Benjamin Britten + Four Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes"

 

(Lowestoft, 22 November 1913 - Aldeburgh, 4 December 1976)

Student of Ireland and Benjamin at the Royal College of Music in London, he was very precocious as a composer, soon imposing himself on the attention of the English public as one of the most gifted musicians of the young generation.

After a three-year stay (from 1939 to '42) in the United States, he resumed his activity in England by acquiring international fame in 1945 with the work - the first he wrote for the theater - Peter Grims.

Intensely dedicated to the composition, he also kept numerous tours as a piano companion of the tenor Peter Pears; He founded the English Opera Group, a small opera company that brought Britten's works to many British centers, mainly designed for a popular or youthful audience and also performed with makeshift means, according to the principles of "Gebrauchsmusik."

Very fruitful composer, Britten has been considered the most prominent English author of his century for over two decades. He has been able to merge the most diverse experiences in an eclectic language, which has gradually been personalized thanks to a strong instinct and a profound awareness of the need to enhance the rich English musical tradition. In fact, in a certain period of his activity, he gently absorbed the juices that came from the musical experiences of the European musicians, from Hindemith to Stravinski, to Bartok. He achieved the brightest results in the theatrical field: 'Peter Grimes' and 'the vine lap' remain the best works produced in England last century, perhaps by Purcell's time.

The symphonic production is undoubtedly in order concerning the theatrical one (which includes about ten works, from the chamber work and for children to the sacred representation). Here, an eclectic trend is denied, the absorption of influences mainly from Stravinski and the tradition of French Impressionism. However, Britten has also been able to create some living work in this field, full of humor and fantasy. In the middle of the century, the Britten Muse seems to languish, so much so that it is perhaps not risky to say that its most convincing production stopped in 1954 with the turn of lives: is it a momentary crisis or a definitive unwary of its inspiration? Here is a question that only Britten will have answered with his work as a composer. Among its lucky compositions, the Requiem of war must be mentioned (1961).

There are four instrumental songs from Britten's theatrical masterpiece, Peter Grimes. The marine atmosphere of the romantic and harsh coasts of Eastern England is reproduced to you exemplary, with a timbre procedure that sometimes recalls that of impressionism but which is nourished by an all-personal and unmistakable sound sensitivity.

The four short songs represent "the dawn," "Sunday morning," "Moonlight, "and" Storm, "and must be considered between better Britten has conceived for the orchestra alone.

Benjamin Britten + Quattro intermezzi di mare da "Peter Grimes"

(Lowestoft, 22 novembre 1913 – Aldeburgh, 4 dicembre 1976)

Allievo di Ireland e Benjamin al Royal College of Music di Londra, fu precocissimo come compositore, imponendosi ben presto all'attenzione dei pubblici inglesi come uno dei piu dotati musicisti della giovane generazione.

Dopo un soggiorno di tre anni (dal 1939 al '42) negli Stati Uniti, riprese la sua attività in Inghilterra acquistandosi fama internazionale nel 1945 con l'opera - la prima da lui scritta per il teatro - Peter Grimes.

Intensamente dedito alla composizione, ha tenuto anche numerose tournées come accompagnatore pianistico del tenore Peter Pears; ha fondato l'English Opera Group, una piccola compagnia d'opera che ha portato in molti centri britannici i lavori di Britten, particolarmente pensati per un pubblico popolare o giovanile ed eseguibili anche con mezzi di fortuna, secondo i principi della "Gebrauchsmusik."

Compositore assai fecondo, Britten è stato considerato per oltre due decenni il maggior autore inglese del suo secolo. Di fatto, in un certo periodo della sua attività è riuscito ad assorbire genialmente i succhi che gli venivano dalle esperienze musicali dei musicisti europei, da Hindemith, a Stravinski, a Bartok. Egli ha saputo fondere le esperienze più diverse in un linguaggio eclettico, che ha personalizzato gradualmente grazie a un forte istinto e a una profonda coscienza della necessità di valorizzare la ricca tradizione musicale inglese. Ha ottenuto i risultati piu brillanti in campo teatrale: 'Peter Grimes' e 'Il Giro di vite' rimangono le opere migliori che siano state prodotte in Inghilterra secolo scorso, e forse dal tempo di Purcell. 

