Then we slipped into the shade,
the shadow of the bell tower to mark the hours.
Mankind appropriated time, or so it seemed:
determined that the earth is round, charted sea routes by the stars,
discovered people and countries,
traditions, beliefs, customs,
declared new borders.
Although there is a ten year age gap between us, we have both followed with great interest and enthusiasm the words and music of Giovanni Lindo Ferretti throughout his poetic/musical journey. In 2012, when we encountered Ferretti and La Corte Transumante di Nasseta, we began a creative adventure together with rewarding results, including a successful concert-performance.
First creating the costumes and scenic sculptures and then tying them into the complex musical and narrative nature of Ferretti’s Saga was like diving directly into the deep end. The music and the lyrics were outside of any trend at the time, devoid of frivolity, with complex themes like the story of a time traveler, a medieval man who knew both his own and our modern era well. And while words and music filled the scenic spaces, on stage horses and knights danced conquests and battles of Huns, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Eastern Romans, Lombard fiefdoms, Celts, Byzantine wars, Lombard courts, Benedictine abbeys, the harsh Maremma air with all its splendor, horses, the desolation, the shepherds, the sea, the hills and the people, walking the shore, the summers at the sea and the intense traffic on the A15 Parma-Mare highway. Our creations for the Ferretti show catapulted us into a theatrical reality far from anything we had ever known, but instead of getting lost we found our home and the knights that we were.
2013 – “Saga canto dei canti,” Equestrian Work, San Pietro Cloisters, Reggio Emilia. An album with songs that cover from the beginning of Emilia’s history to today with the post-Punk performer Giovanni Lindo Ferretti. A strong sculptural presence was required in both the works and stage clothes to transport the show to a timeless era.
