Alessandro Chiantoni

  

Alessandro Chiantoni is 27 years old, lives in Bergamo, and began studying piano at the age of 6. Since then, music has always been a part of his life, and he has never abandoned it. He, therefore, owes a great deal to the piano and to his first conservatory teacher, Tiziana Moneta, who provided him with a solid foundation that he still relies on today. Alessandro himself says that he will never be able to thank her enough for believing in him from the start.

He began playing the organ at about 12 years old on his own; now, he has graduated from the three-year course in Organ and Organ Composition and completed the two-year course under the guidance of Simone Vebber, an excellent Organ teacher at the Bergamo Conservatory.

In 2020, he was appointed titular organist of the church of Sant'Anna in Bergamo, and to gain experience in the organ world outside of Italy, he has attended many courses with important foreign organists; this is fundamental because there is nothing like having direct experience of things to understand them and draw a lesson from them. He considers himself fortunate to be a musician and to play for others, but at the same time, he is passionate about composition, as it is one of the ways he expresses himself. He has developed a passion for designing new instruments, including an organ that can be used for both study and concerts, a unique and innovative instrument with a completely different concept compared to the instruments currently present in our territory.

He was named the best student of the 2020 Masterclass. It was a fantastic course during which he met excellent organists, of whom he says: "I was thrilled to be the best, but the others were certainly no less. It was a wonderful experience that enriched me from both a musical and human perspective, where Art was at the center of everything. I am delighted to have been invited to Costa Valle Imagna this year and to have the opportunity to be able to express myself on such a beautiful organ."

To achieve these results, he says, "You have to be serious, with yourself and with others, be constant in studying, and never spare yourself to overcome your limits finally. When studying music, you must have discipline; otherwise, you will waste many hours without achieving results. It is not easy, but it is necessary; it is something you learn in the conservatory because, without seriousness and method, it is impossible to complete your studies. With the organ in particular, you always have to question yourself; each instrument is different in many characteristics, and each time, the organist has to adapt to the instrument itself, which becomes the most important teacher; for this reason, when you study, you always have to listen to yourself with a critical ear and adapt what you are doing to the instrument you are playing and the acoustics where it is located." He studied with Jean-Baptiste Monnot, thanks to whom he developed self-awareness and the ability to express his ideas with strength, even in music. Always from his words, "This becomes the key to overcoming the technical and expressive difficulties of the songs. Music never comes from outside but is born from within the human soul, and we must find the right way to express it. We live in a world where we call "art" anything that generates an immediate sensation in us; in reality, authentic Art is the fruit of a conflict that a sensitive soul translates, not without effort, into an interior artistic act. Awareness is the engine that drives the artist to find a way to express their interiority, and this arises from a personal need. Not all musicians are artists because playing notes all in a row does not constitute Art if those notes come from nothing and do not communicate anything."

I propose a video that illustrates the difficulty of playing this type of organ to be broadcast live in streaming on August 27, 2020. Bergamo was the Italian city most affected by the Coronavirus, so Alessandro Chiantoni organized a live concert in the church of Sant'Anna, entirely dedicated to improvisational Art. Alessandro proposes some improvisations in different styles to the wonderful organ built by the Serassi brothers.

Alessandro Chiantoni

 

Alessandro Chiantoni ha 27 anni, abita a Bergamo e ha iniziato a studiare pianoforte a 6 anni, da quel momento la musica ha sempre fatto parte della sua vita e non lo ha mai abbandonato. Deve molto dunque proprio al pianoforte e alla sua prima insegnante di conservatorio: Tiziana Moneta, che gli ha dato delle solide basi su cui fa affidamento ancora oggi; lo stesso Alessandro dice  che non la ringrazierà mai abbastanza per aver creduto in lui fin da subito. 

Ha iniziato a suonare l’organo circa a 12 anni per conto proprio, ora si è diplomato al triennio di Organo e Composizione Organistica e ha concluso il Biennio sotto la guida di Simone Vebber, meraviglioso docente di Organo al conservatorio di Bergamo. 