La produzione sinfonica è invece indubbiamente in sott'ordine rispetto a quella teatrale (che comprende una decina di lavori, dall'opera da camera e per bambini alla sacra rappresentazione): anche qui si denota una tendenza eclettica, l'assorbimento di influssi provenienti soprattutto da Stravinski e dalla tradizione dell'impressionismo francese. Tuttavia Britten ha saputo creare anche in questo campo qualche opera viva, piena di humour e di fantasia. A metà del secolo la musa britteniana sembra peraltro languire, tanto che non è forse azzardato dire che la sua produzione più convincente si arresta al 1954 col Giro di vite: si tratta di una crisi momentanea o di un definitivo inaridimento della sua ispirazione? Ecco una domanda a cui solo Britten avrà potuto rispondere, con la sua opera di compositore. Tra le sue piu fortunate composizioni va citato il Requiem di guerra (1961).

Sono quattro brani strumentali tratti dal capolavoro teatrale di Britten, il Peter Grimes. L'atmosfera marina, delle romantiche e aspre coste dell'Inghilterra orientale, vi viene riprodotta esemplarmente, con un procedimento timbrico che a volte richiama quello dell'impressionismo, ma che è nutrito di una sensibilità sonora tutta personale e inconfondibile.

I quattro brevi brani rappresentano "L'alba," "Domenica mattina," "Chiaro di luna" e "Tempesta," e vanno considerati tra quanto di meglio Britten abbia concepito per la sola orchestra.

Benjamin Britten + Vier Seestrudes von "Peter Grimes"

 

(Lowestoft, 22. November 1913 - Aldeburgh, 4. Dezember 1976)

Als Schüler von Ireland und Benjamin am Royal College of Music in London war er als Komponist sehr frühreif und erregte bald die Aufmerksamkeit des englischen Publikums als einer der begabtesten Musiker der jungen Generation.

Nach einem dreijährigen Aufenthalt (von 1939 bis '42) in den Vereinigten Staaten nahm er seine Aktivitäten in England wieder auf, indem er 1945 mit der Arbeit internationalen Ruhm erlangte - das erste, das er für das Theater schrieb - Peter Grims.

Er widmete sich intensiv der Komposition und hielt auch zahlreiche Touren als Klavierbegleiter des Tenors Peter Pears. Er gründete die englische Operngruppe, eine kleine Opernfirma, die Brittens Werke in viele britische Zentren brachte, insbesondere für ein beliebtes oder jugendliches Publikum und auch mit provisorischen Mitteln nach den Prinzipien von "Gebauchsmusik".

Sehr fruchtbarer Komponist ist Britten seit über zwei Jahrzehnten als der größte englische Autor seines Jahrhunderts. Tatsächlich gelang es ihm in einer bestimmten Zeit seiner Aktivitäten, die Säfte, die aus den musikalischen Erfahrungen der europäischen Musiker, von Hindemith bis hin zu Strawinski, nach Bartok, sanft absorbieren. Er war in der Lage, die vielfältigsten Erfahrungen in einer vielseitigen Sprache zusammenzuführen, die dank eines starken Instinkts und eines tiefgreifenden Bewusstseins für die Notwendigkeit, die reiche englische Musiktradition zu verbessern, nach und nach personalisiert hat. Er erzielte die hellsten Ergebnisse im Theaterfeld: 'Peter Grimes' und 'The Vine Lap' bleiben die besten Werke, die im letzten Jahrhundert in England produziert wurden, und vielleicht nach Purcells Zeit.

Die symphonische Produktion ist zweifellos in Bezug auf das theatralische (einschließlich etwa zehn Werke, von der Kammerarbeit und für Kinder bis zur heiligen Darstellung): Auch ein vielseitiger Trend wird abgelehnt, wobei die Absorption von Einflüssen haupt Die Tradition des französischen Impressionismus. Britten war auch in der Lage, in diesem Bereich lebende Arbeiten voller Humor und Fantasie zu schaffen. In der Mitte des Jahrhunderts scheint die Britten Muse so sehr zu schmachten, dass es vielleicht nicht riskant ist zu sagen, dass ihre überzeugendste Produktion 1954 mit der Wende des Leben Inspiration? Hier ist eine Frage, die nur Britten mit seiner Arbeit als Komponist beantwortet haben wird. Unter seinen glücklichen Kompositionen muss das Requiem des Krieges erwähnt werden (1961).

Es gibt vier instrumentelle Lieder aus Brittens Theater -Meisterwerk Peter Grimes. Die Meeresatmosphäre der romantischen und harten Küsten Ostglands wird Ihnen beispielhaft mit einem Timbre -Verfahren reproduziert, das manchmal an die des Impressionismus erinnert, aber durch eine all -personelle und unverkennbare Klangempfindlichkeit genährt wird.

Die vier kurzen Songs repräsentieren "The Dawn", "Sunday Morning", "Moonlight" und "Storm" und müssen allein für das Orchester nachgedacht werden.

The mystery of the six tiramisu - by Maria Cristina Buoso - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 The Mystery of the Six Tiramisu

The cases of Chief Commissioner Caterina Angeli

by Maria Cristina Buoso

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

In the city of Padua, in the neighborhood where the Magnolia condominium is located, and a crime was committed some time ago, a stranger, for apparently incomprehensible reasons which will emerge only at the end of the book, is creating great havoc.

Is it the same person or multiple people? And Are these facts related to each other or not? – ask the investigators.

A series of circumstances and behaviors leads to the hypothesis that it may be the same individual.

Within a few days, he entered some offices and, while no one saw him, he ransacked everything: simple acts of vandalism, or was he looking for something?

He also visited the veterinary surgeon Andrea Stella. While going to her room for a moment, she rummaged inside a basket full of shells, stones, and other objects placed at the entrance to the surgery exclusively decorative. When Andrea came out of her office and asked him what she was doing with her, he gave her a shove and spilled the hamper's contents onto the floor.

Alice's bakery has also been targeted. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking at him, and while she had gone into the other room to answer a call on her cell phone, the stranger destroyed some tiramisu, throwing them on the floor and spreading them on the floor. The latter were ready to be delivered to the customers listed on a list left next to the tray on which they had been deposited, waiting to be temporarily placed in the cold room.

The cameras positioned in Alice's pastry shop have filmed this person and made it possible to understand that he is a man, dressed in dark clothes, who wears - we are at the time of Covid - a mask, as well as a pair of gloves that allow him not to leave fingerprints.

Of the six tiramisus on the list, the only one that perhaps survived the massacre because it has already been withdrawn is that of a certain Teresa Sales, a woman who has recently moved to the neighborhood and whom no one knows or knows what job she does. Teresa, however, while the police investigate, is not at home. She probably left, and it is impossible to know where she is and when she will return.

"Have you already eaten the tiramisu you bought in Alice's pastry shop or kept it in the fridge to enjoy on your return?" – ask the investigators. In fact, according to the actions carried out so far by the attacker, the police fear that, if he has not yet found what he is looking for, he will try in every way to verify if this something is found in the very last tiramisu of the series, i.e., the one purchased by Teresa Sales.

In this case, the probable anger and frustration accumulated in not having yet managed to find and take possession of this 'something' that he is anxiously looking for could make the man violent, leading him to commit murder, something that, up to now, thanking the heaven, it didn't happen.

Although everyone, victims and investigators, including Chief Commissioner Claudia Trini, Superintendent Luciana Verdi and her assistant Alessia Goretti and other colleagues of the Flying Squad all give themselves a great deal to conduct the investigation and solve this case too, the real protagonist of this whodunit is, in my opinion, Chief Commissioner Caterina Angeli who recently retired.

Caterina, in fact, despite having officially stopped working, will always remain a policeman in her DNA (p. 39), as Claudia points out, smiling, who always counts on her help and her total dedication to each case.

