The Italian Cultural Institute in London is thrilled to support Italian Sounds in London with a new series of concerts running from from 12th November to 11th December in collaboration with Heath Street Baptist Church, Baroquestock Festival and Istante Collective: The Grand Tour 2022. Italian Sounds in London started in 2021 with the aim of exploring the cultural and musical connections between Italy and the British Isles. The well-beaten paths between both countries are a source of inspiration, with stories of musicians travelling around Europe, exchanging material, and influencing each other in ways which has left both countries with lasting flavour of each other.
The Grand Tour
From the end of the XVII century onwards it was common use for musicians, historians, poets, and artists who could afford it, to visit Italy and Europe to savour some of the cultural legacy of Classical Antiquity and the Renaissance and to meet some of the aristocratic and fashionably polite European society. It was also a unique opportunity to hear music played by Italian musicians and see specific works of art. The travel was often aided by a Cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor. This is why this year’s series of concerts are inspired by Charles Burney’s book The present state of Music in Italy published in London in 1771. As we see ourselves travelling alongside Mr Burney we imagine what he might have seen, enjoyed, and maybe even wished to create from the different musical flavours he picked up across the continent.
Each event will focus on one or more Italian cities, towns or regions, and their historical and modern connections with London and the UK in general. Milano, Trieste, Venezia, Roma and Napoli will feature this year, but of course this is only the start of the journey! This year, alongside music for the concert hall, the opera and the theatre, music influenced from these less privileged settings such as street performances and comic musical sequences will be included.
Istante Collective will be the resident band, and Musicologist Dr.Alessandra Palidda (Oxford Brookes University) will run the pre-concert talks 15 minutes before each concert.
As per tradition for the concerts at Heath Street Baptist Church, homemade Italian focaccia and wine will be available before the concert starts and during the interval.
Most concerts will take place at Heath Street Baptist Church in Hampstead NW3 1DN, but for details, check out the FULL PROGRAMME AND TICKETS