E' stato nominato nel 2020 organista titolare della chiesa di Sant’Anna in Bergamo e per poter fare esperienza del mondo organistico fuori dall’Italia, ha frequentato molti corsi con importanti organisti esteri; ciò è fondamentale perché non c’è nulla come fare esperienza diretta delle cose per comprenderle e trarre da esse un insegnamento. Si ritiene felice di essere un musicista e di suonare per gli altri, ma al tempo stesso lo appassiona la composizione, poiché è uno dei modi che ha per esprimersi. Ha affinato una passione per la progettazione di nuovi strumenti, tra i quali c’è anche un organo da poter sfruttare tanto per lo studio quanto per i concerti; uno strumento particolare ed innovativo, di concezione totalmente diversa rispetto agli strumenti attualmente presenti nel nostro territorio.

E' stato nominato il miglior allievo della Masterclass 2020. Un corso fantastico durante il quale ha conosciuto organisti molto bravi, del quale dice: "sono stato molto felice di risultare il migliore, ma gli altri non erano sicuramente da meno. E’ stata un’esperienza molto bella che mi ha arricchito dal punto di vista musicale e umano, nella quale l’arte è stata al centro di ogni cosa. Sono molto felice di essere stato invitato a Costa Valle Imagna quest’anno ed avere la possibilità di potermi esprimere su un organo così bello."

Per ottenere questi risultati afferma "bisogna essere seri, con se stessi e con gli altri, essere costanti nello studio e non risparmiarsi mai per poter infine superare i propri limiti. Nello studio della musica bisogna avere disciplina altrimenti si sprecano molte ore senza raggiungere i risultati. Non è semplice ma è necessario, è una cosa che si impara in conservatorio, poiché senza serietà e metodo è impossibile portare a termine gli studi. Con l’organo in particolare ci si deve mettere sempre in discussione, ogni strumento è diverso in molteplici caratteristiche e ogni volta l’organista deve adattarsi allo strumento stesso, il quale diventa il professore più importante, per questo quando si studia bisogna sempre ascoltarsi con orecchio critico e adattare ciò che si sta facendo allo strumento che si sta suonando e all’acustica ove esso si trova."

Ha studiato con Jean-Baptiste Monnot, grazie al quale ha appreso è la consapevolezza di se stesso e delle proprie idee, anche nella musica, per esprimerle con forza. Sempre dalle sue parole "Diventa questa la chiave per superare le difficoltà tecniche ed espressive dei brani. La musica non viene mai da fuori, ma nasce da dentro l’animo umano e bisogna trovare il giusto modo per esprimerla. Viviamo in un mondo in cui chiamiamo “arte” qualsiasi cosa generi in noi una sensazione immediata, in realtà l’Arte autentica è il frutto di un conflitto che un’anima sensibile traduce, non senza fatica, in un atto artistico interiore. La consapevolezza è il motore che muove l’artista a trovare la strada per esprimere la sua interiorità e ciò nasce da un’esigenza personale. Non tutti i musicisti sono artisti perché suonare le note tutte in fila non costituisce arte se quelle note nascono dal nulla e non comunicano nulla."

Vi propongo un bel video in cui si può capire la difficoltà nel suonare questo tipo di organo. Esibizione trasmessa in live streaming il giorno 27 ago 2020. Bergamo è stata la città italiana più colpita dal Coronavirus, così Alessandro Chiantoni ha organizzato un concerto live nella chiesa di Sant'Anna, interamente dedicato all'arte improvvisativa. Alessandro propone al meraviglioso organo costruito dai fratelli Serassi alcune improvvisazioni in stili differenti. 

