Monday 12 July 2010, and until Thursday 22the Castle of Vigevano opens its doors to the first edition of '10 Days Played', a new musical event, rich in excellent content between music, food and wine, and culture, which finds its natural location a few kilometres from Milan, in a setting that enhances to the utmost the characteristics that constitute the spirit of the initiative. Art and history first of all, then nature and the environment, i.e.è elements capable of enhancing the qualityà of musical proposals.
The concert stage will be officially opened on Tuesday 13 July, no longer the 12th, with the 'double-billing' sensation composed of two sacred monsters of international music, Gil Scott-Herone Al Jarreau. Gil Scott-Heron will present his show in full, as planned. For logistical reasons, the American singer will only be able to be in Italy on the 13th, which has made his colleague Al Jarreau, who is enthusiastic about the pairing, very happy.
The opening evening, Monday 12, is dedicated to the preview of 'Reading at the Castle', aperitif-time meetings with authors and personalities from the world of culture, entertainment, gastronomy and the environment. The first of these appointments, all with free admission, features a discussion based on anecdotes and urban legends between two pivotal figures in the world of entertainment and culture, namely Claudio Trotta, creator of the festival and manager and owner of Barley Arts for 32 years, and Paolo Dal Bon, President of the Gaber Foundation and right-hand man of the histrionic Giorgio throughout his career.
On the musical side, we also report the relocation of the tour of the Scissor Sisters in autumn in November, thus cancelling the 21 July date.
“10 Days Played'offers Italian and international music, without genre boundaries, and of particular 'excellence' in each genre: legendary artists will take the stage at the Castle every night, some for their only performance in Italy, others with an exclusive for the north of the country.
After opening with the politically incorrect black music of Gil Scott-Heronputative father of the rap movement, and the jazz-soul of Al Jarreau on 13 July, on the following evenings on stage we will find the indie-rock of Julian Casablancas (alreadyà Strokes frontman) and Girls (14), classic rock icons ZZTop and the funk of Tower of Power (15), the r'n'b-tinged folk of Rickie Lee Jones (16), the classical-songwriting contamination of Roberto Vecchioni (18), the explosive rap'n'roll of J-Ax (19), the trip rock of Archive protagonists of a particularly cool evening together with Brendan Perry (alreadyà in the Dead Can Dance) and Badly Drawn Boy (20th), the exclusive date (22nd) with the glorious American actor and songwriter Kris Kristofferson, for the first time in Italy, and the debut of the 'shooting star Harper SimonPaul's son and rising star of American songwriting.
The playbill Saturday 17 July also hosts an evening entirely dedicated to the performance of local groups, who, in addition to the privilege of playing on the same stage as true legends of music, will compete for the A Band for the Castle' Awardestablished in cooperation with Auser Giovani.
The concerts of the festival are carbon neutral thanks to Edison. Through Renewable Production Certificates (RECS), the energy needed for the amplification and stage lighting comes from Edison hydroelectric power plants.
'10 Days Played' forò not è concerts only: every evening, at aperitif time, the Vigevano Castle also hosts an extremely varied series of 'reading" and meetings open to the public with a number of writers, journalists, authors, musicians and personalities from the worlds of music, art and culture, food and wine, and environmental protection. Spectators will therefore be able to interact or attend meetings, often at più voices, including protagonists and subject matter experts. After the preview of 12 Julywith the comparison between Claudio Trotta e Paolo Dal Bonin the following evenings the protagonists will be the jazz scholar Guido Michelone (on the 13th), the rock critic Enzo Gentile, (15), the musician and writer Ezio Guaitamacchi (18), radio journalists Marina Petrillo e Massimo Cotto (22), the authors of noir novels and short stories Daria Colombo (16), Roberto Vecchioni (18) e Sandrone Dazieri (19), the writer and comedian from Zelig John Peter Sloan (19), the director of the 'Il Gusto' division for Edizioni Gribaudo Carlo Vischi (21), blogger and author Ilaria Mazzarotta (20), Michelin-starred chef and food design expert Pier Bussetti (14), the blogger of ecocucina.org Lisa Casali (14 and 21) and the exponents of Altromercato (15) and Marine Mill (20) and in the environmental sector the architect Alessandro Riccardi (21), specialising in sustainable architecture.
In the garden of the Vigevano Castle, a charming and cosy place overlooking the Piazza Ducale, steeped in art and history, 10 Days Played darà space for other initiatives as tasty as the sounds coming from the stage. Sarà in fact set up a catering service to savour the excellence of food and drink of provenance and qualityà particularly sought-after places, flavours and sounds unquestionably recognised as Italy's cultural heritage. The service, open to the concert-going public every day from 7 p.m. onwardsIt includes a selection of artisanal beers, wines ranging from traditional to organic and biodynamic cold meats, cheeses, Piedmontese cow meat and salamella from Cremona, Bra sausage and bread from stone-milled organic flour, all supplied directly by selected producers and artisans such as Salumificio Santini of Cremona, Degust of Varna South Tyrol for dairy products, Marine Mill for flour, various master brewers, including Caf Breakè, which not only Caffè deals with, but also to carry out an interesting project within the Saluzzo prison, where inmates produce excellent beer with raw material from organic and environmentally sustainable cultivation.
10 Days Played, organised by Barley Arts in cooperation with: Cityà of Vigevano - Cultural Institution e Province of Pavia has all the ingredients to become a benchmark for quality entertainment over the years.à. Thanks to the collaboration with the Cityàthe Vigevano transport company STAV has set up, in addition to the normal routes to the citiesà neighbourhood, one special bus service called 'From Castle to Castle', which during the festival connects Piazza Castello in Milan to the Castle of Vigevano, departing at 19.00 and 00.30, with an intermediate stop in Famagosta (check timetable and purchase details on Barleyarts.com). The service, which must be booked in advance, costs €6 for a return trip.
Full programme of concerts and 'Aperitifs with the Author' at Barleyarts.com.
Advance sales on Ticketone, Ticketweb, BookingShow and Barley Arts circuits. Information on barleyarts.com and at 02 76113055