SPRING 2009 January 2009 Parallel Empires by Massimo Franco, book presentation, Friday, January 23 at 6pm Giorno della Memoria 2009: Memory and Justice. Screening of Lo Stato di Eccezione, Wednesday January 28 at 6pm February 2009 Confessions Play by Amelia Arenas Friday, Friday February 6th at 7:30 pm Organic Food in the US and Europe, Conference, Thursday, February 12 at 2pm "Nel mezzo del cammin..." Colloquium presented by graduate students, Friday, February 13th at 9:30am Adventures in Italian Opera, Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin: Dolora Zajick, Tuesday, February 17 at 6pm A conversation with Jovanotti, Friday, February 20 at 6pm Pirandello and His Influence on Playwrights All Over the World, 2 Staged Readings, Wednesday, February 25th at 6pm Inside Buffalo by Fred Kuwornu, Film Screening, Friday February 27th at 6pm March 2009 Denuncia in Documentary (Part 1): Improvvisamente l'inverno scorso, Film Screening, Tuesday, March 3, 6pm Adventures in Italian Opera, Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin: Evelino Pidò, Tuesday, March 10, 6pm Denuncia in Documentary (Part 2): Viva Zapatero, Film Screening, Thursday, March 12, 6pm Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana, Book Presentation, Friday, March 13, 6pm From Freedom to the Sacred: The Epic Dialogue Between Ariosto and Tasso, Lecture by Giuseppe Mazzotta, Wednesday March 25, 6:15pm Brazzà in Congo: A Life and Legacy By Idanna Pucci , EVENT SERIES IN MARCH AND APRIL, see dates below Speaking Up in Modern Italy, Graduate Student Conference, March 27-28 April 2009 Brazzà in Congo: A Life and Legacy By Idanna Pucci , EVENT SERIES IN MARCH AND APRIL, see dates below Galileo and Bellarmino: A Dialogue Between Science and Faith Lecture, Wednesday, April 1st, 2009, 6:15pm Giuseppe Milici Plays Soundtracks, concert of music for film, Tuesday, April 7, 6:00pm Il cerchio di gesso. Primo Levi narratore e testimone Book Presentation. Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, 6:30pm Adventures in Italian Opera, Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin: Barbara Frittoli, Tuesday, April 14th, 2009, 6:00pm The Wings of the Dove: A Reading of Canto V Inferno A Lecture. Wednesday, April 15th, 2009, 6:00pm The Films of Gianni Amelio A Lecture. Friday, April 17th, 2009, 6:30pm Reclaiming Catherine of Siena A book presentation By Jane Tylus (NYU) Tuesday, April 20, 2009, 6:00pm Giorgio Bassani: the Garden of Books Inauguration of the exhibit Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 6:00pm New contributions to the study of Giorgio Bassani Panel discussions Tuesday, April 22, 2009, 4:00pm They Won’t Budge: Africans in EuropeA photographic exhibition on migrations and immigrations April 22 through July 26, 2009 Music and the Myth of Arcadia in Renaissance Italy Monday, April 27th, 2009, 6:30pm Hansel e Gretel : Musical per Bambini Tuesday, April 28th, 2009, 6:30pm “A Festive Air”: Mendelssohn’s Year in Italy A Lecture and Performance. Thursday, April 30th, 2009, 6:00pm Hygiene in the Harem: The Orientalism of Cristina di Belgioioso A Lecture. Thursday, April 30th, 2009, 6:15pm May 2009 L’Aquila. Memory and future after the earthquake. A conversation, Friday, May 1st, 2009, 6:00pm Clarinet & Piano Recital, Wednesday, May 6th, 2009, 6:30pm “Corpo di Stato” A performance by Marco Baliani, Thursday, May 7, 2009, 6:00pm A Presentation of the 2009 edition of "Le Conversazioni - scrittori a confronto" Monday, May 11, 2009, 7:00pm A book presentation of Gioia Timpanelli’s What Makes a Child Lucky Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:00pm June 2009 New Italian Cinema on Stage Friday, June 5th at 7pm Parallel Empires: The Vatican and the Unitted States - Two Centuries of Alliance and Conflict (Doubleday, 2009) By Massimo Franco Book presentation with the author and John Allen (National Catholic Reporter) Gerald P. Fogarty (University of Virginia) Introductory remarks: Drew Christiansen, S.J. (Editor, America) Moderator: Maurizio Molinari (La Stampa) Drawing on unique access to the archives of the Holy See and a range of sources both in Washington, D.C. and Rome, Parallel Empires charts the path of U.S.-Vatican relations to reveal the dramatic religious and political tensions that have shaped their dealings and our world. Starting with the Holy See’s initial diplomatic overtures to the United States in the 1780’s, Franco illuminates a two-hundred-year-old history of alliances, mutual exploitation, and misperceptions. With U.S.