«L'organo narrante»

**Sunday, October 19th**, **at 8 PM**, in the **Mother Church "Santa Maria Veterana" in Triggiano**, the 16th edition of the **International Organ Festival of Santa Maria del Passo**, directed by **Margherita Sciddurlo**, continues with another special event. The title "**The Narrating Organ**" designates a concert evening that will blend music and theater: on one hand, two of the best talents from the **"Nino Rota" Conservatory in Monopoli** - organists **Giuseppe Fanelli and Simone Perrini**; on the other hand, the participation of actress **Arianna Gambaccini**, whose theatrical performance, in the form of a monologue, will offer a tragicomic reflection on life, also playing with the semantics of music, particularly that of the organ.

The musical program, where Fanelli and Perrini will alternate, proposes a journey highlighting the versatility of the organ as an instrument capable of telling stories, moving, and astonishing, through different styles and centuries. It opens with two pieces by **Marco Enrico Bossi** (1861-1925), the most illustrious Italian organist and composer between the 19th and 20th centuries, who combined German contrapuntal rigor with the melodic taste and orchestral brilliance typical of the Italian school. The "**Pontifical Entry**" Op. 104 No. 1, solemn and festive, is a ceremonial piece with a nearly symphonic character; the subsequent "**Evening Song**" Op. 91 No. 1 reveals Bossi's more lyrical and contemplative side, featuring very sweet melodic lines and refined harmonies.

This is followed by **Sonata No. 5** in D major, Op. 65 by **Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy** (1809-1847), composed in 1844 to celebrate the revival of organ music in the Protestant realm. Structured in four movements - Andante, Andante con moto, Allegro maestoso - it alternates lyrical intimacy and architectural majesty, blending Bachian counterpoint with romantic sensitivity. Mendelssohn, who was also the great rediscoverer of Bach, here restores to the organ its role as the "orchestral" instrument par excellence, capable of evoking light and drama together.

The central part of the concert is entrusted to the majestic "**Introduction and Passacaglia**," from **Sonata No. 8** in E minor, Op. 132 by **Joseph Rheinberger** (1839-1901), a composer and pedagogue of German Romanticism, whose language is distinguished by equilibrium and formal nobility. The Passacaglia - built on a highly tense ostinato bass - is one of the highest pages of 19th-century organ literature, for its contrapuntal density and expressive power.

The program closes with two masterpieces by **Johann Sebastian Bach** (1685-1750): the chorale "**Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier**," BWV 731, an intimate and collected meditation that unites melodic simplicity and spiritual depth, and the **Fantasia in G minor**, BWV 542/1, a piece of grand scope that alternates virtuosic flair with episodes of intense drama, exemplary of Bach's genius in merging form and pathos.

Alongside the music, the voice and stage presence of Arianna Gambaccini will offer a theatrical counterpoint with an ironic and poetic tone: the actress from the Marche region, trained with masters like Michele Sinisi, Lino Musella, and Marianna De Pinto, has built over the years a path intertwining civil theater, contemporary dramaturgy, and solo performance. In her works - from "Alone Against the Mafia" to "I Was Ruined by the War" - a keen sensitivity for human and social storytelling emerges, capable of ideally dialoguing with music as a form of introspection and memory.

Giuseppe Fanelli, born in 2001, is one of the most promising young organists from the "Nino Rota" Conservatory: he graduated with top marks and honors under the guidance of Margherita Sciddurlo, has already performed in important national and international festivals, and won the First Prize at the "Don Vincenzo Vitti" Competition in 2024. His experience also includes performing on the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Basilica of Lourdes, a symbol of great French tradition.

Simone Perrini, also trained at the Conservatory of Monopoli, is active as a liturgical and concert organist, holder of the Collegiata in Ceglie Messapica. Despite his young age, he has already gained significant experience in festivals and events, combining technical precision and interpretative sensitivity.

Entrance is free until seats are filled. The International Organ Festival of Santa Maria del Passo is promoted by the cultural association "Arte & Musica" and supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Council of Puglia, and the Municipality of Mola di Bari, in partnership with the Pasquale Battista Foundation and supported by the main sponsor Levigas Luce e Gas. For information: 340.376.15.50.
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