As usual, it will be Caterina, with her vibrant creativity, her profound intuition, and the experience gained over the various decades in service, who will be able to unravel the skein, solving the mystery and bring, after having set a trap to the unknown thanks to the help of victims and investigators, to his arrest and his final confession.

In short, as her son Amos claims, "the day that Caterina manages to do nothing for the whole day... it will snow on August 15th" (p. 89). Perhaps her ex-husband, father of Amos and her twin sister Kalene, and above all, her in-laws could have shown more understanding and empathy and understood how great passion Caterina has always had for her work. If they had, probably the two, who still love each other, would never have left.

A light and even funny yellow, full of twists and food for thought, written in a lean, fast, and pleasant style, typical of the author Maria Cristina Buoso, whose reading I recommend to everyone.

Il mistero dei sei tiramisù - di Maria Cristina Buoso - Recensione di Maria Teresa De Donato

 Il mistero dei sei tiramisù

I casi del Commissario Capo Caterina Angeli

di Maria Cristina Buoso

 

Recensione di Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Nella città di Padova, nel quartiere in cui si trova il condominio Magnolia, in cui qualche tempo fa è stato compiuto un delitto, uno sconosciuto, per ragioni apparentemente incomprensibili e che emergeranno solo alla fine del libro, sta creando un grande scompiglio.

Si tratta della stessa persona o di più persone? e Questi fatti sono collegati tra loro o no? – si chiedono gli inquirenti.

Una serie di circostanze e comportamenti porta ad ipotizzare che possa trattarsi dello stesso individuo.

Nel giro di alcuni giorni è entrato in alcuni uffici e, mentre nessuno lo vedeva, ha messo tutto a soqquadro: semplici atti vandalici o cercava qualcosa?

Ha visitato anche l’ambulatorio della veterinaria Andrea Stella e, mentre questa era andata un attimo nella sua stanza, ha rovistato all’interno di una cesta piena di conchiglie, sassi ed altri oggetti che era stata collocata all’ingresso dell’ambulatorio a scopo esclusivamente decorativo. Quando Andrea è uscita dal suo ufficio e gli ha chiesto cosa stesse facendo, lui le ha dato uno spintone e rovesciato sul pavimento il contenuto della cesta.

Anche la pasticceria di Alice è stata presa di mira.  Approfittando del fatto che nessuno lo guardasse e mentre lei era andata nell’altra stanza a rispondere ad una chiamata sul cellulare, lo sconosciuto ha distrutto, gettandoli per terra e spalmandoli sul pavimento alcuni tiramisù.  Questi ultimi erano pronti per essere consegnati ai clienti elencati in una lista lasciata accanto al vassoio su cui erano stati depositati in attesa di essere messi temporaneamente nella cella frigorifera.

Le telecamere posizionate nella pasticceria di Alice hanno ripreso questa persona e permesso di capire che si tratta di un uomo, vestito di scuro, che indossa – siamo al tempo del Covid – la mascherina, oltre ad un paio di guanti che gli consentono di non lasciare impronte.

Dei sei tiramisù della lista l’unico che forse si è salvato al massacro, perché è stato già ritirato, è quello di una certa Teresa Sales, una donna che si è trasferita da poco nel quartiere e che nessuno conosce né sa quale lavoro faccia. Teresa, però, mentre la polizia indaga, non è in casa. Probabilmente è partita ed è impossibile sapere dove sia e quando ritornerà.

“Il tiramisù che ha comprato nella pasticceria di Alice, lo avrà già mangiato o lo avrà conservato in frigo per gustarselo al suo ritorno?” – si chiedono gli inquirenti. Stando, infatti, alle azioni compiute sino ad ora dall’aggressore, la polizia teme che, nel caso questi non abbia ancora trovato ciò che sta cercando, tenterà in tutti in modi di verificare se questo qualcosa si trovi proprio nell’ultimo tiramisù della serie, ossia quello acquistato da Teresa Sales.

