Manifest virtue.
Music overcomes your eyes’ thirst for appearance.
The Piano Festival will return to the Donizetti Theater.
XXIII International Piano Festival , April 20, 1986, Donizetti Theater, Bergamo
Darkness in the hall. “Why do I play with very little light? Not for my own pleasure or for who knows what mysterious reasons but for the audience itself. We live in a visual age, and nothing is more baleful for music.” Svjatoslav Teofilovič Richter was one of the most important pianists of the 20th century, celebrated not only for his exceptional piano technique but also for his extraordinary interpretative skills. Richter had the ability to read any kind of composition at first sight and interpret it perfectly by making use of memory alone. This talent made Richter’s performances even more extraordinary: being able to play without sheet music, he began to perform in almost completely darkened rooms. A candle or a small abat- jour were the only sources of light that accompanied his performances, giving the environment a surreal aura. In April 1986, at the Donizetti Theater, the audience was enraptured by one of his performances on the notes of Chopin, which is still remembered as one of the most moving in the theater’s history.
XXIII International Piano Festival , April 20, 1986, Donizetti Theater, Bergamo
Darkness in the hall. “Why do I play with very little light? Not for my own pleasure or for who knows what mysterious reasons but for the audience itself. We live in a visual age, and nothing is more baleful for music.” Svjatoslav Teofilovič Richter was one of the most important pianists of the 20th century, celebrated not only for his exceptional piano technique but also for his extraordinary interpretative skills. Richter had the ability to read any kind of composition at first sight and interpret it perfectly by making use of memory alone. This talent made Richter’s performances even more extraordinary: being able to play without sheet music, he began to perform in almost completely darkened rooms. A candle or a small abat- jour were the only sources of light that accompanied his performances, giving the environment a surreal aura. In April 1986, at the Donizetti Theater, the audience was enraptured by one of his performances on the notes of Chopin, which is still remembered as one of the most moving in the theater’s history.
Mystic Gulf – Restoration and technological implementation
A singular appellation accompanies this place, the space reserved for the orchestra, the divider between proscenium and stalls: mystic gulf, a name with a magical, transcendental meaning. A term that dates back to the 19th century, when Richard Wagner wanted to call the space set aside for the orchestral players “Mystisches Abgrund,” literally “Mystical Abyss.” It was an evocative choice, but one that went well with subsequent technical developments in the space. With the advent of mechanical handling this space achieved the mysticism for which it had always boasted. The recent renovations of the Donizetti Theater involved the orchestral pit in the complete overhaul of its electrical and mechanical systems, an intervention that will allow the automated opening and closing of our gulf, making it even more mystical.