Marco Martinelli - Ermanna Montanari - Luigi Ceccarelli - Teatro delle Albe

Two sisters once lived in a farm village in the Romagna not far from Ravenna: 'The princess' and Alcina, 'the witch'. A handsome young stranger changes their life. The 'princess' falls passionately in love with him. Several months later, the young man vanishes from the village, equally sudden and unexpected. The princess looses her mind. Alcina decides to care for her. Together they get old. In the mind of the village, Alcina also had a - more carnal - relationship with the stranger. Now she must fear that her mad sister finds out. So much for the plot. This was the point of departure for the contemporary Romagnese Poet Nevio Spadoni. He set out to write a mourning song for Alcina: in the idiom of the dialect, including the wails, the incoherent sounds of the torment of love lost. There is no action, no drama, just an immaterial and roaming voice in a labyrinth of images and electronics, which the composer Luigi Ceccarelli manipulates during the live performance. An authority in the world of electronic music, Ceccarelli has created an intense piece of work, which he calls 'Concert for Horn and Voice of the Romagna'. The actress Ermanna Montanari received the prestigious Premio Ubu 2000 for her vocal acrobatics and interpretation of Alcina. Director Marco Martinelli and his ensemble Teatro dell Albe were nominated for the best performance.