Songs on War, Work and Love
Saturday, December 3 at 4:00pm CT
The Graham Foundation
Madlener House
4 West Burton Place, Chicago
Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker perform the U.S. premiere of “Canti di guerra, di lavoro e d’amore” a transcription and reinterpretation of Italian folksongs from their birthplace, the rural Emilia-Romagna region, for violin, cello and voice.
The songs of their album come from the first decades of the twentieth century and from the period of World War II, but some of them have older roots. The melodies and especially the lyrics have been transformed over time through oral transmission and adapted to different social, working, and historical contexts. One of the strongest influences of their project is the repertory of songs sung by choirs of female rice field workers, called the Mondine.
Their songs tell a story of hard and poorly paid work, love, the hypocrisy of society, protests, war, the challenge of work, women away from home, the violence of power and the need for a common political conscience. In their music the songs emerge through sounds that are far from tradition, but rather rooted in their experience of contemporary musical experimentation.
Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker share a friendship that has evolved into a 20-year artistic partnership. Their music is characterized by a profound interplay, a focus on the acoustic qualities of their instruments, and the search for new possibilities in tunings, gestures, and sound. Together they have explored different musical forms and have worked in several varied projects, including Ensemble Dedalus, a contemporary music ensemble based in Montpellier, France, and Italian art pop band, Offlaga Disco Pax. Their long collaboration with composers Éliane Radigue, Pascale Criton, and Philip Corner has led to the creation of numerous new works. The duo has played at many international venues and festivals, including Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Huddersfield, England; Fondation Cartier, Paris; Biennale Musica, Venice; Angelica Festival, Bologna; Festival Musique Action, Nancy, France; Festival Futurs Composés, Paris; Fast Forward, Teatro Dell’Opera Di Roma, Rome; Tectonics, Glasgow; and Café Oto, London. Their recordings have been released on Potlatch and Unseen Worlds.
Presented by Lampo in partnership with the Graham Foundation and the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago.