The L’osteria has been open right through the summer and for many visitors to the city it was the only place still open to eat during the afternoon as most of the the other restaurants shut their kitchens and took the tradition siesta.

Riccardo instead decided to remain open as much as was humanly possible. Now the season has come to and end and he and his staff are off for a well deserved holiday.

This evening they emptied their fridges and stores and so their regular customers ate and drank for free – the party was still going on strong as this article was being written. Will they party till dawn ? hmmmmm.

The L’osteria will be open once again on the 2nd December.

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Nel salotto buono di Barga Vecchia, luogo speciale soprattutto d’estate, in cui si assaporano le testimonianze della Barga Medicea, si trova L’Osteria, uno dei ristoranti più frequentati di Barga, diretto da Riccardo Negri.

L’Osteria è un locale giovane che piace appunto ai più giovani, ma che per la sua fresca atmosfera attira anche gli over 40 e soprattutto i turisti stranieri.

E’ un luogo speciale, insomma, per vivere il “piacere slow” di Barga, accolti impeccabilmente dalla cortesia di Riccardo che ormai è alla sua sesta stagione alla guida del locale.

Enoteca, trattoria, bar; luogo anche per spuntini e per bere qualcosa, magari sulla terrazza esterna proprio su piazza Angelio, osservando il via vai della gente o lo svolgersi di uno dei tanti avvenimenti che si tengono a Barga.

Si sta bene in questo posto perché ci si sente come a casa, perché si trova buona compagnia, perché si incontra tanta gente ma soprattutto perché si mangia bene.

Il menu, proposto da Anna, regina della cucina, vi propone una serie di piatti tipici dove gli ingredienti sono a base di prodotti locali.

E’ la cucina di Barga, quella che potreste trovare in una casa barghigiana e questo non è davvero poco perché a Barga da sempre si mangia bene.

L’enoteca de L’Osteria è davvero ben fornita e così potrete accompagnare le vostre portate con vini lucchesi soprattutto, ma anche con una scelta selezionata di vini nazionali.

Fatevi consigliare da Riccardo e vedrete che vi troverete bene. Il locale è ospitato nella vecchia farmacia del Castello ed al suo interno potrete ammirare una mostra permanente di una delle più intense interpreti dell’arte barghigiana: Alba Calamari.

Durante l’estate non mancano serate speciali, piene di musica ed allegria, ma ogni sera è quella giusta per trascorrere qualche ora piacevole tra i tavoli di questa trattoria.

L’Osteria si trova in Piazza Angelio, ai civici 13 e 14. Per prenotare telefonate al numero 335 5387113. Potete anche scrivere a negririccardo@gmail.com.

Five musicians took to the stage for an evening of music from Bellini, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Lehar, Gershwin and Bernstein.

As you can imagine from that list, the music performed was of varying types and from different backgrounds, opera, lyrical and musicals but they all shared one thing – a note perfect performance from the two sopranos – Sally Li and Bianca Barsanti and outstanding musicianship from Massimo Salotti on piano and Nino Pellegrini on double bass.

A word must also be said for a newcomer to the scene, Giulia Manfredini who’s violin playing this evening shows a maturity far beyond her youthful appearance. Make no mistake, Giulia is maturing into an exciting musician. Barga Art City was once again shown that it is the musicians who are pushing the pace in the city.

Sabato 10 settembre ore 20 cena con concerto presso l’Osteria di Barga (LU), con Bianca Barsanti, Sally Li, Massimo Salotti e Nino pellegrini
Per informazioni – L’OSTERIA di RICCARDO NEGRI 55051 Barga (LU) – 13/14, p. Angelio tel: 335 5387113

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Bianca Barsanti – Fiorentina ma livornese di adozione comicia lo studio del canto come voce bianca sotto la guida dei maestri Andrea e Stefano Visconti. Si laurea con lode in Lettere Moderne e successivamente si laurea cum laude in Discipline Musicali – Canto preso il Conservatorio di Alessandria.
Ha partecipato a numerosi stages e corsi di perfezionamento tra cui Canto medievale con l’ensemble LaReverdie a Urbino, il Cantiere Lirico presso il Teatro Goldoni di Livorno , Opera workshop con il M.° Claudio Desderi presso la scuola di musica di Fiesole.
Ha debuttato Regina della Notte, Nannetta, Adina, Euridice, lo Scoiattolo (lo scoiattolo in gamba, N.Rota), Lucignolo (Pinocchio, P.Valtinoni), Suor Osmina.
All’interno di piccoli ensemble ha interpretato:Distant voice (The prodigal son, Britten), Comare (l’Arca di Noè, Britten), Madchen (ascesa e caduta della città di Mahagonny), Woman (Candide).
E’ stata artista del coro nelle produzioni del CEL Teatro di Livorno in Cavalleria Rusticana, Sì, e per il Coro Amadeus del Teatro Comunale di Modena in Tosca, Manon Lescaut.
Ha collaborato con l’Accademia Chigiana, la Scuola di musica di Fiesole, Teatro Goldoni di Livorno, Teatro Verdi di Pisa, Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Comunale di Alessandria, Teatro L.Pavarotti di Modena, Tatro Puccini di Firenze, Teatro Ferrara, Teatro Piacenza.
Ha lavorato con G.Gelmetti, Marisa Fabbri, Jonathan Webb, Moni Ovadia, Roman Siwulak, E.Boncompagni, Claudio Cinelli, M.Rota.
Oltre al repertorio operistico, coltiva la musica da camera, il repertorio medievale e barocco, il musical e il jazz. -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjfMeorw7ME

Massimo Salotti, allievo dei maestri Giorgio Sacchetti, Pietro Rigacci, Alessandro Carbonare e Pier Narciso Masi, è vincitore del Master  in Musica da Camera all’Accademia di Alto Perfezionamento di Imola e del Primo Premio Assoluto al Concorso Internazionale di Musica da Camera “Città di Minerbio”, e di altri numerosi primi premi sia in concorsi solistici che in musica da camera.

