Hamburg
was a high-class place to have an idea on this show entirely
adapted for the circumstance by Angelo Branduardi, with the
help of a famous German composer: Burkhard
Brozat.
“"We evidently have to accept
the reality, the Italian language is more neighbour to the
matters that we treat, so much more than for us, in the Italian
version, we use Italian that originates from the Franciscan
source and that therefore is an easy Italian and that is not
also Italian current, it is what confers it an even more exotic
sound. The German language is a very musical language for all
that concerns the romantic and post-romantic period, Wagner,
Mahler... We have to accept the reality because if you come
here for telling a history, you have to put yourself under
the conditions in order to be understood.
So in the songs - except two - they are all in Italian, but it
is evident that the dialogue can only be in German - because
already this let them... above all here to north (the most greater
part is Protestant)... this let them already a bit confused.
What we have simply done is to try to vaguely reproduce an ancient
sound but in the perfect awareness that the same result cannot
be gotten."
The first thing that strikes is the perfect
adequacy between the scenery of enough simple wood and the
modern ampleness of the German places of concert, a new notion
of the space cleverly checked by the parts in presence: musicians,
actors and ballerinas interpret together the epic of the life
of St. Francis on the music of L’Infinitamente piccolo.
It’s a question here of an artistic challenge enough
complex in its realization. In one hand, there are the actors
that interpret the roles in the language of the guest country,
in the other hand, there are the Italian songs of which the
words are translated on 2 great screens, the presence of the
ballerinas to the rhythmic gesture full of symbols and Angelo
that it links in German the different pictures... it is in
the abundance of the subject that its principal weakness is
found: the spectator has some uneasiness to fix his attention
on all these levels, as bright as can be. It is clear that
the sound and the image are of great quality; however it is
difficult to gather the wholeness of the concept, when it draws
near us for the first time to the figure of the Saint.
"In the German version, we have somehow
due to revisit a bit everything, and therefore it was the occasion
to see again things that obviously you forget, it deals with
1500 pages from the Franciscan source!!! It was necessary therefore
to take it back and I believe, if I can be a bit immodest,
that about St. Francis of Assisi, I know more than the Franciscan
ones."
We can feel the artist's engagement in his
work in every case and to every second. Angelo goes beyond
the confinements and adapts himself to every language and to
the use of quite a lot of instruments with virtuosity full
of impetus, marvellous so much to feel as to look. The ampleness
of the furnished technical job is impressive and the sustained
rhythm doesn't facilitate the job of the technicians. The actors
that interpret the principal roles of Francis, Brother Bernard
and Chiara bring, despite their youth, a dramatically intensity
to the characters. It’s a pity that the public sometimes
has some difficulties to hear them.
"Probably I would not have done it
15 years ago. However, I am convinced that anyway there is
a moment, when the artists arrive too soon or too late but
they arrive when the destiny gives them the possibility to
arrive. It is an enough complex thing. It is not a matter
of maturity neither of physical strength but rather the faculty
to coordinate and it is also a bit like doing the conductor
of orchestra and this you don't do it when you are a teenager."
The show lasts around an hour and forty and
we can easily see that the musicians participate with the same
pleasure: in many musical passages they give the rhythm also
to the dialogues of the actors or the choreographic dances
of the ballerinas. Once again, this profusion of elements is
cleverly controlled by Angelo Branduardi that proposes to his
public an image of "deus ex machina" in action.
The German public seems to have appreciated his artistic job
to its true value, remains to know how much this type of show
can infuse enthusiasm to become popular as it deserves. This
work has the worth of the ambition and to bring such a vision
as human than harmonic of the trip of St. Francis but it seems
also that the international public of Angelo draws near this
show in a different way of the Italian public, whose emotional
vivacity is legendary, however, the applauses for the end have
been identical... and have been welcomed with big pleasure
by the artists in scene!
Other dates should complete the calendar of the representations
that for the moment is confirmed up to the end of February...
therefore there will still be a lot of occasions to go to see
this show that should improve itself with the time.
"Speaking of the lauda, the matter
is very different, it doesn't deal with music, but it is
a kind of strange thing that escapes to the public and therefore
to meet so much success makes me a big pleasure."