Alessandro Chiantoni

  

Alessandro Chiantoni ist 27 Jahre alt, lebt in Bergamo und begann im Alter von 6 Jahren Klavier zu lernen. Seitdem war die Musik immer ein Teil seines Lebens und hat ihn nie verlassen. Daher verdankt er dem Klavier und seiner ersten Konservatoriumslehrerin Tiziana Moneta viel. Sie vermittelte ihm eine solide Grundlage, auf die er sich noch heute stützt. Alessandro selbst sagt, er könne ihr nie genug dafür danken, dass sie von Anfang an an ihn geglaubt habe.

Mit etwa 12 Jahren begann er selbstständig Orgel zu spielen, inzwischen hat er den dreijährigen Kurs in Orgel und Orgelkomposition abgeschlossen und den zweijährigen Kurs unter der Leitung von Simone Vebber, einer wunderbaren Orgellehrerin am Konservatorium Bergamo, beendet.

Im Jahr 2020 wurde er zum Titularorganisten der Kirche Sant'Anna in Bergamo ernannt und um Erfahrungen in der Orgelwelt außerhalb Italiens zu sammeln, besuchte er zahlreiche Kurse bei bedeutenden ausländischen Organisten; Dies ist von grundlegender Bedeutung, da es nichts Besseres gibt, als Dinge direkt zu erleben, um sie zu verstehen und aus ihnen zu lernen. Er ist glücklich, Musiker zu sein und für andere zu spielen, doch gleichzeitig komponiert er leidenschaftlich gern, da dies eine der Möglichkeiten ist, sich auszudrücken. Er hat eine Leidenschaft für das Entwerfen neuer Instrumente entwickelt, darunter eine Orgel, die sowohl zum Lernen als auch für Konzerte verwendet werden kann; ein besonderes und innovatives Instrument mit einem völlig anderen Konzept als die derzeit in unserem Gebiet vorhandenen Instrumente.

Er wurde zum besten Studenten der Meisterklasse 2020 gekürt. Ein fantastischer Kurs, bei dem er sehr gute Organisten kennenlernte, von denen er sagt: „Ich war sehr glücklich, der Beste zu sein, aber die anderen waren sicherlich nicht weniger. Es war eine sehr schöne Erfahrung, die mich musikalisch und menschlich bereichert hat und bei der die Kunst im Mittelpunkt von allem stand. Ich bin sehr glücklich, dieses Jahr nach Costa Valle Imagna eingeladen worden zu sein und die Möglichkeit zu haben, mich an einer so schönen Orgel auszudrücken.“

Um diese Ergebnisse zu erzielen, sagt er, „muss man es ernst meinen, mit sich selbst und mit anderen, konsequent im Studium sein und sich nie schonen, um schließlich seine Grenzen zu überwinden. Beim Musikstudium ist Disziplin erforderlich, sonst vergeudet man viele Stunden, ohne Ergebnisse zu erzielen. Es ist nicht einfach, aber notwendig. Das lernt man am Konservatorium, denn ohne Ernsthaftigkeit und Methode ist es unmöglich, das Studium abzuschließen. Insbesondere bei der Orgel muss man sich immer selbst hinterfragen. Jedes Instrument hat viele verschiedene Eigenschaften, und der Organist muss sich jedes Mal an das Instrument selbst anpassen, das zum wichtigsten Lehrer wird. Deshalb muss man beim Studium immer kritisch auf sich selbst hören und sein Handeln an das Instrument, das man spielt, und die Akustik an seinem Standort anpassen.“

Er studierte bei Jean-Baptiste Monnot, bei dem er lernte, sich seiner selbst und seiner eigenen Ideen bewusst zu werden und sie auch in der Musik kraftvoll zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Er selbst sagt immer: „Dies ist der Schlüssel zur Überwindung der technischen und ausdrucksstarken Schwierigkeiten der Lieder. Musik kommt nie von außen, sondern entsteht im Inneren der menschlichen Seele, und wir müssen den richtigen Weg finden, sie auszudrücken. Wir leben in einer Welt, in der wir alles als „Kunst“ bezeichnen, was eine unmittelbare Empfindung in uns hervorruft. In Wirklichkeit ist authentische Kunst die Frucht eines Konflikts, den eine sensible Seele nicht ohne Anstrengung in einen inneren künstlerischen Akt umsetzt. Bewusstsein ist der Motor, der den Künstler dazu bewegt, einen Weg zu finden, sein Innerstes auszudrücken, und dies entspringt einem persönlichen Bedürfnis. Nicht alle Musiker sind Künstler, denn das Spielen von Noten in einer Reihe ist keine Kunst, wenn diese Noten aus dem Nichts kommen und nichts mitteilen.“