-Vatican affairs still evolving in the present day, Parallel Empires also details the most recent developments of this ever-changing and often-tenuous relationship, including contemporary disagreements over the Iraq War and engagement with the Islamic world, and the Papacy of Benedict XVI. A columnist for Corriere della Sera, Massimo Franco has been a visiting scholar at UC Berkely and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He is the author of many books, including the ultimate biography of Andreotti (Mondadori, 2008). Friday January 23 at 6pm TOP Giorno della memoria 2009: Memory and Justice Film screening and discussion Lo stato di eccezione (2007, 87', in Italian with English subtitles) By Germano Maccioni Post screening discussion with the director and the doctoral students from the NYU Department of Italian Studies This film documents the trial held in the Military Court of La Spezia between 2006 and 2007 on criminal charges made against ex SS German soldiers. The soldiers were accused of crimes perpetrated in Italy in the Fall of 1944 in which an entire SS squad, at the orders of Major Walter Reder, killed hundreds of innocent civlians including men, women, children, elderly and sick people around Monte Sole, on the mountains near Bologna. The title is a reference to a famous essay by Giorgio Agamben. The exception in this case is that for decades 695 trial files were hidden and forgotten in the archive of the Military Court in Rome, in the so-called "armadio della vergogna", the shame closet. www.lostatodieccezione.com On the occasion of the Giornata della Memoria. In cooperation with the Consulate General of Italy in New York, Centro Primo Levi, Italian Cultural Institute, Calandra Institute, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies. Wednesday January 28 at 6pm TOP CONFESSIONS Presented by FORTUNA PRODUCTIONS A play inspired by the writings of Saint Augustine By Amelia Arenas Music by David Sharpe ANDREW NOLEN as Augustine and God BARBARA MARTINEZ as Monica, The Human Soul, Fame and The Mistress DAVID SHARPE as The Pedagogue and The Beloved Friend MATEO FISCHER as Child Augustine and The Messenger of God Choreography by Bárbara Martínez Light by Duilio Passariello Visual Concept by Amelia Arenas with Duilio Passariello FORTUNA PRODUCTIONS is a small company that brings works from the classical tradition to the present. Its pieces are "theatrical collages" because they stem from a variety of musical, acting, and poetic styles. The performances are set against a rich backdrop of images taken from high art and popular culture, and are framed by complex lighting which depend on austere costume and stage design. CONFESSIONS is a play about St. Augustine of Hippo. However, this is not a work about religion or philosophy. A cellist, a dancer, and singer tell the story of a sensuous and ambitious young man, who eventually followed the call of a strange force within him. The play is part of a trilogy about Western concepts of the soul. It was preceded by HELL, a work inspired by Dante's "Inferno," and will be followed by DREAMS, a play based on the early career of Sigmund Freud. Preferred Member Seating (7pm-7:15pm) Friday February 6 at 7:30pm TOP Organic Food in the US and Europe: Comparative Perspectives, Practices, and Flavors Conference In conjunction with Alce Nero, NYU Steinhardt, and the Italian Culinary Institute, 2:15 pm Registration 3:00 - 3:15 pm Welcome Alce Nero: Lucio Cavazzoni, President 3:15 - 3:30 pm Introduction: historical and social aspects of organic food: Fabio Parasecoli (Gambero Rosso Magazine, NYU) 3:40 - 4:30 pm ORGANIC CERTIFICATION IN THE USA & EUROPE 1. Laws and regulations regarding US Certification: Ellen Fried (NYU) 2. An American farmer's perspective: Mark Dunau, owner and operator of Mountain Dell Farm 3. Certification in Europe: Gerald A. Herrmann, director of Organic Services GmbH 4:30 - 4:50 pm BREAK 4:50 - 5:25 pm ORGANIC FOOD DISTRIBUTION 1. Organic food consulting services: Tim Sperry, president and owner of the Tim Sperry Group 2. Organic product marketing in the USA today: Jennifer Berg, New York University 5:20 - 5:45 pm BREAK 5:45 - 6:30 pm CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS 1. Organic food in contemporary US culinary culture: Izabela Wojcik, The James Beard Foundation 2. Organic food and nutrition: Lisa Sasson , New York University 3. An Italian chef's point of view: Cesare Casella, dean Italian Culinary Academy Thursday, February 12 TOP "Nel mezzo del cammin..." An Early Modern, Interdisciplinary, Works-In-Progress Colloquium Presented by the graduate students of the NYU Department of Italian Studies Morning Session Graduate Papers 9:30 A.M.