Si è esibito in tutta Italia per le più importanti associazioni concertistiche come: la Fondazione Walton (in occasione del centenario della nascita del compositore inglese), Associazione Musicale Lucchese, Festival Da Bach a Bartok (Imola), A.G.I.M.U.S., Amici della Musica, Goethe Institut, Festival delle Nazioni e per i più importanti Teatri di tradizione quali il Comunale di Bologna, la Sala Sinopoli di Roma, ilTeatro Ponchielli di Cremona, il Teatro Regio di Torino, il Teatro dei Rozzi di Siena, il Teatro Regio di Parma.

Assieme al primo clarinetto dell’Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Giorgio Berrugi, costituisce il DUO ALBAN BERG, formazione cameristica vincitrice di numerosi primi premi internazionali, che sta riscuotendo notevoli apprezzamenti critici dai più grandi interpreti mondiali.

Sue composizioni sono state eseguite a Lucca, Bolzano, Firenze, Brasilia, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Roma, Bologna (al festival di musica da camera Da Bach a Bartok) e ad Ischia in occasione del centenario dalla nascita del compositore inglese W.Walton.

Ha all’attivo tournée in Italia, Austria, Inghilterra, Spagna, Svizzera, Belgio, Brasile.

China-born soprano Sally Li has dreamed of becoming an opera singer since she was 18.  Having obtained a BA degree in Music Performance at the Nanjing Arts Institute, China, she came to the UK and undertook a postgraduate course of vocal study at the Royal Academy of   Music, London, studying under Elizabeth Ritchie and Mary Hill.  She was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma from the RAM following her successful final year recital at the David Josefowitz Recital Hall in May, 2008.

Sally was a finalist in the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarships 2007.  In the same year she was highly commended in the Isabel Jay Memorial Prize.  Her awards also include several Excellent Singer Prizes at the National Singing Competitions in China, and in the summer of 2007, she won a full scholarship for the Siena Bel Canto summer course.

Sally has performed in concerts in Florence, Siena, London and China.  Her opera roles include Countess, La Nozze di Figaro in Opera Scene Production Series in Siena, Italy; Amor, L’Egisto and Blonchen, Die Entführung aus dem Serail in the RAM Opera Scenes Production staged in the Jack Lyon’s Theatre, London.

Sally had also participated in a masterclass with Gillian Knight, and worked under many internationally acclaimed reperiteurs, including Ingrid Surgenor, Richard Stokes, Robert Aldwinckle, Jennifer McGregor, to name but a few.

Most recently, Sally is studying under Dennis O’Neill on an Advanced Vocal Studies Postgraduate Course at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice.  The Academy provides highly specialised training for a small, elite group of the most promising singers from around the world, who are selected on the basis of their international potential.  Sally has been awarded a Director’s Scholarship by the CIAV and also having been supported by the ASHA Foundation, the W Wing Yip and Brothers Bursary and the Sino-British Fellowship Trust.

Away from her studies Sally uses her singing talent to help raising money for charity by performing at fundraising concerts; she is also working as a volunteer for the ASHA Foundation and was awarded as a Young Peace Ambassador.

Nino Pellegrini – Ha studiato contrabbasso classico con Paolo Tommasi e Jazz con Paolino Dalla Porta, Furio Di Castri, Bruno Tommaso.
Nel 1994 e ’95 ha vinto due Borse di Studio presso la Scuola “Siena Jazz”, all’interno della quale ha fatto parte del Gruppo di Musica di Insieme di Enrico Rava e della Big Band di Giancarlo Gazzani. Ha partecipato a Seminari Internazionali organizzato dall’Associazione Siena Jazz con Marc Johnson, con Borsa di Studio, ed ai Seminari Internazionali della IASJ (International Association Schools of Jazz) del 1997. Nel ’94 e ’95 ha vinto due Borse di Studio per il Corso triennale di Alta Qualificazione Professionale per Musicisti di Jazz e Derivazioni Contemporanee conseguendo il relativo titolo Cee – Post Diploma di “Esecutore di Musica Jazz e Derivazioni Contemporanee”. Ha suonato con l’Orchestra Nazionale Giovanile di Jazz diretta da Bruno Tommaso e Giancarlo Gazzani con la quale ha svolto tra l’altro un Tour con James Newton, Palle Daniellson, Peter Erskine, John Taylor.

Ha suonato in numerosi festival e sale da concerto come:
Clusone Jazz Festival, Festival Jazz di Palermo, Festival Jazz di Waren (Germania), Festival Jazz di Pavia, Grey Cat Festival di Grosseto, Fiera Della Musica di Ferrara, Siena Jazz Festival, Firenze – Toscana Music Pool, Roccella Jonica, Anfiteatro Jazz di Lucca, Barga Jazz, Jazz In Forte (Forte Dei Marmi), Parma Jazz Frontiere, Parigi Duc de Lombards, Terni in Jazz, Bologna, Festival Jazz Cosenza, Montescudaio Jazz, Tokyo e Niigata (Giappone) per istituto italiano di cultura in Giappone, Locarno jazz festival del Cinema, Francoforte e Monaco di Baviera (Germania) ecc.

Attualmente insegna contrabbasso jazz presso la Scuola di Musica Bonamici di Pisa dal ’96, dal ’98 Teoria musicale, Armonia, storia del jazz e Basso e Contrabbasso Jazz e Musica di Insieme presso il Laboratorio Musicale di Rosignano e dal 2007 alla scuola comunale di musica di Donoratico (LI).

Determinante per il successo della serata, oltre al calore dell’allegra brigata e ai bagni in piscina, è stato il tormentone dell’estate del nostro caro Guzzoletti che ha fatto ballare con gioia tutti i partecipanti al baccanale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk5mXBkrV_s

Strump si può trovare su Youtube e su Beatport

Ringraziamo quindi il Maestro per averci regalato l’ “hit dell’estate barghigiana” che tutti da un po’ ascoltano a ripetizione e impostano come suoneria sul proprio cellulare

Prima o poi dovrai offrirci da bere a tutti….. e siamo tanti……

E’ già divenuta un tormentone delle più sfrenate serate estive in discoteca l’ultima chicca di Federico Scavo, dj di fama oramai internazionale che in luglio è uscito con Strump. Se la si ascolta anche solo per qualche istante è garantito che quel sound vi rimarrà in testa per tutta la giornata e questo grazie ad una tromba che qui a Barga tutti noi conosciamo ed apprezziamo. Strump vede infatti la collaborazione del trombettista barghigiano Andrea Guzzoletti ed il lavoro realizzato da Scavo e Guzzoletti è riuscito così bene che il brano figura al 21° posto nella Top 100 della musica House sul portale Beatport che è indubbiamente leader indiscusso a livello mondiale per la difusione, la cultura ed i download di musica elettronica. – full article here

Just to make it more interesting (and probably in an attempt to raise the cultural level slightly) according to their group spokesman, they were actually “Planking for Pascoli”  as all were proudly wearing t-shirts with the face of the poet Giovanni Pascoli.

Quite what Pascoli had to do with planking was somewhat difficult to pin down but as quickly as they had arrived and started laying down, suddenly they had all disappeared again and the piazza was once again back to normal …. or was it ?

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Planking for Pascoli in Piazza Angelio in Barga Vecchia

The phenomenon of planking involves lying face down in a public place – the stranger the better – and posting photos on social networking sites such as Facebook. Aficionados lie expressionless with a straight body, hands by their sides and toes pointing into the ground.

Two groups claim to have invented the prank – either in Somerset, UK in 2000 as the “lying down game” or eight years later in South Australia as planking. Both groups have rival Facebook sites boasting more than 100,000 fans.

Planking has grown in popularity, particularly in Australia where there has been huge media coverage. An Australian rugby league player David “Wolfman” Williams celebrates scoring by planking, while one of the nation’s leading chatshow hosts Kerri-Anne Kennerley opened a show recently by planking on the TV sofa.

In the same week police served a trespass notice on a man caught planking on a squad car.

Rules of Planking

According to the official Facebook page, the following rules should be kept in mind:

1. You must always lay face down, ensuring your face remains expressionless for the duration of the Plank.
2. Your legs must remain straight, and together with toes pointed.
3. Your arms must be placed by your side, held straight and fingers pointed.
4. You must make it known that you are Planking. Saying ‘I am Planking’ usually get this across. Sternly announcing it will ensure a good result.
5. Your safety should always be considered. Properly thought through Planking procedures should always go to plan. Never put your self at undue risk.
6. Every Plank that is captured must be named.

Despite its Australian popularity, the earliest practitioners were Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon in 2000, who started lying down in public places in Taunton, UK in order to be photographed. They called it the lying down game.

Giovanni Placido Agostino Pascoli

(December 31, 1855—April 6, 1912) was an Italian poet and classical scholar
His earlier poems look simple, and focus particularly on domestic life and nature. However, Pascoli, even in that period of Positivism and scientism, believes that life is a mystery; only symbolic associations discovered in the humble things of nature can lead man to catch a glimpse of the truth behind mere appearances.

His later poems share similar themes but are more experimental, and reflect his knowledge of classical antiquity. They were a great influence on later Italian poets, who incorporated his melancholy themes into their own works. He wrote in both Italian and Latin; he also translated English poetry. His numerous poems in Latin gained many international awards.

In 1897 Pascoli issued a detailed definition of his poetical stance, which he called poetica del fanciullino (“youngster’s poetics”) and which showed the influence of Sully and von Hartmann. Poetry, according to Pascoli, would be the unceasing capability to get stunned by the world, typical of childhood, secondarily connected to the expressive capabilities of the aged. In a refusal of both Classicism and Romanticism, Pascoli opposed both the renunciation of self-analysis and the abandonment of the self-centered point of view, in favour of a semi-irrational comfort which the poet gives himself through poetry.

Questa settimana si respira cultura nell’aria di Barga, in particolare con le note di Opera Barga che tra le prove ed i concerti in programma fa risuonare il castello di note soavi.

In Piazza Angelio stasera sì è però toccato il livello più basso con un gruppo di performance artist che hanno improvvisato un breve show per i clienti dell’osteria, la maggior parte dei quali ha avuto dei problemi a capire di cosa si trattasse, dato che era la prima sessione di planking mai realizzata nella zona.

Per rendere la performance più interessante (e forse per alzare il livello culturale dell’operazione), gli artisti in questione hanno fatto planking per Giovanni Pascoli, indossando fieramente magliette con il faccione del poeta.

Cosa c’entrasse Pascoli con il planking è difficile da capire, dato che come improvvisamente sono arrivati, altrettanto velocemente gli artisti sono spariti e la piazza è tornata alla sua normalità. O quasi.

Il fenomeno del palnking (dal sostantivo asse, tavola quindi letteralmente fare la tavola, “attavolarsi”) prevede che ci si debba stendere a faccia in giù in luoghi pubblici per poi postare le foto dell’evento su social network come Facebook.

I veri artisti di questa assurda disciplina restano stesi senza espressione con il corpo rigido, le braccia lungo il corpo e la punta dei piedi rigida per alcuni interminabili minuti.

Due gruppi in particolare rivendicano l’invenzione di questa pratica, uno dal Somerset, UK, che nel 2000 ha lanciato il “lying down game”, e l’altro dell’Australia, da cui deriva il nome attuale di planking.

Entrambi i gruppi comunque hanno pagine facebook che raccolgono più di 100mila fan.

