Skip to main content

TUSCAN MUSIC - Amiata Piano Festival 2011

No doubt, the Dionisus cycle of the Amiata Piano Festival is one of the hidden gems in Southern Tuscany's summer festival scene. The Collemassari wine cellar (designed by Italian architect Edoardo Millesi) makes for a stunning setting for the 4 concerts, which are quite rightly dedicated to Dionisus, the greek god of wine and wine making. The musicians match the prime setting; the pianist and artistic director Maurizio Baglini has put together a selection of Italian and international musicians who'll guarantee for fantastic performances. 

This year's edition pays tribute to Italian composer Nino Rota (for his centenary) and also to Franz Liszt who was born 200 years ago. The last of the four evenings is dedicated to the German Horn (suites by Brahms, Hindemith and Richard Strauss), whilst the first evening of the cycle is entitled 'The atypical trio - clarinet, violin, piano' (Beethoven, Rota, Brahms).  


For more details: Amiata Piano Festival - Dionisus
And if you just can't make it to Tuscany in time, try tuning in to the Italian national radio station Rai Tre, which registers the prestigious concerts. 

Popular posts from this blog

WINE AND ARCHITECTURE: PETRA WINERY BY MARIO BOTTA

Southern Tuscany is home to a handful of wineries, which are often described as wine cathedrals.  The Petra vineyard near Suvereto (by architect Mario Botta) is an interesting example of this new approach in winery architecture. At Petra the world-class architect went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape.  Main building of the Petra Winery in Suvereto If it is true that the way to good wine starts in the he vineyard, it is also true that only the quality of the cork,  the design of the label,  and the beauty of the bottle shape will bring the consumer's experience to full circle.  Taking this thought further it's obvious that the birthplace of a good or even fantastic wine, is yes the vine and its grapes, but also the winery building in particular and the whole estate in general.  If you know any of Botta's works,  you'll recog...

RASHA OMRAN and KIM ECHLIN in MONTEPULCIANO: July 17, 2017

Readers of my memoir  Aross the Big Blue Sea   know about the courageous Syrian family who after a horrendous journey to Sicily stopped over at our refugee home in the Tuscan countryside. The plight of Syrians at home and in exile is at the base of poet, dissident and journalist Rash Omran's work. Omran, who has been living in exile in Egypt since 2012, will present her recent work this July in southern Tuscany.  The reading will take place in the garden of beautiful palazzo Bracci in Montepulciano. The literary event is part of Montepulciano's longstanding  Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte , the Tuscan wine town's art and music summer festival which is in its 42nd edition.  DEFY SILENCE - SFIDARE IL SILENZIO :  Poetry, music and translation between war and exile Rasha Omran, Kim Echlin and Ashti Abdo in Montepulciano Monday, July 17, 2017 - 9.15pm Palazzo Bracci, via delle Case Nuove, Montepulciano.  Rasha Omran has been invited ...