Ich schlage Ihnen ein schönes Video vor, in dem Sie die Schwierigkeiten beim Spielen dieser Art von Orgel verstehen können. Aufführung im Live-Streaming am 27. August 2020 übertragen. Bergamo war die am stärksten vom Coronavirus betroffene italienische Stadt, daher organisierte Alessandro Chiantoni ein Live-Konzert in der Kirche Sant'Anna, das ganz der Improvisationskunst gewidmet war. Alessandro schlägt einige Improvisationen in verschiedenen Stilen zur wunderbaren Orgel der Brüder Serassi vor.

Il fascino dei personaggi imperfetti - Eleanor Oliphant

 

Il fascino dei personaggi imperfetti

 

Eleanor Oliphant e il coraggio di ricominciare

 

di Elisa Rubini

 

 

 

Ci sono persone che non urlano, ma resistono in silenzio.

Che non si impongono, ma lasciano tracce profonde proprio perché non cercano di farsi notare. Eleanor è così.

Non chiede niente al mondo, eppure la sua presenza lo mette a nudo.

 

Dietro il suo ordine meticoloso si nasconde la fatica di chi ha imparato a sopravvivere. Ogni gesto preciso, ogni abitudine ripetuta è un modo per tenere insieme i pezzi.

A volte sembra distante, ma in realtà ascolta tutto, osserva tutto.

E proprio in questo sguardo controllato si intravede la crepa da cui entra la vita.

 

 

Le sue contraddizioni

 

C’è in lei una forza tranquilla, una resistenza che nasce dal dolore.

Eppure quella stessa forza è anche una gabbia: la spinge a tenere il mondo lontano, a fidarsi solo del silenzio.

Vorrebbe essere come gli altri, ma non sa più come si fa.

Così si rifugia nella solitudine, dove almeno non deve fingere.

 

Poi, all’improvviso, la realtà si insinua con la semplicità di un gesto gentile. Qualcuno la vede davvero, senza giudicare, e da quella piccola attenzione inizia qualcosa di nuovo.

Non è un cambiamento spettacolare, ma lento, umano, reale.

È il coraggio di restare quando sarebbe più facile fuggire.

 

Cosa ci insegna la sua fragilità

 

Eleanor mostra che la fragilità non è debolezza, ma un modo per conoscere sé stessi.

Le ferite non si cancellano, ma possono diventare mappe.

Le sue crepe raccontano una verità che appartiene a tutti: non serve essere forti, basta avere la forza di non arrendersi.

 

Ci ricorda che a volte basta poco per ricominciare: una parola, una presenza, un sorriso sincero.

Che il dolore non va nascosto, ma attraversato.

E che anche chi sembra chiuso nel proprio mondo, in realtà, sta solo aspettando che qualcuno bussi con delicatezza.

 

La lezione che resta

 

Forse ci riconosciamo in lei perché abbiamo tutti una parte che si nasconde dietro la normalità.

Una parte che si sente fuori posto, che teme di non essere abbastanza, ma che continua a provarci.

Eleanor insegna che la vita non si aggiusta di colpo: si ricuce piano, un pezzo alla volta.

 

Le imperfezioni non ci allontanano dagli altri, ci rendono veri.

E ci ricordano che dietro ogni corazza c’è solo il desiderio più semplice di tutti: essere visti, e finalmente, capiti.

 

A Life to Live To the Fullest - Interview by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Elena Franconi:

A Life to Live To the Fullest

Interview by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

 

Dear friends,

 

Today I'd like to introduce you to Elena Franconi, a theater actress and playwright who leads theatrical workshops for children and adults.