Il planking ha guadagnato popolarità particolarmente in Australia, dove i media ne hanno a lungo parlato; David “Wolfman” Williams, giocatore di rugby di serie A, festeggia ogni suo punto con il planking, mentre uno dei più seguiti talk show australiani ha aperto una puntata del programma con una sessione di planking.
Nella stessa settimana la polizia ha accusato di violazione un uomo che stava facendo planking proprio sulla loro auto.

Regole del planking:

Stando alla pagina ufficiale di facebook, queste sono le regole per un buon planking:

1. Sempre stendersi a faccia in giù, e rigorosamente senza espressione sul volto.
2. le gambe devono rimanere dritte, unite e con i piedi distesi.
3. le braccia devono essere stese lungo il corpo, distese così come le mani.
4. far sapere che si sta facendo planking. Dire “sto facendo planking” di solito è sufficiente. Dirlo in modo brusco funziona ancora meglio.
5. la sicureazza viene prima di tutto: progettare come e dove fare planking, e soprattutto mai mettersi rischio.
6. Ogni sessione deve vere un nome.

She was there for the inauguration of an exhibition “Un Papa Missionario” dedicated to the work of Pope John Paul II at the Museo Missionario, in Palazzo di Propaganda Fide a Roma where she sang Franz Peter Schubert’s “Ave Maria”

Pope Benedict XVI has beatified Pope John Paul II before several hundred thousand people packed into St Peter’s Square and surrounding streets, moving his predecessor one step closer to sainthood.

“From now on Pope John Paul shall be called ‘blessed’,” Benedict proclaimed in Latin, establishing that the late pontiff’s feast day would be 22 October– the day of his inauguration in 1978.

Waving national flags and singing, the faithful momentarily banished the scandals and controversies that have rocked Catholicism since John Paul’s death to celebrate an inspirational figure who, for many, was their church’s greatest modern leader.

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Beatification is the last step on the road to sainthood, though not all those who are beatified are finally canonised. Before conferring the title of “blessed”, the Roman Catholic church requires evidence of at least one miracle.

John Paul, who died in 2005, is deemed to have interceded with God to bring about the inexplicable cure of a French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, who was dying of Parkinson’s disease, the same illness that took his own life.

Sally speaking in Barga (in English) and Riccardo Negri speaking (in Italiano) about the inauguration in Rome

Città del Vaticano (Agenzia Fides) – “Fin dal giorno dell’elezione a Vescovo di Roma, il 16 ottobre 1978, è risuonato nel mio intimo con particolare intensità ed urgenza il comando di Gesù: ‘Andate in tutto il mondo e predicate il Vangelo ad ogni creatura’. Mi sono sentito quindi in dovere di imitare l’apostolo Pietro che ‘andava a far visita a tutti’, per confermare e consolidare la vitalità della Chiesa nella fedeltà alla Parola e nel servizio della verità”: con queste parole, il 12 giugno 2003, Giovanni Paolo II si rivolgeva ai partecipanti ai viaggi apostolici, al termine del suo 100° viaggio.

In occasione della Beatificazione di Papa Giovanni Paolo II, la Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli rende omaggio al “Papa missionario” con una mostra che documenta i suoi innumerevoli viaggi in tutti i continenti, raccontati da una selezione di scatti fotografici e di filmati. L’esposizione inoltre propone una serie di doni ricevuti dal Santo Padre durante le sue visite. Allestita presso il Museo Missionario, nella sede nel Palazzo di Propaganda Fide a Roma, il percorso multimediale della mostra illustra il cammino dell’evangelizzazione nei cinque continenti, permettendo al visitatore di attraversare il mondo intero al seguito di Giovanni Paolo II. Dal primo viaggio apostolico del Pontificato, in America Latina, dal 25 gennaio al 1° febbraio 1979, al viaggio più lungo, in Asia e Oceania, del 1986, fino al pellegrinaggio giubilare in Terra Santa del 2000 e all’ultimo viaggio, ai piedi della Vergine di Lourdes, nell’agosto 2004, scorrono dinanzi agli occhi del visitatore alcuni dei momenti più significativi delle visite pastorali del Vescovo di Roma che ormai fanno parte della storia. “Le grandi assemblee multicolori del popolo di Dio, raccolte per la celebrazione dell’Eucarestia, rimangono impresse nella mia memoria e nel mio cuore – affermava Giovanni Paolo II il 12 giugno 2003 – come il ricordo più alto e commovente delle mie visite”. Un ricordo che non si è affievolito nel cuore di tutti e che la mostra riaccende illuminandolo di nuova luce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3I9JzN3en4

La mostra, che sarà aperta fino al 6 giugno, viene inaugurata oggi pomeriggio, 30 aprile, con un messaggio del Card. Ivan Dias, Prefetto della Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli, l’esecuzione dell’Ave Maria da parte del soprano Sally He Li, e due “interventi nello spazio” dell’artista Maria Dompè: uno sulla facciata del Palazzo di Propaganda Fide a Piazza di Spagna e l’altro nella Cappella borrominiana dei Re Magi. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 30/4/2011)

Giada Li Negri, 3 kilos 100 grams – mother and daughter both doing fine .

A huge well done to Sally and Riccardo, congratulations to both of you from all the staff at barganews.

Sally also appeared on Daily Image’s on the very same day that she went into hospital to give birth to Giada … that image can be seen here

 

This Saturday Barga Vecchia was assailed by hundreds of people all eager to to join in what was already being dubbed “the wedding of the year”. Sally Li He from Qingdao, China and Riccardi Negri from Barga. For only the second week in March, with a long wedding season in front of us, then Saturday’s wedding must have been something special….. and it was. Regular readers of barganews have been kept up with this story right from day one — back in June of last year.