- 1:15 P.M. NYU Casa Italiana 24 W 12th Street, 2nd Floor Session 1 - Painting, Performance and Pirouette - 9:30-11:00 A.M. Leslie A. Geddes (Princeton - Art and Archaeology): "Undercurrents: Approaching Leonardo and his Water Studies" Olivia Powell (Columbia - Art History): "Painter/Choreographer: an experiment in the study of figural composition" Elizabeth Blake (NYU - English) "Deus ex Machina: Chance Effects and Accidental Stage Machinery in Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women" Moderator: Lindsay Eufusia (NYU - Italian) Session 2 - Italian Intertextuality - 11:15 A.M. - 1:15 P.M. Kristen Renner Swann (Columbia - Department of Italian): 'E quivi partori un altro figliuol maschio': Historicizing Maternity and the Child in Boccaccio’s Ninfale fiesolano and Decameron" Leah Whittington (Princeton - Department of Comparative Literature): "Petrarch’s Africa and the Truth Claims of Poetry" Alana Shilling (Princeton - Comparative Literature): "Angelica’s Bracelet: The Problem (and Promise) of Invented Etiologies" Moderator: Jessica Goethals (NYU - Italian) Afternoon Session Invited Speakers 2:30-6:00 P.M. NYU Humanities Initiative 20 Cooper Square (At East 5th Street), 5th Floor Moderator: Professor Jane Tylus (NYU - Italian) 2:30 - 4:00 P.M. Denise Budd (Columbia - Art History): Leonardo in Milan, before Milan- A Reconsideration of the Artist's Early Chronology Emily Wilbourne (Columbia - Musicology): Performance anxiety and the historical record 4:15 - 6:00 P.M. Lynn Catterson (Columbia - Art History): Donatello and the Cortona Sarcophagus. Towards a Simulation of Antiquity in the Renaissance Gerry Milligan (Staten Island College - CUNY - Modern Languages): Spectacular War: The Beloved's Gaze and Renaissance Manhood Organized by: Brian Brazeau Paola Ugolini Friday, February 13 at 9:30am TOP Adventures in Italian Opera Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin Conversation with Dolora Zajick (in English) One of the most exciting singers now before the public, the mezzo-soprano stars as Azucena in the new Met production of Verdi's Il Trovatore. She will speak at Casa Italiana Zerili-Marimò the day after her opening night. Tuesday February 17, at 6pm The series will continue on the following Tuesdays throughout Casa Italiana season: March 10th & April 14th TOP A conversation with music artist Jovanotti On the occasion of his US debut (for info and tickets, see below), one of the most popular and talented contemporary Italian singers/songwriters, Lorenzo Cherubini aka Jovanotti talks about music, videos, and cinema with Antonio Monda & Stefano Albertini (NYU) Jovanotti launched his musical career in the late eighties from a DJ stint on Milan's popular Radio Deejay network to become a commercially successful, if not critically regarded, pop rapper/dj. Throughout the nineties, Jovanotti steeped himself in international influences which, not unlike Manu Chao, he synthesized into a uniquely modern version of the traditional Italian singer-songwriter. As his music evolved, so did his lyrics, as he began to use his songs to address philosophical, religious and political issues. Over the past twenty years his recorded collaborations with Michael Franti, Ben Harper, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes, and Bono, among other well-known names, have occasionally caught the ear of the adventurous listener. Delivering lyrics in a half-sung, half-spoken style that has something esthetically in common with a downtown reading by a Beat poet, Jovanotti uses the rhythm and the ricochet of consonants and catchy melodic hooks to create songs that are instantly accessible to an international audience. His public commentary on politics became more pronounced on his sixth studio album Lorenzo 1994 and both his critical and international acclaim increased. The song “Serenata Rap” was the most frequently shown video on MTV Latino in that year and Jovanotti made two live concert appearances on MTV Europe. In the late nineties, Jovanotti made a direct leap into the arena of world music, recording a portion of his seventh album Lorenzo 1997 in South Africa with local musicians and guest stars. He also released a greatest hits album in Spanish with lyrics translated by Jarabe de Palo and Oscar-winner Jorge Drexler. For more information about Jovanotti, please contact Mark Gartenberg at mark@mglimited.com . Music and video are also available at: Jovanotti myspace: http://myspace.com/jovamusic Jovanotti web site: http://www.soleluna.com Concert Tickets Information: Thur. 2/19/09 (Le) Poisson Rouge, New York, NY 158 Bleeker St (@ Thompson St) Concert starts @ 8:30PM (Doors open @ 7:30PM) Tickets: $25.00 in advance / $30.00 day of show Info.: http://lepoissonrouge.com/ or (212) 796-0741 Tickets: http://lepoissonrouge.