In questo caso, la probabile rabbia e frustrazione accumulata nel non essere ancora riuscito a trovare e ad impossessarsi di questo ‘qualcosa’ che sta cercando ansiosamente, potrebbe rendere l’uomo violento portandolo a compiere un omicidio, cosa che fino ad ora, ringraziando il cielo, non è avvenuta.

Benché tutti, vittime ed inquirenti, tra cui il Commissario Capo Claudia Trini, il Sovrintendente Luciana Verdi e la sua Assistente Alessia Goretti ed altri colleghi della Squadra Mobile si diano tutti un gran da fare per condurre le indagini e risolvere anche questo caso, la vera protagonista di questo giallo è, a mio avviso, proprio il Commissario Capo Caterina Angeli andata di recente in pensione.

Caterina, infatti, malgrado ufficialmente abbia smesso di lavorare, nel suo DNA rimarrà sempre un poliziotto (p. 39), come le fa notare sorridendo Claudia che conta sempre sul suo aiuto e sulla sua totale dedizione ad ogni singolo caso.

Come al solito, sarà proprio Caterina, con la sua fervida creatività, il suo profondo intuito e l’esperienza maturata nei vari decenni in servizio a riuscire a sbrogliare la matassa, risolvendo l’arcano e a portare, dopo aver teso un tranello allo sconosciuto grazie all’aiuto di vittime ed inquirenti, al suo arresto e alla sua confessione finale.

Insomma, come sostiene suo figlio Amos “il giorno che Caterina riuscirà a non fare nulla per tutta la giornata… nevicherà a Ferragosto” (p. 89). Forse il suo ex marito, padre di Amos e della sua sorella gemella Kalene, e soprattutto i suoi suoceri avrebbero potuto mostrare più comprensione ed empatia e capire quanto fosse grande la passione che Caterina ha sempre avuto per il suo lavoro. Se lo avessero fatto, probabilmente i due, che ancora si amano, non si sarebbero mai lasciati.

Un giallo leggero e persino divertente, pieno di colpi di scena e di spunti di riflessione, scritto in uno stile snello, veloce e piacevole, tipico dell’autrice Maria Cristina Buoso, la cui lettura consiglio a tutti.

Das Geheimnis der sechs Tiramisu - von Maria Christina Buoso - Rezension von Maria Teresa De Donato

 Das Geheimnis der sechs Tiramisu

Die Fälle von Kriminalobercommissarin Caterina Angeli

von Maria Christina Buoso

 

Rezension von Maria Teresa De Donato

 

In der Stadt Padua, in der Nachbarschaft der Magnolia-Wohnanlage, wo vor einiger Zeit ein Verbrechen begangen wurde, richtet ein Fremder aus scheinbar unverständlichen Gründen, die erst am Ende des Buches auftauchen werden, großes Chaos an.

Ist es dieselbe Person oder mehrere Personen? und Sind diese Tatsachen miteinander verwandt oder nicht? – fragen Sie die Ermittler.

Eine Reihe von Umständen und Verhaltensweisen führt zu der Hypothese, dass es sich um dieselbe Person handeln könnte.

Innerhalb weniger Tage betrat er einige Büros und durchsuchte, während ihn niemand sah, alles: einfache Akte von Vandalismus oder suchte er etwas?

Er besuchte auch die Tierarztpraxis Andrea Stella und während sie für einen Moment auf ihr Zimmer ging, kramte er in einem Korb voller Muscheln, Steine ​​und anderer Gegenstände, die ausschließlich zu dekorativen Zwecken am Eingang der Praxis aufgestellt worden waren. Als Andrea aus ihrem Büro kam und ihn fragte, was er da mache, gab er ihr einen Schubs und verschüttete den Inhalt des Korbs auf dem Boden.

Auch Alices Bäckerei wurde ins Visier genommen. Der Fremde nutzte die Tatsache aus, dass ihn niemand ansah, und während sie in den anderen Raum gegangen war, um einen Anruf auf ihrem Handy anzunehmen, zerstörte der Fremde einige Tiramisu, warf sie auf den Boden und breitete sie auf dem Boden aus. Letztere waren bereit, an die Kunden ausgeliefert zu werden, die auf einer Liste links neben dem Tablett aufgeführt waren, auf dem sie abgelegt worden waren, und warteten darauf, vorübergehend in den Kühlraum gestellt zu werden.