 

We've previously discussed theater on this Blog and in Virtual Cultural Salon. Still, as we'll see, Elena's work is very unique: it draws inspiration from the philosophy of Professor Stefano Mancuso—an Italian neuroscientist and essayist, and Professor of General Arboriculture and Plant Ethology at the University of Florence—as well as the gentle language of poets such as Chandra Candiani and Mariangela Gualtieri.

 

You are all invited to continue reading this article to learn more not only about Elena, but also, and above all, about her theater work and the goals she aims to achieve through it.

 

 

 

MTDD: Hello Elena, and welcome to this cultural salon of mine. It's a pleasure to have you as my guest.

 

EF: It's a pleasure to be your guest, Maria Teresa.

 

 

MTDD: Before speaking about your theatrical activity, Would you like to briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little about yourself?

 

EF: Yes, of course, it’s a pleasure. I'm a woman, an adult, autonomous, and independent. I'm also very distracted and playful. I have two grown children, Walter, 34, and Giulia, 29, who are my treasures and of whom I'm very proud. I've always had a great interest in civic engagement, which is why, while in search of a job that would guarantee me a specific financial stability, I studied, entered public competitions, and began working in public administration. This allowed me to actively participate in the common good actively, organizing and providing public services for all. At the same time, I threw myself headlong into the study of the performing arts and writing, and for over 25 years I've been performing and writing for the theater. My life unfolds along two parallel lines that share a common thread: civic and social engagement, as well as caring.

 

 

MTDD: Would you like to tell us about your theatrical production?

 

EF: As you mentioned, I'm an author and actress. Some of my shows, in addition to being performed in various theaters, have been performed in alternative venues. For example, "A Steady Job Wanted," a show addressing workplace stability, was performed in a tannery and conference rooms. "68x15 A Matter of Conscience," a show about '68 and the collective and individual awakening of consciousness, and "Pulsatilla," a monologue about the relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter, have also been performed in schools. "Moi pour Toi," about the life of Edith Piaf, was performed for the Ex-it danza T company in Livorno. "Whatever The Cost," a performance by the Paese Novo district of Pomarance, was performed at the 47th edition of the Palio di Pomarance.

 

 

MTDD: I'd like to thank you for the videos you sent me. They helped me better understand your work and its goals. I would describe your theatrical performances in Nature as highly symbolic, evocative, and engaging.

 

Would you agree?

 

EF: You're talking about ART: in teATRo e in naTuRa, the theatrical research and experimentation laboratory in Nature, founded in 2021, when being with people indoors was highly complicated and Nature was a place full of life and possibilities—my passion. I began holding theater workshops in the woods and meadows, engaging all the senses through active listening and observing the plant and animal world to discover their differences and similarities with humanity, as well as the richness of sounds, smells, and transformations. The same place can completely change its appearance from one week to the next, and each time, the landscape is highly evocative and captivating, offering ever-new ideas for the workshop, research, and an inclusive and immersive experience in Nature.

 

 

MTDD: While watching your videos, I took note of some lines recited by the actors and actresses or commented on by you as a voiceover. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to delve deeper, starting with the following:

 

"The lake... its stillness is not stagnation... but waiting...

 

Its waters are like a mirror... It's like the mind...

 

Outside of here... everything is fast...

 

Outside of here... it's all noise..."

 

 

EF: The texts accompany the performers' actions or the suggestions of the environment; they're like captions to a painting. Some are taken from books, like the first two lines you quoted, which are mentioned in the publication "You Will Find More In the Woods" by Francesco Boer. I wrote the other two lines at the end of the performance to remind all of us of what happens outside the woods, outside the experience that has just ended. In Nature, there is silence, slowness, listening; outside of here, however, everything is fast, all is noisy.