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=31840 Wed. 2/18/09 Highline Ballroom, New York, NY (SOLD-OUT) 431 W 16th St (between 9th and 10th Ave) Concert starts @ 8PM (Doors open @ 6PM) Tickets: $25.00 in advance / $30.00 day of show Info.: http://www.highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=800 or (212) 414-5994 Tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=832644 Friday, February 20 at 6pm TOP Pirandello and His Influence on Playwrights All Over the World Two Staged Readings: THE DOCTOR’S DUTY By Luigi Pirandello directed by Valentina Fratti & BAIT By Mario Fratti with Lupita Ferrer and Julia Paulson directed by William Paulson Wednesday, February 25 at 6pm TOP Inside Buffalo A Film by Fred Kuwornu In English and Italian with subtitles Screening and Q&A with Fred Kuwornu and Professor Jeffrey Sammons (NYU) Inside Buffalo uncovers the story of the 92nd division, an African-American segregated combat unit which fought in Italy during WWII. Nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers," these men fought two wars at the same time; one against the Nazis, the other against racial discrimination. The last living African-American soldier awarded the Medal of Honor in WWII, Vernon Baker, vividly recounts his war-time experiences and the heroism of his unit. Baker and fellow Buffalo Soldiers touchingly reveal how profound friendships were built with Italians they'd liberated from fascist rule. The U.S.'s first black President Barack Obama appears in the documentary as does his Democratic predecessor Bill Clinton.Inside Buffalo is a patchwork of stories that history almost forgot to tell, until now. www.insidebuffalo.org Fred Kuwornu Born and raised in Bologna ,Italy, Fred Kuwornu is an African-Italian producer-writer-director. He has produced with his own company production FKK Filmz several works. In 2008, after the work experience inside the crew of "Miracle at.St.Anna" by Spike Lee, Fred decided to further investigate the unknown story of the 92nd division in discovering the tracks let by the real 92nd veterans. His next project is a documentary about Italian Americans veterans in WW II. Friday, February 27th at 6pm TOP Improvvisamente l’inverno scorso (Suddenly, Last Winter) (2008, 80 min, In English and Italian with English subtitles ) By Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi Presented by the Italian Graduate Student Conference "Denuncia: Speaking Up in Modern Italy" Beginning with the proposal of DiCo, a law intended to grant civil partnerships to homosexual as well as heterosexual couples, this film documents the reactions of public and political opinion across Italy and in the Church. Told with both lightness and solemnity from the perspective of Gustav and Luca and their own relationship, the documentary reveals a homophobic impulse that surprises even the directors themselves. http://www.suddenlylastwinter.com/improvvisamente Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009, 6pm TOP Adventures in Italian Opera Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin Conversation with Evelino Pidò (Conductor) (in English) Evelino Pidò will be leading the new Metropolitan Opera production of Bellini’s La Sonnambula, starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez. Tuesday March 10, at 6pm The series Adventures in Italian Opera will end on Tuesday April 14. It will be continued during our 2009-2010 season. TOP Viva Zapatero (2005, 80 min, In English and Italian with English subtitles ) By Sabina Guzzanti Presented by the Italian Graduate Student Conference "Denuncia: Speaking Up in Modern Italy" In this documentary film, Sabina Guzzanti tells about her conflict with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over her political satire show, Raiot, broadcasted on RAI-3 in November 2003. The show was cancelled after the first episode in which Guzzanti criticized Berlusconi's media empire, and the comedian was sued for 20 million euros. Her documentary comments on the limited freedom of speech, censorship and information control in Italy. www.sabinaguzzanti.it Thursday, March 12th, 2009, 6:00pm TOP Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana Introductory remarks by Bob Viscusi Carol Bonomo Albright Joanna Clapps Herman Readings from Wild Dreams by Lucia Mudd, J.T. Barbarese, Gerald McCarthy, Daniela Gioseffi, Christine Palamidessi Moore, Tonie Papaleo, Kevin DiCamillo, Peter Covino For more than thirty years, the journal Italian Americana has been home to the writers who have sparked an extraordinary literary explosion in Italian-American culture. Across twenty-five volumes, its poets, memoirists, story-tellers, and other voices bridged generations to forge a brilliant body of expressive works that help define an Italian-American