Music of Liguria
Encyclopedia
The Music of Liguria
flourished in the 19th century for a number of reasons. The capital city of Genoa
, a major port, aspired to recognition as a cultural center more in keeping with its role as a major city in the history of the Risorgimento, the political, social, and military movement that eventually led to the unification of the modern nation state of Italy. (After all, Garibaldi
had sailed from that very port on his famous expedition against the Kingdom of Naples
in 1860.)
, built in 1828 in Genoa, and named for the monarch of the then kingdom of Sardinia (which included the present regions of Sardinia
, Piedmont
and Liguria
). The theater was the center of music and social life in the 1800s. On various occasions in the history of the theater, presentations have been conducted by Mascagni
, Richard Strauss
, Hindemith
and Stravinsky
.
On the occasion of the Christopher Columbus
celebration in 1992, new musical life was given to the area around the old port, including the restoration of the house of Paganini
and presentations of the Trallalero
, the traditional singing of Genoese dock workers. Additionally, the city is the site of the Teatro Gustavo Modena, the only theater to have survived the bombings of World War II relatively intact. The city is the site of the Niccolò Paganini music conservatory. In the town of Santa Margherita Ligure
, the ancient Abbey of Cervara is often the site of chamber music concerts.
is best known for the annual Sanremo Festival of Italian popular music
, the largest venue for new pop music in Italy. Interestingly, opera in San Remo is staged at the Theater of the Municipal Casino, a large gambling palace built in the early 1900s to take advantage of increased tourism along the French
and Italian Riviera
. Also, the town of Cervo
has hosted for 40 years one of the most prestigious chamber music festivals in Europe.
The Teatro Civico of La Spezia
, originally from 1848, was recently rebuilt into a 1000 seat multi-function theater. Increasingly, it now hosts live various music of various kinds. The Teatro Chiabrera theater in the town of Savona
has historically been the main venue for almost all musical and stage productions in the city. It has undergone recent restoration and has reopened.
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
flourished in the 19th century for a number of reasons. The capital city of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, a major port, aspired to recognition as a cultural center more in keeping with its role as a major city in the history of the Risorgimento, the political, social, and military movement that eventually led to the unification of the modern nation state of Italy. (After all, Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
had sailed from that very port on his famous expedition against the Kingdom of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1860.)
Genoa
The Teatro Carlo FeliceTeatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
, built in 1828 in Genoa, and named for the monarch of the then kingdom of Sardinia (which included the present regions of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
and Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
). The theater was the center of music and social life in the 1800s. On various occasions in the history of the theater, presentations have been conducted by Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
, Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
.
On the occasion of the Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
celebration in 1992, new musical life was given to the area around the old port, including the restoration of the house of Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
and presentations of the Trallalero
Trallalero
Trallalero is a kind of polyphonic folk music from the Ligurian region of Genoa, in the north of Italy. It is traditionally performed by men, though there are some female performers in the modern era...
, the traditional singing of Genoese dock workers. Additionally, the city is the site of the Teatro Gustavo Modena, the only theater to have survived the bombings of World War II relatively intact. The city is the site of the Niccolò Paganini music conservatory. In the town of Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa Margherita Ligure
thumb|250px|Villa Durazzo.Santa Margherita Ligure is a comune in the province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 35 km southeast of Genoa, in the Tigullio traditional area.left|220px|thumb|16th century castle....
, the ancient Abbey of Cervara is often the site of chamber music concerts.
Other parts of Liguria
The town of SanremoSanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
is best known for the annual Sanremo Festival of Italian popular music
Italian popular music
The expression Italian Popular Music refers to the musical output which is not usually considered Academic or Classical Music but rather have its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms of the current geographical location of the Italian...
, the largest venue for new pop music in Italy. Interestingly, opera in San Remo is staged at the Theater of the Municipal Casino, a large gambling palace built in the early 1900s to take advantage of increased tourism along the French
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
and Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
. Also, the town of Cervo
Cervo
Cervo is a small, ancient town and comune, built on top of a hill along the Italian Riviera in the province of Imperia, 1,200 inhabitants.-Overview:Originally, it was, in Roman times, a mansion along the Via Julia Augusta...
has hosted for 40 years one of the most prestigious chamber music festivals in Europe.
The Teatro Civico of La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
, originally from 1848, was recently rebuilt into a 1000 seat multi-function theater. Increasingly, it now hosts live various music of various kinds. The Teatro Chiabrera theater in the town of Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
has historically been the main venue for almost all musical and stage productions in the city. It has undergone recent restoration and has reopened.