Die in Alices Konditorei positionierten Kameras haben diese Person gefilmt und es möglich gemacht zu verstehen, dass es sich um einen dunkel gekleideten Mann handelt, der – wir befinden uns in der Zeit von Covid – eine Maske sowie ein Paar Handschuhe trägt, die es ihm erlauben, keine Fingerabdrücke zu hinterlassen.

Von den sechs Tiramisu auf der Liste ist das einzige, das vielleicht das Massaker überlebt hat, weil es bereits zurückgezogen wurde, das einer gewissen Teresa Sales, einer Frau, die kürzlich in die Nachbarschaft gezogen ist und von der niemand weiß, wer sie wirklich ist oder welchen Job sie tut. Teresa ist jedoch, während die Polizei ermittelt, nicht zu Hause. Wahrscheinlich ist sie gegangen und es ist unmöglich zu wissen, wo sie ist und wann sie zurückkommt.

“Hat sie vielleicht das Tiramisu, das sie in Alices Konditorei gekauft hat, schon gegessen oder im Kühlschrank aufbewahrt, um es bei ihrer Rückkehr zu genießen?„ – fragen sich die Ermittler. Tatsächlich befürchtet die Polizei nach den bisherigen Aktionen des Angreifers, dass er, wenn er das Gesuchte noch nicht gefunden hat, auf jede erdenkliche Weise versuchen wird, zu überprüfen, ob dieses Etwas im aller letzten Tiramisu der Serie gefunden wird, d.h. die von Teresa Sales gekaufte.

In diesem Fall könnte die wahrscheinliche Wut und Frustration, die sich darüber angesammelt hat, dass er es noch nicht geschafft hat, dieses "Etwas", das er ängstlich sucht, zu finden und in Besitz zu nehmen, den Mann gewalttätig machen und ihn dazu bringen, einen Mord zu begehen, etwas der bis jetzt Gott sei Dank nicht passiert ist.

Obwohl alle, Opfer und Ermittler, einschließlich die Kriminalobercommissarin Claudia Trini, die Superintendentin Luciana Verdi und die Assistentin Alessia Goretti und andere Kollegen der Stadtpolizei, erhebliche Anstrengungen unternehmen, um die Ermittlungen durchzuführen und auch diesen Fall zu lösen, sind die wahren Protagonisten dieser Krimigruppe ist meiner Meinung nach Kriminalobercommissarin Caterina Angeli, die kürzlich in den Ruhestand getreten ist.

Tatsächlich wird Caterina, obwohl sie offiziell aufgehört hat, immer eine Polizistin in ihrer DNA bleiben (S. 39), wie Claudia lächelnd betont, die immer auf ihre Hilfe und ihren vollen Einsatz für jeden einzelnen Fall zählt.

Wie üblich wird Caterina mit ihrer glühenden Kreativität, ihrer profunden Intuition und der Erfahrung, die sie in den verschiedenen Jahrzehnten im Dienst gesammelt hat, in der Lage sein, den Strang zu entwirren, das Rätsel zu lösen und zu bringen, nachdem sie dem Unbekannten eine Falle gestellt hat dank der Hilfe von Opfern und Ermittlern, seiner Festnahme und seinem endgültigen Geständnis.

Kurz gesagt, wie ihr Sohn Amos behauptet, "an dem Tag, an dem Caterina es schafft, den ganzen Tag nichts zu tun ... wird es am 15. August schneien" (S. 89). Vielleicht hätten ihr Ex-Mann, Vater von Amos und ihrer Zwillingsschwester Kalene, und vor allem ihre Schwiegereltern mehr Verständnis und Empathie zeigen und verstehen können, wie groß Caterinas Leidenschaft für ihre Arbeit schon immer war. Wenn sie es getan hätten, wären die beiden, die sich immer noch lieben, wahrscheinlich nie gegangen.