imagination. Wild Dreams offers the very best from those pages: sixty-three pieces-fiction, memoir, poetry, story, and interview-that range widely in style and sentiment, tracing the arc of an immigrant culture's coming of age in America. What stories do Italian Americans tell about themselves? How do some of America's best writers deal with complicated questions of identity in their art? Organized by provocative themes-Ancestors, The Sacred and the Profane, Love and Anger, Birth and Death, Art and Self-the selections document the evolution of Italian-American literature. From John Fante's "My Father's God," his classic story of religious subversion and memoirs by Dennis Barone and Jerre Mangione to a brace of poets, selected by Dana Gioia and Michael Palma, ranging from John Ciardi, Jay Parini, and Mary Jo Salter to George Guida and Rachel Guido de Vries. There are also stories alive with the Italian folk tradition (Tony Ardizzone and Louisa Ermelino), and others sleekly experimental (Mary Caponegro, Rosalind Palermo Stevenson). Other pieces-including an unforgettable interview with Camille Paglia-are Italian-American takes on the culture at large. Friday, March 13 at 6pm TOP From Freedom to the Sacred: The Epic Dialogue Between Ariosto and Tasso Lecture by Giuseppe Mazzotta Giuseppe Mazzotta is the Sterling Professor of Humanities for Italian at Yale University. Presented by the Department of Italian Studies at New York University. Wednesday, March 25 at 6:15pm TOP Brazzà In Congo: A Life and Legacy By Idanna Pucci Exhibit / Event series Presented in cooperation with NYU Africa House and The National Arts Club On the occasion of the publication of the book Brazza in Congo: A Life and Legacy (Umbrage Editions, 2009) By Idanna Pucci Brazza in Congo: a Life and Legacy presents the first ever consideration by Africans of Count Pietro di Brazza. Unlike his rival Stanley, this legendary 19th century explorer--Italian born and French educated--rejected the racism of his age, embracing the Congolese people with respect and equality. Like no other white colonial, Brazza fought to his last breath for the rights of Africans. His lasting friendship forged with King Makoko IlooI I, sovereign of the ancient Batéké people, signaled one of the most luminous moments in the tragic history of colonial Africa. His legacy distinguished a humanism so unique that Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, still bears his name. Each testimony has been chosen to present a view of what the region of Congo once was and what could have emerged if only Brazza's dream of "good governance" had been allowed to develop. IDANNA PUCCI is the author of The Epic of Life: A Balinese Journey of the Soul, The Trials of Maria Barbella, and Against all Odds: The Strange Destiny of a Balinese Prince. Her documentary film Eugenia of Patagonia won the 2005 Audience Award at Torino's CinDonne Festival. She was educated at Columbia University and is a descendent of Brazza. March 24, 6-9pm 6pm Opening of Exhibition: Brazza in Congo Closing date: April 17th March 31, 6-8pm Event will take place at the National Arts Club 15 Gramercy Park South, New York 10003. 212.475.3424 / www.nationalartsclub.org Opening of Exhibition: Brazza: A Symbol for Humanity A Master Piece of Contemporary Art by the Poto-Poto Painters, Brazzaville, Congo. Exhibition will be on display from March 31st – April 19th, 2009. & Book Launch of Idanna Pucci's book "Brazza in Congo: A Life and Legacy" April 9, 6pm Film Screenings: Congo: White King, Red Rubber and Black Death directed by Peter Bate & Documentary film premiere: Back to Congo (2009, 50', English Subtitles), directed by Nicole Leghissa April 16, 6-7:30pm Africa House Symposium THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED Followed by Q&A TOP DENUNCIA Speaking Up in Modern Italy A Graduate Conference Sponsored by the Department of Italian Studies, Department of History, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, Graduate Student Council and the Graduate School of Arts & Science of New York University. KEYNOTE SPEAKER Prof. Paul Ginsborg (Università di Firenze) “’Exiles in the fatherland’: acquiescence and opposition in the Berlusconi era” CONFERENCE SCHEDULE All events take place at New York University’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at 24 West 12th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The conference is free and open to the public. For a complete copy of the schedule of events and speakers please visit: www.scribd.com/doc/13478964/DENUNCIA-Schedule-Casa-320> Friday March 27: 9:15-9:30AM Opening Comments and Welcome from Organizers 9:30-11:00AM Dovere di cronaca: Cross-Century