On the 6th June 2009 Barga welcomed the world famous tenor Dennis O’Neill back to the city. He was here for the 3rd year with the Cardiff International Academy of Voice running a series of masterclasses for budding professional singers with the potential to embark on a career in opera. (article here)

Two weeks later they performed a concert of music by Handel, Mozart, Vivaldi and Bach in the Annunziata church in Barga Vecchia. Singing that evening were; Mary-Jean O’Doherty, Clair Egan, Catrin Aur Davies, Ione Cumming, Renee Martin, Noel Hernandez, Carlos Osuna, Rhys Jenkins, Philip Rhodes, Bulelani Madikizela, Hyun Tae Kim, Julia Lezhneva, Courtney Mills and the soprano Sally He Li.

The Cardiff International Academy of Voice masterclass finished soon after and the singers returned to their respective countries but one remained, captured by Barga and above all by the charms of a certain Riccardo Negri, the proprieter of the L’Osteria in Piazza Angelio — yes, the soprano Sally Li He.

Things then moved very quickly with Sally being voted “woman of the piazza” (article here) and shortly after she was proudly showing to one and all an enormous ring announcing her engagement to be married to Riccardo. As we then published — wedding bells were expected in January 2010.

In fact, there were a number of bureaucratic problems to be ironed out but on Saturday all came to fruition as Sally and Riccardo were married in the Palazzo Pancrazi in front of a huge crowd of friends , family and well wishers. – from the barganews archives 2010

A more or less private affair with the images for this article and sound track coming from a cell phone – not exactly high tec but it does give some idea of the flavour of the evening.

The Barghigiano group, Emma e gli Aristodemos  – Emma Morton, Keane, Fabio Guazzelli  and Alessandro Rizzardi  (without Leo Gnesi)  presented an unforgettable evening of music and atmosphere from the 1950s and 60s  which held the attention, ears and eyes of listeners of all ages. The singer Emma  presented us with all her charm and a voice from another age backed up by her able group of musicians - giornale di barga

All the articles about Emma e gli Aristodemos on barganews can be found here

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Riccardo instead decided to remain open as much as was humanly possible. Now the season has come to and end and he and his staff are off for a well deserved holiday.

This evening they emptied their fridges and stores and so their regular customers ate and drank for free – the party was still going on strong as this article was being written. Will they party till dawn ? hmmmmm.

The L’osteria will be open once again on the 4th December.

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P.S  oh yes, you may have noticed that one of those images appears upside down – fear not, as it features, among others, a visiting musician to Barga – Keith Ballantyne from the very prestigious Perceptual Engineering Studios, down under in New Zealand (their site is here)

They were treated to songs from such diverse artists as Bill Monroe, Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Brothers, Sons of the Pioneers, Stanley Brothers, Johnny Cash, Rose Maddox, Hank Williams, Kingston Trio and Gordon Lightfoot.

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Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland, and African-Americans, particularly through genres such as jazz and blues. In bluegrass, as in some forms of jazz, one or more instruments each takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Traditional bluegrass is typically based on a small set of acoustic stringed instruments including mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar and upright bass, with or without vocals.

Bluegrass music has attracted a diverse and extremely loyal following worldwide. Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe characterized the genre: “Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin’. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It’s plain music that tells a good story. It’s played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you. Bluegrass is music that matters.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_gfJbGqys

Click on the link at the end of this article to hear a short interview with Larry Wilder recorded immediately after their show this evening (in English )

Portland, Oregon’s own Stumptown Stars – their site is here

Yodelin’ Larry Wilder – 5 string banjo and guitar, arranger, lead and harmony vocals. Duo with son Nolan. Larry Bulaich Wilder grew up and began playing music in Burbank, California.

A short interview with Larry Wilder recorded immediately after their show this evening (in English)
larry_wilder_bluegrass_losteria_barga_25sept2010

(In the interview Larry mentions an Italian blues grass group called Red Wine – their site is here )

James was last here in Barga in August for the guitar master class with Antonio Forcione (article here)

Influences on James Wynne : So many…. of people I’ve played with, here are the ones in my heart… First of all: Silvio Traversa & Peri THEN: Ivan Appino, Mario Punzi, Davide DalPiaz, Marco Gardini.

Guitar Influences: Page, Dean De Leo, Andy Summers, Steve Jones, Angus Young, Antonio Forcione, Jake E. Lee, Pete Townshend.

Composing Influences: Paul McCartney, Eagles, Queen, Kiss, AC/DC, Police, Foo Fighters, Soulwax.

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Nelle tenebre riposo la mia anima. Non cerco la luce, non bramo i colori. Il mio spirito è nero. Sono un angelo con l’anima di demonio. Non ci sarà salvezza per me, ne per chiunque mi starà accanto – Cristiana Mariotti

Click on the link below to hear a short (ten minute) interview with James recorded in the barganews office just five minutes after he came off stage in Piazza Angelio this evening (in English )

james wynne 11sept2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1HIOH5xHk4

Sally has appeared many times on barganews over the past year or so since she first arrived in Barga in June 2009 as part of the Cardiff International Academy of Voice – master classes for budding professional singers with the world famous tenor Dennis O’Neill. Her soprano  singing did not just capture the attention of audiences in the theatre but also captured the heart of Riccardo Negri of L’osteria

Much of the time it has been right here in Piazza Angelio that she has made the news – voted woman of the piazza 2009 and of course the wedding of the year in March 2010. Last month she was up at Sommocolonia for a concert under the stars but this evening she was back with her home crowd and obviously feeling very relaxed and enjoying the family atmosphere in the piazza.

