ENVIRONMENT RESOURCES MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES NATURE IDENTITY ART

A sustainable Slow Music project

SLOW MUSICin consultation with ERSAF, Ente Regionale per i Servizi all'Agricoltura e alle Foreste, thought of enhancing the mountain forestry heritage of the Lombardyrich in evocative landscapes of unquestionable beauty, creating a proposal of unique, high-quality cultural events with free admission, in tune with the nature of the places and suitable for all types of audiences. The aim is to create a modern image of the mountain forests and nature reserves, to contribute to the development of these areas with an innovative approach and to make the Forests of Lombardy and the Stelvio National Park known, their biodiversity, the values they represent and transmit, to promote eco-sustainable tourism. In this framework, the proposal of events in the forests comes from the knowledge and frequentation of marvellous, mountainous places, and from Slow Music's collaboration with ERSAF Ente Regionale per i Servizi all'Agricoltura e alle Foreste and the Lombardy Region's Department for Local Authorities, Mountains and Small Municipalities. "Slow Music," explains Claudio Trotta, President of Slow Music - wishes to offer unique events with free admission, designed to enhance the natural environment and landscape, in spaces deemed suitable, in line with the Association's philosophy of reforming musical enjoyment'. "ERSAF's participation in the A.R.M.O.N.I.A. initiative in the forests - says Alessandro Fede Pellone, president ERSAF - explains the Regional Authority's commitment to make environmental issues compatible with those of great culture, which is increasingly related to respect for the environment, its care, and the values of sport that together drive new lifestyles. To walk slowly is to feel, step by step, an awareness of nature in all its context: to be educated in the beauty and wonderful harmony of our Lombardy land". "The Lombardy Region's support for this initiative," says Massimo Sertori, Lombardy Region Councillor for Local Authorities, Mountains and Small Municipalities - demonstrates the great attention that the Regional Council, from the very beginning of its mandate, has shown to mountain issues declined as land management, respect for the environment, and cultural tourist enhancement of the entire mountain environment. Combining cultural moments with nature visits, bringing masterpieces of our music to high altitudes and discussing climate change is very significant and important'. The protagonists of these events will be various musicians (Italian and international) with a high artistic profile, from blues, rock, folk, songwriting and even classical music. And again: writers, poets, performers, will perform surrounded by nature, without impacting structures, with minimal electro-acoustic amplification. A set of 9 concerts, 3 presentations, 2 performances, 2 conferences, 1 special classical music event, 1 poetry reading and a walk with wireless headphones in the forest: a total of 19 spectacular and cultural proposals, perfectly integrated into the landscape. All events of 'A.R.M.O.N.I.A. in the Forests' are free of charge on Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.it), subject to availability of places.   Three areas were identified for this first edition: Val Gerola (SO) - Gerola Alta and Piano della Casera di Pescegallo Foppe (loc. Pescegallo). Stelvio National Park and Forni Glacier (SO) - S. Antonio Valfurva and Rifugio Branca. Corni di Canzo Regional Forest (CO) - Canzo and Prim'Alpe. The programme is as follows:   VAL GEROLA, Orobie Valtellinesi Regional Park (SO) - 5, 6 and 7 July Enhancing traditions and the environment in an immaculate valley   ∙ Friday 5 July - GEROLA ALTA - 6.30 p.m. A short guided tour of Gerola Alta's attractions and the encounter with two/three 'stations' of spectacular proposals: Tiziana Cera Rosco (IT) at 'PATIENTIA': performance of intercession and prayer, in which the artist, through the materials also used for his sculptures (plaster, roots, animal remains, hemp), through an exasperating slowness, exalts the relationship with the place, with the earth and with its suffering. Davide Sapienza and Marco Grompi (IT) at 'THROUGH THE LANDS OF SOUND'The 'Lands of Sound' are the geography of all the people who have found in music daily inspiration, inner strength, the ability to stay true to their perceptions and to be moved. Wisdom and Grompi dedicate this show to the power of music - revolutionary, spiritual, profound, concrete. Alex Seel (UK): performance by British singer-songwriter and guitarist with roots in folk and blues. ∙ Saturday evening, 6 July - PALAGEROLA (GEROLA ALTA) 21.00 HOURS A double indoor concert, with resident stage and amplification, to allow for proper sound diversification, while maintaining the acoustic characteristics of the project: Marlon Williams (NZ), an indie singer-songwriter with an emotive voice from one of the greenest and most protected lands on the planet, New Zealand. Francesco Piu (IT), international acoustic blues, from Sardinia. ∙ Sunday, 7 July - PIANO DELLA CASERA di PESCEGALLO FOPPE (*) Triple concert, with a repeat performance by the two international artists from the night before, Francesco Piu (IT) and Alex Seel (UK), and a new guest soloist of classical and contemporary music: Alberto Casadei (IT), composer and former first cello of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, winner of numerous national and international competitions. (*) In case of bad weather, the programme will take place indoors, at PalaGerola   STELVIO NATIONAL PARK and GHIACCIAIO DEI FORNI (SO), 19, 20 and 21 July The effects of climate change in the high mountains   ∙ Friday 19 July - S. ANTONIO VALFURVA (Stelvio National Park Visitor Centre) 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: "CamminaForeste". in Valfurva and Val d'Uzza, discovering the Park, with the Valfurva Mountain Guides and activities for children, at the "Visitors' Centre" in Sant'Antonio, organised by the Stella Alpina Cooperative. 