Approaches to Socio-political Critique 11:30AM-1:00PM Views of Society through Comedy and Tragedy 2:00-4:00PM Problematics of Remembering: the Uses and Sites of Memory 4:30PM Keynote Address: Prof. Paul Ginsborg (Università di Firenze) “Exiles in the fatherland: acquiescence and opposition in the Berlusconi era” Saturday March 28: 9:30-11AM Filming Glocalization: the Territorial Dynamics of Protest 11:30AM-1:00PM Stranded Speakers: the Juridical Determination of Subjects 2:00-4:00PM Troubling The Truth: Narrative Modes of Resistance 4:30PM-6:00PM Roundtable Discussion: Denuncia in the Academy? March 27-28 TOP Galileo and Bellarmino: A Dialogue Between Science and Faith Presented by Casa Italiana and Department of Italian Studies Lecture by Giuseppe Mazzotta Giuseppe Mazzotta is the Sterling Professor of Humanities for Italian at Yale University Wednesday, April 1st at 6:15pm TOP Giuseppe Milici Plays Soundtracks In this concert, Giuseppe Milici performs a repertoire of soundtracks from some of the most important Italian and American composers, and in doing such forges a parallel between the two cultures. Apart from works such as “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso” and “Per le antiche scale” (E. Morricone), Il Postino (L. Bakalov), the concert also features a live performance of tracks from Nello la Marca’s “La Terramadre,” a film whose music Milici composed before it debuted at the last Berlin Film Festival. Musical pieces from “Terramadre” will be performed as short clips from the film are projected on a screen. Giuseppe Milici – Harmonica Henry Hey – Piano Marco Panascia – Doublebass Tuesday, April 7 at 6pm, AUDITORIUM TOP Il cerchio di gesso. Primo Levi narratore e testimone (Bologna: Edizioni Pendragon, 2007) By Franco Baldasso (NYU) (Pomeriggi di lettura series) Book presentation with the author. Introductory remarks by John Freccero (NYU) Rabbi Sacha Pecaric Andrea Fiano (Primo Levi Center) Tuesday, April 7th at 6:30pm, LIBRARY (2nd Floor) TOP Adventures in Italian Opera : Tuesdays with Fred Plotkin and Stars from the World of Opera a conversation with Barbara Frittoli (soprano) Barbara Frittoli is starring as Donna Anna in the Met revival of Mozart’s Don Giovanni and appearing earlier in the season in the Verdi Requiem. The series closes for the season with this event. It will be continued during the 2009-2010 season. Tuesday, April 14th at 6pm TOP The Wings of the Dove: A Reading of Canto V Inferno Colloquium in the Humanities 2008-2009 Series Presented by Casa Italiana and Department of Italian Studies Lecture by John Freccero (New York University) Wednesday, April 15th at 6pm TOP The Films of Gianni Amelio: The Search for a Cinema of Social Conscience, True to His Roots. (Metauro Edizioni, 2009) Book presentation and lecture by Antonio Vitti (Indiana University) Antonio Carlo Vitti is Professor of Italian Cinema at Indiana University. His latest book, The Films of Gianni Amelio , studies the entire body of Amelio's work to date, reconstructing the director's evolution as filmmaker through both a thematic as well as aesthetic and/or narrative lens. Vitti concludes his analysis with an in-depth interview with the director. In cooperation with the Calandra Institute Friday, April 17th at 6:30pm TOP Reclaiming Catherine of Siena: Literacy, Literature, and the Signs of Others A book presentation with the author Jane Tylus (NYU) and Catharine R. Stimpson (Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Science, NYU) Fiona Griffiths (History, NYU) Diana Robin (The Newberry Library) "Catherine of Siena was one of medieval Europe's most fascinating and important religious and political personages, male or female. Thanks to Jane Tylus, we now have a book in English that presents her in all her impressive complexity, constantly engaging the reader in Catherine's spiritual and political mission as well as her life story. Tylus is a fine storyteller, a discerning interpreter, and a generous thinker." Deanna Shemek (University of California Santa Cruz) Monday, April 20 at 6pm TOP Giorgio Bassani: the Garden of Books (photographs, documents, books) Inauguration of the exhibit Exhibit on view through May 7: Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at 6pm TOP New contributions to the study of Giorgio Bassani Panel discussions 4-6.30 p.m. Panel 1 (in Italian) With Paola Bassani (Daughter of Giorgio Bassani and Maria Cristina Bandera (Fondazione Roberto Longhi): Bassani, Longhi e Cavaglieri: un nodo sensibile Annamaria Andreoli (Università di Potenza): Giorgio Bassani. Un narratore e poeta Valerio Cappozzo (Indiana University): Incontri indiani: Giorgio Bassani e il prof. Edoardo A. Lebano all'Indiana