CONCERTO DEGLI AMICI DEL FESTIVAL

The organ of the parish church of Gignese has a special civil value: it was comissioned during the Second World War to Mascioni di Varese and was inaugurated in 1944, under the supervision of the occupying troops. To commemorate this courageous achievement, M° Emanuele Vianelli retourns to play this organ every year. Vianelli, who was trained by renowned teachers, served as the principal organist of Milan’s Duomo from 2004 to 2024. He is a fervent teacher and performer. He’s the honorary artistic director of the Accademia Romana César Franck. His musical programme in Gignese celebrates the centenary of the death of composer Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925). The last great opera geniuses of the early twentieth century were Puccini and Mascagni, but Bossi, alongside Busoni, Respighi, and others, are responsible for Italy’s artistic evolution beyond the Alps. Church music is a cornerstone of this mutation in style. Bossi and other organists, such as Guilmant from France, look to ancient models and J. S. Bach. Thus the program of this evening offers an excursus that connects Italy to the solid continental school. (Luca Lovisolo)