 
SOPHISTICATED MUSICAL EVENINGS
The legacy of Giacinto Scelsi twenty-five
years on,
by GIUSEPPE PENNISI
Visitors coming to Rome should not miss a sophisticated musical evening in the home of 'the man who
came from the future'. This qualification was
given by an Italian musicologist to Giacinto
Scelsi -- a real eclectic dandy who travelled through the twentieth century. In 2007, the Summer Salzburg Festival dedicated a full section to
him and called it 'Scelsi Kontinent'. Born from a wealthy family in 1905 in La Spezia, he was taught
by preceptors coming to his home. He was not only a musician, but also a writer (in several languages), a philosopher and a specialist in Oriental arts and religions. He spent most
of his youth in Paris where he became influenced by
Les Six (Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, Germaine Tailleferre, Georges Auric and Louis Durey) and of the
entourage of Jean Cocteau and Virginia Wolf. With the exception of the World War II period when he and his wife moved to Switzerland, Scelsi spent most of his life in Rome, where he died in 1988. In the thirties, he
organized and financed a series of concerts to make Italian musicians familiar with Kodály, Meyerowitz, Hindemith, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Nielsen, Janácek and Ibert.
A rare photo of Giacinto Scelsi (who didn't like to be photographed) at
the pianoforte, dating from 1944 or earlier. Click on the image for
higher resolution
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Scelsi's own music is
quite eclectic, from 'sonatas' on a single note to
futuristic concerts, to twelve tone row system filtered through late Romanticism, to improvisation. In a way, he has quite a few
points in common with György Sándor Ligeti, another maverick of the
twentieth century musical scene. Scelsi has had a major impact through his students in France and Italy in the thirties and, after World War II, in Germany and the United States.
A collection of ancient instruments at Giacinto Scelsi's home in Rome.
Click on the image for higher resolution
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In his Roman home, a four-story townhouse in front of the
Forum, contemporary music concerts are periodically
organized. Normally, the concerts take place in the fourth floor living
room. After the concert, drinks are served either in the first floor
living room or in the terrace with a breathtaking view of Ancient Rome. There is no entrance
fee but donations (even small) are appreciated. There is room for an audience of no more than forty -- many
are young. Thus, it is necessary to
register to be invited and reserve (museo@scelsi.it). A
sophisticated musical evening is guaranteed.
The museum at Scelsi's home in Rome. Click on the image for higher
resolution
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In 2012, the focus was on John Cage. This year, it is on Scelsi,
to mark twenty five years since his death. On 8 January 2013 (Scelsi's birthday), the series started with a piano concert. The pianist was Marianne Schroeder who
studied with Scelsi himself. The program was titled Ouvrir la
Pensée à La Lumière ('Open the Mind to Light'). It started with a 1930 piano suite: Les Douze Prophètes
Mineurs, where each of the twelve lesser prophets was depicted with
a short movement. The whole sonata, where one could feel the
imprint of Les Six, lasts thirty-five minutes and provides an
overview of Scelsi's work at the age of twenty-five. Immediately
thereafter, two short sonatas followed on the same theme but very different in period and style: Mozart's K 310, composed in 1778 in Paris when his mother was dying, and Scelsi's Un
Adieu, composed in 1978 but, at the author's request, to be performed
only after his death. Indeed, Marianne Schroeder had premiered it in 1988
at the organ of Darmstadt Cathedral. Two highly engrossing
sonatas after the clever depiction of the twelve lesser prophets. In a
very 'homey' atmosphere, the audience applauded and
enjoyed drinks and hors-d'oeuvres.
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