University di Bloomington Giorgio Montefoschi (Writer): Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini e il senso della distanza nella narrativa di Giorgio Bassani Coffee Break 6.45-8 p.m. Panel 2 (in English) With Nancy Harrowitz (Boston University): Remembering as a Way to Forget: Giorgio Bassani's A Plaque in Via Mazzini Sergio Parussa (Wellesley College): Jewish Identity and Jewish Memory in The Garden of the Finzi-Continis Wednesday, April 22 at 4pm TOP They Won’t Budge: Africans in Europe A photographic exhibition on migrations and immigrations Curatorial Team Awam Amkpa, Annalisa Butticchi, Madala Hilaire THIS EXHIBIT IS NOT ON VIEW AT CASA ITALIANA. IT IS LOCATED AT Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037 Hours: Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm for tours please call 212-491-2207 Opening Reception on Wednesday April 22 at 7pm April 22 through July 26, 2009 TOP Music and the Myth of Arcadia in Renaissance Italy (Cambridge Univ. Press; 2009) By Giuseppe Gerbino The idea that there was a time when men and women lived in perfect harmony with nature and with themselves, though rooted in classical antiquity, was one of the most fertile products of the Renaissance literary and artistic imagination. This book explores one specific aspect of this idea: the musical representation and stylization of the myth of Arcadia in sixteenth-century Italy. Giuseppe Gerbino outlines how Renaissance culture strove to keep this utopia alive and demonstrates how music played a fundamental role in the construction and preservation of this collective illusion. Covering a range of different musical genres, including the madrigal, music for theater, and early opera, the book overcomes traditional barriers among genres. Illustrative music examples, including previously unpublished music, serve to expand the reader?s knowledge of this important repertory, and provide new insights into the role of music in the preservation of cultural myths. Giuseppe Gerbino is Associate Professor of Music at Columbia University. His research interests include the Italian madrigal, the relationship between music and language in the early modern period, early opera, and Renaissance theories of cognition and sense perception. He is the author of Canoni ad Enigmi: Pier Francesco Valentini e l'artificio canonico nel prima metà del Seicento (Rome, 1995). Monday, April 27th at 6:30pm TOP Hansel e Gretel : Musical per bambini A musical for children (In Italian) By Anna Caterina Cornacchini (composer and performer) With The children's chorus of New York's Scuola D'Italia Guglielmo Marconi David Lebowitz (narrator) Clara Evangelista Filler (projectionist) Kostja Kostic (clarinet) The theatre company Korekane' (Rimini, Italia) adapted the tale of Hansel and Gretel of brothers Grimm. The composer used various parts of the fairytale to create a musical work to be shown in schools, theaters or other events for children. The work was published by Editore Tagliabue (Milano) and made into an informative booklet for the production of the musical. The work will be presented using images in the background: without set design, props or costumes. All of the music will be performed by a chorus of 15 children who will interpret the songs of each character in the fairytale. Anna Caterina Cornacchini graduated with a degree in singing from the Conservatory G. Rossini in Pesaro. She studied the contemporary viola, music composition and piano. She also plays the flute, guitar and accordion and has toured as a violinist and solo soprano in Latin America, Canada and the United States. Recently, she had her debut two operas in Italy: "Carmen" by G. Bizet and "The Theatrical Convenience and Inconvenience" by G. Donizetti. In Italian Tuesday, April 28th at 6:30pm TOP “A Festive Air”: Mendelssohn’s Year in Italy A Program Celebrating the 200 years since Mendelssohn’s birth (1809-1847) Lecture/Performance by Cristina Altamura , Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1997. Solo piano works by Mendelssohn. Students of the Piano Graduate Program, Rutgers University. Felix Mendelssohn's music can be described as authentic to the Italian penninsula. This program will follow the composer's felicitous journey through Italy and the works that were composed during and after that period (1830-31). The event will include compositions such as "Songs Without Words" and others. Thursday, April 30th at 6pm TOP Hygiene in the Harem: The Orientalism of Cristina di Belgioioso Colloquium in the Humanities 2008-2009 Series Presented by Casa Italiana and Department of Italian Studies Lecture by Barbara Spackman Barbara Spackman is Cecchetti Professor of