout, snoring after the escaping prey, and even in front of the annoyed shadow of Clytemnestra. There is an inexplicable anguish in Oreste, or just admitting an external aggression of a monster who doesn’t assault each culprit – the dead Clitemnestra infact didn’t feel any charge notwithstand she murdered Agamemnon – and above all which doesn’t remain just a private item, touching then the whole society, sweeping away any divine forecasting of Justice. But, what about humans if anxiety and anguish will not remain on earth ? The worth of Aeschilous work is undoubtable. In the Law Court Athena founded, as a goddess of knowledge and war, prince Orestes has now to be judged.

Marina Bilotta Membretti, Cernusco sul Naviglio July 25, 2021

[1] It is a number of years that psychoanalist Dr. Giacomo B. Contri writes and speaks about an individual Constitution: www.giacomocontri.it www.operaomniagiacomocontri.it

[2] ‘Oreste e il diritto’ is the title of next appointment organized by Fondazione I.N.D.A. ‘Istituto Nazionale Dramma Antico’ and ‘Società Amici del pensiero Sigmund Freud’ : it will be holded in Ortigia – Siracusa on next July 31, 2021 and the representation of ‘Eumenidi’ will follow at Greek Theatre the same evening’.

[3] Aeschilous (525 a.C. - 456 a.C.) was the first ancient author of tragedies and to him followed Sofocle (496 a.C. - 406 a.C.) and Euripide (485 a.C. - 406 a.C. ).

Dante Alighieri ‘Paradise’.

Original painting by Gianni Russomando. Ref.: 0_5526509_125008.jpg

“… so when, at strain or risk ceasing,

the rows, till then beaten into water,

all the people stop at the whistle of their chief.”

With disarming sobriety, to Dante is offered a well known affection but so often neglected, when even kept silent : as otherwise can we say about satisfaction ? Our Poet realized that affection – here we are in the last Chapters of ‘Comedy’ – but soonest then removed just what it made possible : the sea, then favourable to man, was making their own part offering to eachone an unpredictable surplus, not to be neglected indeed and that the driver was pointing at the end. But Dante Alighieri – who was not at all a sea man – then wants translating that behaviour, he just observed at a distance, and here he was : also if, even in a baby and notwithstanding he or she has be born finally, satisfaction comes surely into memory and without any risk to be forgotten – rather you can get it wherever and whenever – can you deny that ? In his ‘Paradise’ Dante comes to touch the algorithm – prescription perfectly able to be generalized - but not including ‘satisfaction’.

Marina Bilotta Membretti, Cernusco sul Naviglio June 28, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqgISJTMMk ‘Clio and Maurice’ playing “Lost” and “Fragile” during ‘Un festival digitale 2020’ @Glassa. Video condivided from youtube channel of ‘Caramello’-Milano https://www.instagram.com/caramello.mi

‘Clio and Maurice’ so describe themselves : “ …an impossible duo, voice and violin fight and then melt themselves, looking for a shape for both. Composed by soul singer Clio Colombo and violinist Martin Nicastro (Pashmak) their project is born in 2017.” “The most difficult thing from the beginning was to succeed in making a whole by two different instruments, as voice and violin which traditionally play the same role, the solo into a musical composition. What we tried to do is to make this difficulty just an opportunity : so that, sometimes you can feel such a dialogue between the two and sometimes then just one of the two supersedes.” The songs on video we cite here from ‘Un festival digitale 2020’ are “Lost” and “Fragile” : their mediterranean sound play on interesting, correct and logical, not excessive meaning, notwithstanding the item could be ‘lost’ just in a musical persuasion… We haven’t here a ‘victim’, then : there is someone able to speak to his, or her partner : that is to me a good beginning to that defense that even child realize. We have adults banalizing what to the children is addressed, but on the contrary children don’t ever lack the logic of a speech, whatever is packed : and then we have children no more able to speak to their adults. Protagonist here is Clio voice, while the violin is listening and does it well, that is intervening adequately : nowadays a competence in listening is in hiding.