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Concerto Lirico del Soprano Sally Li – Pianoforte Massimo Salotti Musiche di Schumann, Faurè, Gershwin, Loewe, Puccini

SALLY LI

China-born soprano Sally Li has dreamed of becoming an opera singer since she was 18.  Having obtained a BA degree in Music Performance at the Nanjing Arts Institute, China, she came to the UK and undertook a postgraduate course of vocal study at the Royal Academy of   Music, London, studying under Elizabeth Ritchie and Mary Hill.  She was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma from the RAM following her successful final year recital at the David Josefowitz Recital Hall in May, 2008. Sally was a finalist in the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarships 2007.  In the same year she was highly commended in the Isabel Jay Memorial Prize.  Her awards also include several Excellent Singer Prizes at the National Singing Competitions in China, and in the summer of 2007, she won a full scholarship for the Siena Bel Canto summer course. Sally has performed in concerts in Florence, Siena, London and China.  Her opera roles include Countess, La Nozze di Figaro in Opera Scene Production Series in Siena, Italy; Amor, L’Egisto and Blonchen, Die Entführung aus dem Serail in the RAM Opera Scenes Production staged in the Jack Lyon’s Theatre, London. Sally had also participated in a masterclass with Gillian Knight, and worked under many internationally acclaimed reperiteurs, including Ingrid Surgenor, Richard Stokes, Robert Aldwinckle, Jennifer McGregor, to name but a few.

Most recently, Sally is studying under Dennis O’Neill on an Advanced Vocal Studies Postgraduate Course at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice.  The Academy provides highly specialised training for a small, elite group of the most promising singers from around the world, who are selected on the basis of their international potential.  Sally has been awarded a Director’s Scholarship by the CIAV and also having been supported by the ASHA Foundation, the W Wing Yip and Brothers Bursary and the Sino-British Fellowship Trust. Away from her studies Sally uses her singing talent to help raising money for charity by performing at fundraising concerts; she is also working as a volunteer for the ASHA Foundation and was awarded as a Young Peace Ambassador.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0OOHviWBDU

MASSIMO SALOTTI
Massimo Salotti, allievo dei maestri Giorgio Sacchetti, Pietro Rigacci, Alessandro Carbonare e Pier Narciso Masi, è vincitore del Master all’Accademia di Alto Perfezionamento di Imola e del Primo Premio Assoluto nei Concorsi Internazionali di Roma e Bologna. Si è esibito in tutta Italia per le più importanti associazioni concertistiche come: la Fondazione Walton (in occasione del centenario della nascita del compositore inglese), Associazione Musicale Lucchese, Festival Da Bach a Bartok (Imola), A.G.I.M.U.S., Amici della Musica, Goethe Institut, Festival delle Nazioni e per i più importanti Teatri di tradizione quali il Comunale di Bologna, la Sala Sinopoli di Roma, il Teatro Ponchielli di Cremona, il Teatro Regio di Torino, il Teatro dei Rozzi di Siena.

Assieme al primo clarinetto dell’Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Giorgio Berrugi, costituisce il DUO ALBAN BERG, formazione cameristica vincitrice di numerosi primi premi internazionali, che sta riscuotendo notevoli apprezzamenti critici dai più grandi interpreti mondiali. Sue composizioni sono state eseguite a Lucca, Bolzano, Firenze, Brasilia, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Roma, Bologna (al festival di musica da camera Da Bach a Bartok) e ad Ischia in occasione del centenario dalla nascita del compositore inglese W.Walton. Ha all’attivo tournée in Italia, Austria, Inghilterra, Spagna, Svizzera, Belgio, Brasile. Richiestissimo maestro collaboratore si è messo in luce esibendosi e lavorando per l’International Academy of Music di New York, il CIDIM per il progetto UNESCO dell’anno 2006, con la Compagnia degli Ipocriti oltre che al fianco di artisti quali Katia Ricciarelli, Graziano Polidori, Aldo Tarabella, Laura Nicolescu, Roberto Servile, Herbert Handt, Maria Billeri, Isa Danieli.

E’ stato recentemente ospite del Nunzio Apostolico in Brasile, esibendosi in una tournèe nazionale per gli ambasciatori di tutto il Mondo. E’ stato responsabile musicale della Compagnia Sperimentale Opera Bazar, una realtà musicale che si propone di percorrere una via di ricerca, diffusione e valorizzazione del teatro musicale e dell’opera da camera antica e moderna. La Compagnia vanta più di 400 rappresentazioni presso i più importanti teatri di tradizione e enti sinfonici italiani ed esteri.

Ms. Li followed up with an exuberant Violetta from Verdi’s “La Traviata,” in the Act One duet with Alfredo that launches Italian opera’s most memorable love affair, and a second celebrated love duet from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” The backdrop — at least to her fellow residents of Barga – was a more personal duet with Riccardo Negri, proprietor of the immensely popular Osteria in Piazza Angelio. The two were married March 13 in the town’s “wedding of the year,” with a reception attended by several hundred of their many friends and admirers. Riccardo took the night off to videotape the concert.

Initially slotted for an open-air production in the Piazza Anfiteatro, the event was moved to San Giovanni when a ferocious storm struck the area. Notwithstanding the deluge, a wildly enthusiastic audience filled the basilica. The impressive Orchestra Sinfonica di Grossetto, under the baton of its entertaining conductor Andrea Colombini, accompanied the evening’s singers, who also included Nicola Simone Mugnaini and Riccardo Buoncristiani.

Article by Frank Viviano

A new sound has also started to arrive in the piazzas – that of local kids blowing on the Italian version of plastic vuvuzela trumpets.

So what are vuvuzela ?  By itself, it’s just a small plastic trumpet that probably cost less than a euro to make and creates no known musical notes. But when thousands of people toot them simultaneously, you get a loud, incessant hum that makes the entire stadium sound like it’s being attacked by angry bees. It’s a staple at any South African soccer match and … surprise! Everyone hates it!

FIFA president Sepp Blatter revealed this week that broadcasters want the instrument banned at the World Cup.

But to his eternal credit, the Fifa chief also sprang to the defence of the humble trumpet, saying people must accept that it is part and parcel of football in South Africa.

“That is what African and South Africa football is all about – noise, excitement, dancing, shouting and enjoyment,” said the most powerful man in world football.