Italian Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature (University of California, Berkeley) Thursday, April 30th at 6:15pm TOP L’Aquila. Memory and future after the earthquake . A conversation with Francesco Benelli art historian (Columbia University) Anna Teresa Callen food writer Anna Di Lellio sociologist (New School) Mario Fratti playwright Conference Call with Stefania Pezzopane President of the Province of L’Aquila Moderator Andrea Fiano journalist (Milano Finanza, Class-Cnbc) Friday, May 1st at 6pm TOP Clarinet & Piano Recital Kostja Kostic, clarinet Alison Thomas, piano Performing works by Mercadante, Fennimore, Chausson, Schumann, Françaix. Alison Thomas and Kostja Kostic have each appeared as soloists and in various chamber music formations in the US, Europe and South America. They have collaborated as a duo and with other instruments since 2001 appearing at 92 Street Y, Tenri Cultural Institute and other New York City venues. Wednesday, May 6th at 6:30pm TOP ”Corpo di Stato” A performance by Marco Baliani In Italian with English supertitles followed by a Q&A with the Director presented by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU) and The Italian Cultural Institute in New York Actor, writer and director Marco Baliani will be performing "Corpo di Stato", a show on Aldo Moro's kidnapping, one of the most tragic events in recent Italian political history. Corpo di Stato (Body of State) The discovery of the lifeless body of Aldo Moro in the baggage compartment of a red Renault on May 9 1978 brings an end to his 55 days in captivity. Fifty-five days that shocked Italy and opened wounds still unhealed. BODY OF STATE is a historical account and an unsparing, open portrait of the generation that split during the crisis of conscience triggered by the Moro kidnapping, but also the story of one man who discovered his vocation in theatre as he lived through it. In his monologue, Baliani reconstructs the story and ruthlessly interrogates himself about his role in the events, driven by a need to understand and confront the meaning of justice and responsibility. The performance moves between two levels: with the great events of national history as the background, the little histories, as Calvino called them, illuminate history with minute but intense tales of life, memory, and lived experience. Thursday, May 7 at 6pm TOP Le Conversazioni- scrittori a confronto A presentation of the 2009 edition of "Le Conversazioni - scrittori a confronto” (Capri, Italy June 26 - July 5, 2009.) In English with Marilena Ferrari (Marilena Ferrari-FMR Foundation) Antonio Monda (New York University) Davide Azzolini (Dazzle Communication) Followed by a screening of the documentary about the previous edition (2008) featuring Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt, Junot Díaz, Patrick McGrath, A.M. Homes, Jonathan Lethem, Daniel Mendelsohn, Alessandro Piperno. This year's edition is dedicated to the memory of David Foster Wallace, guest of Le Conversazioni 2006. A montage of his Capri reading will be screened. Distinguished guests from previous editions who will be in attendence. Nathan Englander AH Homes Patrick McGrath Jonathan Lethem www.leconversazioni.it Monday, May 11 at 7pm TOP What Makes a Child Lucky A Presentation of Gioia Timpanelli's New Book (W.W. Norton, 2009) with the author and Josephine Gattuso Hendin (Tiro A Segno Professor of Italian American Studies, NYU) Pellegrino D’Acierno (Unico Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, Hofstra University) In a timeless moment in rural Sicily, a boy experiences the brutal killing of his best friend and is kidnapped by the murderers. What will save him? Uniting the most ancient forms of storytelling with a modern sensibility, this is a luminous novel of danger and survival. Tuesday, May 12 at 6pm TOP New Italian Cinema on Stage A panel discussion with the protagonists of OPEN ROADS: Directors: Marco Amenta (The Sicilian Girl) Dino Gentili (I Am Alive) Ursula Ferrara (Animated Passions) Teresa Marchesi (Effedià: On My Awful Way) Actors: Donatella Finocchiaro (Brave Men) Silvio Orlando (Giovanna's Father & The Germans' factory) Filippo Timi (As God Commands) Writers: Ivan Cotroneo (The Man Who Loves) Sandra Petragli a (A Perfect Day) Moderated by: Antonio Monda (NYU) Richard Peña (Film Society Lincoln Center) For a full schedule of screenings, film and tickets visit http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/italian09/program.html In cooperation with MIBAC (Italian Ministry of Culture), Cinecittà-Luce- Filmitalia, The Film Society of Lincoln Center-Italian Cultural Institute, The Alexander Bodini Foundation Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 7pm TOP