 

 

MTDD: Theatrical texts are significant and metaphorical, and even the movements and clothing play a crucial role as they take us all back in time, seemingly to the era of Celtic rites, and in any case to an era in which Man and Nature were one, inseparable and indispensable—a union that, especially in recent decades, seems to have been lost.

Considering that the color white has a specific meaning in every culture, What meaning did you attribute to it in using it in the video shot in the woods?

 

EF: Thank you, Maria Teresa, for your kind words. I'm so happy you're getting all these suggestions; in fact, there's no precise answer; everyone sees and feels based on their knowledge, experience, and sensibilities. Regarding the color white, my answer might surprise you for its simplicity: amidst all that green, white stands out; it's a point of attraction. The eye easily locates and follows the performer, and white has no particular connotation, leaving room for imagination. I'll let you in on a secret: over the years, white has become the color of ART: in the theater and Nature. We always dress in white, cream, or similar shades.

 

 

MTDD: The second video I watched, filmed in Treggiaia, in the garden of an ancient church surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of your beautiful land, the narrator says:

 

"All around there is such an abundance of greenery that it would bring peace to the most damned heart. ..."

 

 

As a Naturopath, I fully agree with this thought and believe that many problems, not only physical, but also and above all psychological and mental, can arise precisely from the estrangement that has existed between Human Beings and Nature and from our consequent immersion in a highly materialistic and consumerist society that has alienated many people. This would lead to a much broader discussion that should include not only health and well-being, but also sociological and psychological aspects.

To stick to our topic, let's focus on aspects related to Health and Well-Being and the vision of Nature not as a "stepmother," as Giacomo Leopardi saw it, but rather as a "mother" who loves us, protects us, and communicates with us in her way. It's up to us to rediscover and grasp its meaning.

 

EF: Being in Nature is good for us. Standing before a green meadow full of daisies, an olive grove, or a chestnut forest, we take a deep breath and release tension. It's not just me saying it; we all experience it, and now science is saying it too. You're undoubtedly aware of the research being conducted by the CNR (National Research Center) on forest therapies (forest bathing), on the beneficial effects of spending hours immersed in fir or beech forests. And these benefits aren't just for reducing stress and anxiety, which is no small thing, but also for the respiratory, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Plants release volatile substances, such as monoterpenes, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that we inhale, thereby improving our health. Human-built habitats, made of concrete, asphalt, and gray, have uprooted us from Nature. We have forgotten that WE ARE NATURE, we are not separate, we are not aliens but part of the whole, and by reconnecting, we can find peace and answers to our doubts and fears.

 

 

MTDD: Modernity, materialism, and excessive consumerism have alienated us so much that many of us can no longer see Nature as a Living Being. They have sadly and paradoxically relegated it to the role of a "Thing," an everyday object to be used and abused at will.

Some lines recited in your second video are worth analyzing because they can help readers become aware of a completely different "vegetal" reality:

 

"When trees are wounded, they shed tears..."

Nature can be trusted, "but it takes patience and an open heart."

 

 

Would you like to elaborate on these concepts?

 

EF: Trees, like us, are equipped with all five senses, and beyond that, they have about fifteen more. They have different ways of expressing them than we do. For example, plants' "smells" are like our words. Through their smells, they communicate with each other, sending messages of danger and attraction. We're unable to understand many of their meanings, but that doesn't mean they don't express themselves, that they don't feel love, pain, hunger, the need for light, and so on. The fact that they're so different from us doesn't make them worse. Indeed, considering the multitude of plants on earth, and considering that in Nature, the fittest doesn't win, but rather the best, and that it's quantity that determines who's most fitting, we can affirm that they are by far worth taking as an example and not treating them as insignificant beings. We can learn a lot from them: how to connect, how to be with ourselves, how to care for one another, how to listen, how to give space, how to redefine priorities. However, it requires patience, an open heart, and the willingness to learn another language.

 

 

MTDD: Your third video, which, like the previous ones, summarizes what ART, your laboratory of theatrical research and experimentation in Nature, represents, encourages introspection and self-analysis.

