Occitania, friuli… Europe. From Leonardo’s era to the present day

Maybe not everyone knows that Leonardo’s passport to the Court of Milan, where he had his most productive time, were no less than his music skills and a bizarre instrument he invented. Music can also serve as a tool to promote the culture, history and language of a community, far beyond its physical borders. Same goes for the Occitan community: in the Piedmont valleys that are home to this community, music played a central role in the rediscovery and promotion of the Occitan identity. Music ­– from Patriarchate melodies to Mainerio, up to the Friulian music wave (“gnove musiche furlane”) – similarly played a crucial identity role in Friuli. Occitan musician Sergio Berardo and Friulian scholar Angelo Floramo will guide us through a fascinating journey that spans centuries and borders, and intertwines music and words.

GUESTS: Sergio Berardo is a famous Occitan singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the voice and soul of Lou Dalfin, the most important band of the Occitan Piedmont Valleys. He’s active in multiple projects of research, promotion and reinvention of the Occitan folk music. One of these projects is is Gran Bal Dub, a mix of folk, reggae and electronic music, with keyboardist Madaski of Africa Unite. Born in Udine (Friuli), Angelo Floramo teaches history and literature and works as a consultant for the Guarneriana Library of San Daniele del Friuli. He delves into archives, writes as a columnist for both Friulian and Italian magazines and is author of several books, such as Balkan Circus (2013), L’osteria dei passi perduti (2017) and La veglia di Ljuba (2018).

introduced and moderated by: Marco Stolfo

 

WHEN: Saturday, 19 September,

WHERE: Trava Square, LaucoLANGUAGES: Friulian, Occitan, Italian