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Alessandro Rizzardi sitting outside the L’osteria in Piazza Angelio decided that it was possible to get more that just one drone like note out of the vuvuzela. Watch the video below for the proof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJbiaUGemg

Click on the link below to hear Riccardo talking (in Italiano) about how he feels about the last 5 years in the L’osteria

losteria_5years_riccardo_10april2010

The images below from the barganews archives of the inauguration of the l’osteria  on 10th April 2005 might just help him remember. Anybody who was there at the inauguration, 5 years ago will also probably remember just how bitterly cold it was that day as the guests waited outside in a freezing wind for the tape to be cut.

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The Saint Martin Singers owe their origin to a few fire-watchers at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, UK during the Second World War who made music together on the quieter nights. The Vicar of St Martin’s at that time was Reverend Eric Loveday and it was under his direction that the Singers developed in their early years.

Following the untimely death of Eric Loveday in 1947, his baton passed to Prebendary W.D. Kennedy-Bell, at that time a curate at St Martin’s and who subsequently became a Prebendary of St Paul’s Cathedral, Deputy Priest-in-Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen, Reader at the Temple Church and Director of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC World Service.

“KB”, as he was affectionately known, continued as conductor for fifty years until 1997 and his spirit remains a vital inspiration for the Singers. It was he who compiled many of the distinctive programmes of music and readings which are still regularly performed by the Singers.

The Singers meet weekly for rehearsal and still call themselves by the name of that Saint who cut his cloak in half in order to share it with a stranger; for through their singing and travels, they too seek to share the riches they themselves enjoy through their music-making and fellowship. The Singers always insist on paying their own expenses, while the two professional readers, to whom they are so deeply indebted, and without whom the programmes would not be possible, in their generosity give of their time and artistry.

The Saint Martin Singers perform, on average, 12 concerts a year in London and elsewhere in England, in aid of charitable or other worthwhile causes. They have also undertaken overseas tours in Austria, Canada and the USA.

For more information, see their site here

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CfGdtiSHCI

Click on the link below to hear the choir in Piazza Angelio this afternoon
st_martins_singers_barga_10april2010

A quick look through the barganews archives show that it was not the first time that the St Martins Singers have performed an informal concert in Barga. They were here in 2005 for a short concert outside of Aristo’s bar – (full article here)

From this morning he is offering not just his traditional Tuscan fare but also the possibility to eat traditional Chinese home cooking.

As the food is prepared freshly on the premises each day by Sally Li He,  clients will have to book with at least three hours notice.

The menu this evening consisted of two meat dishes – pork and chicken, a vegetable dish and egg fried rice …. and the price ?  A very modest Euro 20 a head not including drinks.

Guest of honour this evening was Frank Viviano, long time Staff Writer for barganews  (articles are here) whose long journalism career began in 1977. He travelled widely from 1979-1987 for Pacific News Service and from 1988-2002 as the at-large foreign correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle. He was the Chronicle’s Asia correspondent until 1990 and also co wrote the book ” Exploring the Best Ethnic Restaurants of the Bay Area” – the first complete, authoritative guide to the best ethnic restaurants of the SanFrancisco Bay Area-reviews and information on more than 200 restaurants representing 50 kinds of ethnic cuisine – so, to put it mildly, the knows a bit about Chinese cooking.

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Click on the link to hear Sally and Riccardo talking (in English and Italian) about the new Chinese menu

chinese_food_losteria_24march2010

On the 6th June 2009 Barga welcomed the world famous tenor Dennis O’Neill back to the city. He was here for the 3rd year with the Cardiff International Academy of Voice running a series of masterclasses for budding professional singers with the potential to embark on a career in opera. (article here)

Two weeks later they performed a concert of music by Handel, Mozart, Vivaldi and Bach in the Annunziata church in Barga Vecchia. Singing that evening were; Mary-Jean O’Doherty, Clair Egan, Catrin Aur Davies, Ione Cumming, Renee Martin, Noel Hernandez, Carlos Osuna, Rhys Jenkins, Philip Rhodes, Bulelani Madikizela, Hyun Tae Kim, Julia Lezhneva, Courtney Mills and the soprano Sally He Li.

The Cardiff International Academy of Voice masterclass finished soon after and the singers returned to their respective countries but one remained, captured by Barga and above all by the charms of a certain Riccardo Negri, the proprieter of the L’Osteria in Piazza Angelio – yes, the soprano Sally He Li.

Things then moved very quickly with Sally being voted “woman of the piazza”  (article here) and shortly after she was proudly showing to one and all an enormous ring announcing her engagement to be married to Riccardo.  As we then published  – wedding bells were expected in January 2010.

In fact, there were a number of bureaucratic problems to be ironed out but on Saturday all came to fruition as Sally and Riccardo were married in the Palazzo Pancrazi in front of a huge crowd of friends , family and well wishers.

Click on the link to hear the ceremony : wedding_barga_sally_riccardo_13march2020

Many more were outside the Palazzo unable to join in the ceremony due to the limited space but they were also outside the prepare a surprise for the newly weds once the ceremony was over.

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Musicians from Barga and Lucca joined forces to provide a musical backdrop for a special event organised by friends of the couple: a game of Backgammon – the game That Sally and Riccardo have been playing non stop most of the year. This time there was a slightly different look to the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6lMU-x4ahQ

The history of Backgammon goes back approximately 5,000 years.

Board games have existed for millenia in Ancient Egypt and Southwest Asia. The ancient Egyptian game senet ,was excavated, along with illustrations, from ancient Egyptian royal tombs. The Royal Game of Ur, played in ancient Mesopotamia, may also be an ancestor of modern day table games. Excavations at Shahr-e Sokhteh in Iran have shown that a similar game existed there around 3000 BC. The artifacts include two dice and 60 checkers, and the set is believed to be 100 to 200 years older than the sets found in Ur. The ancient Romans played a number of games remarkably similar to backgammon. Ludus duodecim scriptorum (“Game of twelve lines”) used a board with three rows of 12 points each, and the checkers were moved across all three rows according to the roll of dice. Little specific text about the gameplay has survived. Tabula, meaning “table” or “board”, was a game mentioned in an epigram of Byzantine Emperor Zeno (AD 476–481). It was similar to modern backgammon in that the object of the game was to be the first to bear off all of one’s checkers. Players threw three dice and moved their checkers in opposing directions on a board of 24 points.