Ein leichtes und sogar lustiges Krimi, voller Wendungen und Denkanstöße, in einem schlanken, schnellen und angenehmen Stil geschrieben, typisch für die Autorin Maria Cristina Buoso, deren Lektüre ich jedem empfehle.

 

Mastr'Antria and other stories – by Andrea Giostra -- Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 Mastr'Antria and other stories – by Andrea Giostra

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

 

(Cover photo by Linda Randazzo, "Triumph of Death," oil on canvas, 

cm. 200x200, 2018, private collection.)

With Mastr'Antria and other stories, Andrea Giostra explores some themes and concepts expressed in his previous work Novelle brevi di Sicilia (= Short Stories of Sicily).

 

In this sense, his new and unpublished literary work becomes the flagship of modern and contemporary Sicilian literature and a true standing ovation to his native land.

 

The beauties and riches of this stunning island, which boasts a millenary history, culture, and traditions known and appreciated worldwide, are exalted and brought to light in all their splendor.

 

The ongoing and slow flow of time, and the day-to-day life that becomes its heritage, uses, and behavioral habits are carefully observed by the author and described in great detail that lay bare its essence.

 

Generational behavioral changes are put under a magnifying lens and scrutinized. From the generation of Mastr'Antria, or Grandpa Andrea, who returned more or less immune from seven years of imprisonment in the concentration camps in Sydney, Australia, where he was deported by the British at the end of the Second World War and lived – according to him – quite well, and didn't miss anything, we moved on to the era of nonsense, the loss of human depth and an unprecedented weakening of character.

 

Difficulties once spurred past generations to reflection, personal redemption, and, therefore, to growth, inner transformation, and, finally, to survival, to the possibility of making one's way in the world. Those generations are contrasted by one today, which, on the contrary, perceives any problem, even the smallest, as an insuperable drama to be avoided instead of an opportunity to grow, strengthen one's character, and learn to relate to others and the circumstances as they arise.

 

The use of dialect is one of the fundamental aspects of this novel. Together with the others already mentioned, it also becomes a tool for recovering and disseminating tradition, one's culture, roots, and one's 'Sicilianity.'

 

The sense of sacredness, linked to spirituality or, in this case, to religiosity and, above all, to life itself, is always present. It also becomes the dominant factor from the beginning to the end of this work.

 

The culinary art of the family adds up to the cultural, artistic, and landscape richness of Sicily, above all of Grandma Vita, whose recipes, respecting the best and millenary tradition, have nothing to envy to those "of the increasingly imitated nouvelle cuisine" (A Giostra, 2020, p. 101) and its delicacies that are consumed in the "two hours of conditioned socializing at Tribeca" (p. 102) essential to meet the people who matter.

 

Mastr'Antria and other stories is not, however, only the novel of Sicily, the recovery and enhancement of its culture, of its dialect, and the enchantment that one feels towards this extraordinary land, nor only a sort of diary in which the events described testify and immortalize the passage of time and the lives of those who preceded us or that we lived ourselves. This work is also, above all, a hymn to Love, to Sentimental Relationships – whatever they are and regardless of how long they last or the possibility or impossibility – on our part of feeling ourselves connected psychologically, affectively, emotionally forever to another person. It is a hymn to Eroticism in the purest and broadest sense of the term, to Passion and Carnality lived spontaneously, without inhibitions, rules, fears, prejudices, or false modesty, but in complete and total freedom, awareness, abandonment, enthusiasm, and authenticity.

 

It is, even if in a veiled way, an encouragement to pay attention to the everyday life that can ruin and even blow up the relationship, transforming it from erotic and passionate into a simple, ordinary, predictable, monotonous, and, therefore, boring routine.

 

The language, flowing and direct, is equally refined in style and tone, sometimes melancholy, sometimes humorous, and occasionally comical; it immerses the reader in the stories and dynamics of events by catapulting him into a world which, however modern, seems to have preserved, more or less intact, all the charm and splendor of its rich past.

 

I really appreciated a book that fascinated and transported me, for its elegance and refinement, to the times of Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi from Lampedusa; which can be read in one breath and whose reading – despite being intended for an adult audience – I am happy to recommend.