I found the following messages particularly significant:

 

"It's hard to feel different... Yet it's sadder to conform..."

 

"What aspects of plants can inspire different perspectives and different human and social attitudes?"

 

 

Going against the grain has never been easy, yet every actual change has come about precisely thanks to someone who dared to act 'differently', standing out from the crowd.

 

There's a lot to say on these points.

 

EF: The video you're referring to was the first recollection of an ART workshop. It was 2022, a workshop that began in the spring and ended in early July. The longest, lasting four months. A magical experience that kicked it all off, and which I lived with so much enthusiasm on the one hand and so much fear of failure on the other, of doing something so different and incomprehensible that it wouldn't be appreciated and welcomed by people. I remember the Saturday we arrived after a lovely walk to the spot where we usually held the workshop. It was spring, and that day, the pollen swirled in the air like a whirlwind of white wool; it looked like snow was falling. We were all so excited and captivated, and we started dancing. We and Nature, in one motion through space and time. Beautiful! I realized that, for that alone, it was worth doing; I didn't have to worry about the audience's judgment, but about the active and shared participation of the performers (obviously, in spring, those with allergies are not allowed to participate in the workshops).

Diversity is a fundamental element of ART. Plants are profoundly different from us, biologically speaking. They are sessile, rooted beings; we are nomads, constantly on the move. They can't move, but we can (and we struggle to stay still). If we learned from them that they are so different from us, perhaps we would be able to view the diversity between ethnic groups, peoples, and cultures as an opportunity for exchange and knowledge, rather than as a threat to defend ourselves from.

 

 

MTDD: "We flee from the shadows... in search of the light..." and "Anchored in the earth, we listen to our most microscopic internal movements. No one gives orders. Everything acts in resonance" are both meaningful statements.

 

Do we want to explore these concepts further so that our readers are not only left with a positive message, but also one that encourages them to become more aware and make a U-turn when needed?

 

EF: Light is the primary source of energy for plants. It is nourishment. It is life. Have you seen how the tree trunks shoot upward toward the sky? They don't do it to compete but to feed and grow. Roots, on the other hand, shun this and live underground, invisible to the naked eye. Roots travel underground in many directions and encounter one another, weaving relationships. The underground world, currently a subject of great interest to scientists and yet so foreign to us, opens our imagination to a sense of possibility. The stems that rise upward, the roots that sink downward; in between, there is sap, trunk, leaves, resins. A tree has a crown of branches, a trunk, and roots; a human being has a head, a trunk, limbs, and skin. Metaphorically, there is a similarity; let's try to imagine ourselves alongside them, but there is also a huge, huge difference. Plants don't have a brain or specialized organs like humans; they don't have lungs, nor do they have a heart. Plants have a modular structure, consisting of many small, autonomous parts that interact with each other; none commands the others, and none gives orders. Try to imagine a world where all living beings communicate and make shared decisions, not waiting for someone to decide for them. Impossible? I don't think so. Complex, yes, very complex indeed.

 

 

MTDD: Before concluding our interview, Elena, can you tell us how those who wish to follow or even participate in your activities can contact you?

 

EF: Here are my contact details:

elenafranconi http://www.youtube.com/@elenafranconi

 

franconielena@gmail.com

 

elena_francon http://instagram.com/elena_francon

 

franconielena http://facebook.com/elena.franconi1

 

 

MTDD: Thank you, Elena, for participating in this interview and for sharing with us the goals of your theater work and workshops you lead. Thank you also to all the actors and actresses who took part. I hope to have you as my guest again in the future.

 

EF: Thank you for this fantastic opportunity and for the fascinating questions that have given me the chance not only to tell you, but also to reflect further on what I do and its meaning. And every time I find that there is meaning, and that's very important to me because I often find little of it around me.

I'll be happy to talk to you again. Thank you again, and I wish you the best regards and continued success. Elena

All photos in this article: Elena Franconi ©2025. All Rights Reserved.