“Producing just a single sound can be the simplest, or on the opposite a real challenge! Just the production of a sound is a technical matter, linked with our human anatomy or to the functioning of an instrument; but succeeding in catch its fades and get a new sound is a special not only technical work and has much to do with oneself history and art.” Do you mean your own listening experience ? As a matter of facts they are absolutely single experiences : then they can be invested, once elaborated as in any human relationship. What did you get to invest in music? “We can say people we met, experiences : a relation with a very special teacher, or the support after a successful concert are what really help us in this sometimes quite difficult way.” We often see, in the primary schools but also before among little children, a division in learning : we have on one hand very able children in mathematic and also digital questions solving but, on the other hand we have children suffering just facing the reproduction of numbers or alphabetical letters.

What is your experience with learning at school ? “That remind us a long time ago! But we can offer our daily experience as music teachers, especially in the past year when learning has been heavily supported by technology . Media – old and new – can certainly change how our mind work but when the school does succeed in receive the challenge, as it was for ‘didactics by distance’ you have just to gain.” What about space and architecture in music? We have very near in Cremona, the restructuration of the ex ‘Assembly Hall” in 20’s with very bad acoustics : now we have the excellence of ‘Auditorium Arvedi’. “Sound and music can exist just referring to a space, then spaces count so much! And in relation to them also the way a musician play is different, not only our listening experience. We haven’t ever been at ‘Auditorium Arvedi’ in Cremona, but we are so curious about.” Covid19 pandemic in Europe has been roughly asking a common politics address for an economic recovery and then the approval for a specific Fund for investments, that is now ‘Next Generation EU’ : what do you propose about ? “Investments in musical culture and in live music, which in Italy is so discriminated by politicians. If something we do hope is that our society could realize, in the past pandemic year, how precious is any opportunity for meeting and people condivision or aggregation and music is at first place.”

‘Clio and Maurice’ begun soon in 2017, as the project was born, to play in some of the most special places in Milan (‘Arci Biko’, ‘Mare Culturale Urbano’, ‘Love’, ‘Gattò’). In 2018 they’ve been in tour in France, Germany, Netherland : at the beginning of 2019 they went to Morocco for a tour with eight concerts, while in the second half of the year they played in London, Berlin and Glasgow. In January 2020 their first single was edited, that is “Lost” and video was as an exclusive on ‘Rolling Stone Italia’, then broadcasted in high rotation on ‘MTV Music Italia’.

For their second singolo, “Friend”, ‘Rockit’ www.rockit.it the first portal of music in Italy, described them as “the Italian way to ‘avant-pop’ ” . November 6, 2020 their first EP, “Fragile” was edited and ‘Rockit’ included it among the best 50 records of the year. Their next concert will be in Milan on June 17, at ‘Mare Culturale Urbano’.

Marina Bilotta Membretti, Cernusco sul Naviglio June 12, 2021

“Lost” (2020), words and music by Clio Colombo – Martin Nicastro

Hold, it's under control, I Won't be counting this glass, (I)

Right, I lost my mind Try and find what Goes on inside

Wait, I said "follow my lead"

Wait, I know it's a defeat, oh

Hold, this time I won't fast, I Know it's all in the past, ah

Wait, I said "follow my lead"

Wait, I know it's a defeat, oh I've lost my mind

Hold, this won't be the last time Lost all hope to heal fast, (I)

Wait, I said "follow my lead"

Wait, for I have lost my mind I've lost my mind

For

I, Have lost my Mind

“Fragile” (2020), musica e testo di Clio Colombo – Martin Nicastro

Can you Make me feel the same as you?

Can you Try to stop me from this loop?

Don't cry so loud, my dear They'll hear your pain

I'll fake it all, won't let Them see, not now C

an you Find anyone who bleeds like you (like you)?

Told you Stop to pretend, it's not the end Don't cry so loud, my dear

They'll hear your pain I'll fake it all, won't let

Them see, not now

Don't tell me to feel the hunger now I won't make it

Don't hold me fast, give it time to rest

Or you'll break me Don't cry so loud, my dear

They'll hear your pain I'll fake it all, won't let

Them see, not now I told you not to count me in

'Cause I'm fragile, I'm fragile, I'm fragile, fragile

Fragile, fragile, I'm fragile, fragile

Fragile, I'm fragile, I'm fragile, so fragile

Fragile, fragile, fragile, so fragile