5.30 p.m. Seminar: "If the ice melts, the forest advances: solutions and opportunities - The Stelvio National Park adapts to climate change". An initiative for nature, within the framework of the A.R.M.O.N.I.A. event in the forests, with the participation of experts and scientists, organised by ERSAF and the Stelvio National Park. In the evening, 8.45 p.m. concert by: Woody Gipsy Band (IT), a young quartet born playing in the streets, dedicated to recovering the origins of manouche music, with stringed instruments, in the tradition of tzigan swing born in the 1920s and 1930s. ∙ Saturday 20 July - FORNI ICE - ALL DAY A concert event: an orchestra and a large choir, classical repertoire, in an extraordinary natural setting at the foot of the glacier, for a truly special day. "Requiem" and "Alleluia" for the Forni Glacier at the Branca Refuge (2,500 metres). 5.30 p.m. "REQUIEM" by Mozart and "ALLELUIA" by Händelorchestra, choir and soloists conducted by Maestro Filippo Dadone. The musicians will be involved through a public "call" on a voluntary basis, from among graduates and undergraduates from Lombardy conservatories and other schools, from amateur orchestras. Before the concert, the most willing will make a hike to the front of the glacier where a "Flash Mob" is planned. In the event of bad weather, the concert will be held indoors, in the Church of S. Caterina, in S. Caterina Valfurva. ∙ Sunday 21 July - S. ANTONIO VALFURVA (Stelvio National Park Visitor Centre) - 9 p.m. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death, a lecture by Dr. Fabio Lopez, "LEONARDO 500 IN THE PARK", is proposed, with specific references to the genius' scientific dedication to nature and animals and with interesting insights into the study Leonardo made of Bormio and Valtellina in the Atlantic Codex.   Corni di CANZO (CO) Regional Forest, 26 and 27 July Nature conservation and protection near a big city   ∙ Friday 26 July - Villa Meda Park - 9.00 p.m. A double initiative between music, information and ecology: Presentation of "VA' SENTIERO!", the high-altitude walk along the Sentiero Italia, which started on 1 May 2019 from Muggia, passing through Lombardy, in the Como area, in July. To follow: Ezio Guaitamacchi and Brunella Boschetti (IT) in "GREEN ROCK - QUANDO LA MUSICA SALVA IL PIANETA". Between stories, sounds and visions, a fascinating multimedia journey, from the activism of the 1960s to the battles against nuclear power, from the first ecological song to the birth of Greenpeace, from bucolic visions to animal rights awareness. ∙ Saturday 27 July, in the morning at 10.30 a.m. (departure from Fonti Gajum, towards Prim'Alpe) An original nature walk to Prim'Alpe equipped with wireless headphones, listening to a 45-minute programme recounting forest legends, to meet the proposals of: Tiziana Cera Rosco (IT) in 'LINFA'.a performance-poetry that is also meant to be a plant prayer from the bottom of the human body. Erica Boschiero and Vasco Mirandola, with Sergio Marchesini on accordion (IT) in "ALBERI", a singer-songwriter and an actor who share a poetic vision of cultivating art, one day make space for themselves amidst the noises and sirens, sit inside a tree and listen. A poetic journey into the vegetable world, where the tree becomes the protagonist, witness, metaphor, scenery of small and big human events, in the intimacy of a silence that sings to you inside. Tiziano Fratus (IT): the writer presents "GIONA DELLE SEQUOIE", his very recent book, published by Bompiani. In California, Tiziano Fratus discovered a land of the spirit: on the continent of the redwoods, one of the planet's greatest natural cathedrals along with the Amazon and the Borneo forest, he breathed in the wind that the ocean pours through the red giants that populate mythical places; Fratus will also be the protagonist of "DOMUS RESPIRANDI - THE DELIVERY ROOM".an unusual poetry reading experience, designed for two spectators at a time, in a small, isolated space, where three seats are placed, one for Fratus and one for two spectator-hearers at a time; every 15 to 20 minutes, two new spectators are welcomed. Cecilia (IT) in 'CUPID'S CATALOGUE'.: singer-songwriter and harpist, in her latest album, talks about love in all its facets, combining a herbarium: to each song a flower or a plant that by its colours, scents or sensations tells of that particular kind of love. In case of bad weather, concerts and performances will be held indoors. Specific activities for children are planned, in agreement with local associations and authorities. We would like to thank: the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, the Ensemble Testori, the Associazione Amici del Loggione Teatro alla Scala, Valtellina Turismo, Alpine Guides of Alta Valtellina, CAI, Legambiente, and the municipalities of Gerola Alta, Valfurva, and Canzo.   What is Slow Music Slow Music is a cultural project that proposes the philosophy of the fair and ethical, through education and training programmes related to music, music making, in-depth listening, and the management of projects and events in the music world that share a fair relationship with consumers. Slow Music proposes itself as a tool to help and support the music market and as a point of reference for both ordinary music listeners and users of performances and music products. It promotes educational projects related to the role of musical culture and a growth in taste. It intends to work to harmonise the needs of music operators, users and spaces; it also aims to support situations of social hardship; it promotes initiatives to raise awareness on these issues in collaboration with other organisations with the same inclination and values, even in different sectors of activity. Slow Music advocates full respect for territorial cultural identities and aims to valorise local musical cultures, in the face of the increasing standardisation imposed by market logics.