Instead of using checkers to mark out the progress of the board, guests from the wedding stood in line and were moved around the board according to the throw of the supersized dice.

The party then moved onto Piazza Angelio which had been decorated with Chinese lanterns and red fabrics and with tables and chairs filling most of the piazza as the serious business of the day got underway – eating.

Due to the large numbers of guests the staff of the L’Osteria were stretched to the limit of their capacities … instead of a normal day with 30 -40 people seated, today they had more like 300-400 hungry souls clamouring for attention but all were served in the end and what could have been better than to relax in the piazza with the first of the spring sunshine and live musicians to keep you company ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e78BHFdiaKs

Later on that afternoon was the cake cutting (again in the piazza) and then the tables were cleared as everybody moved down into the Hot Club for the concert from the Manolo Strimpelli Night Orchestra. The Orchestra seems to be gradually making Piazza Angelio their home as well . Their last concert during the summer can be seen  here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_vsFWET8M

Riccardo instead decided to remain open as much as was humanly possible. Now the season has come to and end and he and his staff are off for a well deserved holiday.

This evening they emptied their fridges and stores and so their regular customers ate and drank for free – the party was still going on strong as this article was being written. Will they party till dawn ? hmmmmm.

The L’osteria will be open once again on the 4th December.

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Click on the link below to hear a short interview with Riccardo recorded earlier this evening in which he also tells us (in Italiano) one of the other reasons why he is shut the L’osteria for most of November – he has to go to the England to sort out some paperwork, visas and other documents for his forthcoming wedding.  More on that story later.

riccardo_negri_losteria_4nov2009

Luca Galeotti from Il Giornale di Barga shines a light on the subject

A short exhibition (lasting only three days) of some very dark umbrellas at the L’osteria in Piazza Angelio opened this evening. The artist Keane who painted a series of bright cheerful and sunny umbrellas for the Lake Angels Soul Festival this summer has gone in a completely different direction and produced instead for Halloween what could only be described as very, very dark images.

He is also testing his luck with the superstition that umbrellas should never be opened inside the house, bad luck will follow – in this case not once but 17 times.

Keane was determined to change the experience for people using the L’osteria over the next couple of days and constructed a kind of false ceiling made up of umbrellas just centimeters above their heads.

The lights the also lowered and a large amount of sawdust was spread across the floors the deaden the sound.

Visitors to the exhibition are offered a torch which then can use to cast some light on the images on show.

The images painted on the umbrellas are all loosely based around the Los Caprichos aquatint prints created by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya in 1797 and 1798.

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Los Caprichos are a set of 80 aquatint prints created by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya in 1797 and 1798, and published as an album in 1799. The prints were an artistic experiment: a medium for Goya’s condemnation of the universal follies and foolishness in the Spanish society in which he lived. The criticisms are far-ranging and acidic; he speaks against the predominance of superstition, the ignorance and inabilities of the various members of the ruling class, pedagogical short-comings, marital mistakes, and the decline of rationality.

Some of the prints have anticlerical themes. Goya described the series as depicting “the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual”.

The work was an enlightened, tour-de-force critique of 18th-century Spain, and humanity in general. The informal style, as well as the depiction of contemporary society found in Caprichos, makes them – and Goya himself – a precursor to the modernist movement almost a century later. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters in particular has attained an iconic status.

All of the umbrellas used in this exhibition were collected in Barga Vecchia after people had thrown them away when damaged. Once upon a time they would have been dumped but the combination of the recent death of the last umbrella repairer in Barga Vecchia, Carlo Sacco and the onslaught of the throwaway culture means that they are binned and rebought rather than repaired.

The exhibition will remain on view to the public for the next three days.

Once again it was the L’osteria in Piazza Angelio that had them on their menu by this evening. It would seem that Riccardo from the L’Osteria is fast turning Piazza Angelio, in Barga Vecchia into the mecca of mushroom eaters.

Amanita caesarea was first described by Italian mycologist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772 as Agaricus caesareus, before later being placed in Amanita by Persoon. The common name comes from its being a favourite of the Roman emperors. In Italian, it is ovolo (pl. ovoli), due to its resemblance to an egg when very young.  In this area they are known as “Coccore”

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It is remarkable that this highly prized, edible species  should belong to the same group as the most toxic mushrooms such as the Death cap, the Destroying angel and can sometimes be confused with the poisonous fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), which has a red cap dotted with white warts, though these have been known to have been washed off after heavy rain.

The cap of Amanita caesarea is 50 – 140 (-190) mm wide, bright orange-red to a duller orange, often becoming more or less paler at maturity, hemispherical then plano-convex, smooth, shiny, somewhat viscid, with a rather short-striate margin (10 – 30% of the radius).  The volva is present as large thick white patches. The flesh is white, yellow just below the cap skin, and 20 mm thick above the stem.

The gills are free, 7 – 16 mm broad, yellow, sometimes forked at the margin, with a subflocculose margin.  The short gills are attenuate to truncate, plentiful.

The stem is 60 – 130 × 15 – 25 mm, cylindric or enlarging downward, yellow, smooth below the ring, and slightly striated above.  The ring is ample, thick, membranous, yellow, slightly striated on the upper side, felted on the lower side.  The volva is up to 60 mm tall, saccate, ample, up to 4 or 5 mm thick, connected to the stem only at the base, remote from the stem, membranous, rather tough, white on the outer surface, white or tinted orange on the inner surface except at the point of contact with the stem where it is yellow.  The internal limb is placed rather high on the inner surface of the volva.  The flesh is firm, stuffed in the middle with cottony material, and yellow.  – source