Music for Ferragosto
From Neapolitan opera to industrial post-rock
It’s almost ferragosto, the ancient Roman holiday, so as tradition dictates I’m going to be taking a couple of weeks off work - this newsletter included. Ferragosto is a peculiar time; punctuated by late night revelry and long, oppressive afternoons. Jhumpa Lahiri describes the vibe aptly in her novel Whereabouts: “At first I enjoy the peace and quiet. I greet the neighbours who are still around, who walk out in their flip-flops as if they were in some sleepy seaside town […] then at a certain point everything grows static, choked by silence and inertia, and the very lack of activity feels, paradoxically, depleting.” In an effort to keep these conflicting and existentially confounding emotions at bay I’m heading to Trieste and Udine with a bag full of books for a brief digital detox. I’ll be back towards the end of the month with an update on the fallout from the forest fires, the local elections, the pandemic and a preview of the Venice Film Festival. In the meantime, though, before I head off, I thought I’d share a few music-related nuggets I’ve been enjoying lately. Wherever you’re reading this, I hope at least one of the following tracks, albums or artists will creep its way into your rotation. So buon ascolto, buone vacanze and more from me in September.
As many of you will know Tuesday night was the Notte di San Lorenzo, i.e. the beginning of the Perseid meteor shower. To mark the occasion I plonked myself on my terrace with some headphones for a couple of hours to listen to the latest episode of Francesco Fusaro’s Tafelmusik. This edition is dedicated entirely to Enrico Caruso, the opera singer, who Francesco provocatively labels “the world’s first pop star.” Caruso was indeed the first singer to sell a million records - in the 1910s, no less - and he played a hugely important role in breaking opera out of its elite bubble and into the public sphere. Francesco begins his mix with original fin de siècle recordings, with all the crackles of bygone technology that implies, before working his way up to the remastered material. It’s an extraordinary journey and well-worth your time. The shooting stars themselves are visible across most of the northern hemisphere for another week. If you’ve got clear weather, then, I can seriously recommend the full 120 minutes as a soundtrack to sky-watching. Listen here, on NTS radio.
The author and journalist Tobias Jones published an interesting piece this week about the world’s favorite protest song, ‘Bella Ciao’. For Italians this tune is inextricably linked to WWII, and the partisans’ struggle to overthrow Mussolini. Jones begins by offering an interesting - alternative - account of the song’s origins, suggesting that an earlier version may have been chanted by women working the rice-fields in the late 19th Century, as part of the so-called ‘Lombardy Blues’ repertoire. Today, though, in the rest of the world, these historical inscriptions are fading into the background. The result, Jones argues, is that we may have reached “Peak Bella Ciao”. The author was particularly irked when the song featured on the big budget Netflix series Money Heist. In his own words: “it felt as if an insurgents’ battle-song had been exploited to give gravitas to a cops-and-robbers show. It has become – like Bob Marley songs – something you dread because it’s so achingly familiar.” Whatever you think about Money Heist itself, or the globalisation of Bella Ciao, Jones’s analysis is well-worth reading, particularly for his convincing explanation as to why this particular song, as opposed to the myriad other communist folk ballads, entered so profoundly into the collective imagination. I’m only sorry he didn’t link to my personal favourite version, by the Bosnian composer Goran Bregovic. It’s a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.
I’ve been a huge Nine Inch Nails fan since the With Teeth era (2005). Somehow, though, I’ve only just found out that an Italian multi-instrumentalist from Bologna called Alessandro Cortini, has played a not insignificant role in sculpting the band’s iconic, heavily-distorted soundscapes. I was even more surprised to discover that Cortini has just released a (new) solo album, which I was alerted to thanks to an Italian article and interview on ArtTribune. ‘Scuro Chiaro’ is a sparse but warm record, composed almost entirely on obscure retro synths; there are elements that recall Radiohead’s early 00s work here, though the overall feel is closer to artists like Ital Tek or others on Planet Mu Records. I have to say I’m a sucker for this moody, dark, post-rock, minimal-techno stuff. Even if that’s not your thing, though, the accompanying videos, produced by a small Italian CGI team, are beautiful, hypnotising works and I think they deserve your appreciation in their own right.
I know it’s summer… and the time is probably ripe for something lighter and more party friendly. Well, for such occasions, Nuova Napoli is 100% without doubt my Italian album of the year. This is the first full-length release by Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina, two DJ’s from Naples who record under the name Nu Genea. The album is a journey through disco, funk, boogie, electronic, dub and folk. At the centre of it all, though, is Naples itself - in all its chaos, and beauty. Massimo and Lucio have clearly put a lot of thought into picking their samples, and in doing so they’ve built some fascinating bridges between the past, present and future of musica partenopea. They’ve also secured some impressive collaborations. Célia Kamen, for example, who sings in a mix of French and Neapolitan dialect on a couple of tracks, is exemplary. This is an aperitivo album, something to put on when friends are over. But it also works just as well as solitary chill-out listen. It is, in other words, everything you’d ever want from an August record. You can stream the full album on YouTube though I’d also recommend the video for Marechià, the latest single, which serves as a clear-cut and pretty amusing manifesto of the vision that underpins this music.
Recipe of the week: braciole messinesi
Before I head to Friuli I’ll be firing up the BBQ for a small group of carnivorous friends. These Sicilian skewers are my go-to for such occasions, and they’re bound to make an appearance. Braciole messinesi are basically VERY thin cuts of beef of veal stuffed with parsley, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg and provolone piccante. They only need a minute on each side on a high high heat, and you can easily do them on the hob if you prefer. Served with a salad they’re lighter than you’d expect, and I must say they go down particularly well with a hefty southern wine like a Cannonau or Nero d’Avola. Here’s the Italian recipe, and a rough translation in English, though you might want to check out the below video for a little guidance on how exactly to wrap them up. Enjoy!
That’s it for this week - as ever I do hope you enjoyed this instalment. If you haven’t already, please do follow the ‘Week in Italy’ Facebook page, or my twitter, for a few extra links and easy-access to the substack archive. If this email was forwarded to you, or you’re accessing on the web and would like to receive further updates, you can subscribe using this link below. Thanks!
About Me
My name is Jamie Mackay (@JacMackay) and I’m an author, editor and translator based in Florence. I’ve been writing about Italy for a decade for international media including The Guardian, The Economist, Frieze, and Art Review. I launched ‘The Week in Italy’ to share a more direct and regular overview of the debates and dilemmas, innovations and crises that sometimes pass under the radar of our overcrowded news feeds.
If you enjoyed this newsletter I hope down the line you’ll consider becoming a supporter for EUR 5.00 per month (the price of a weekly catch-up over an espresso). I’ll be launching a paid subscription option later this year, to help fund some more in-depth writing and some original graphics too. More on that, though, once the pandemic subsides. In the meantime, please do consider forwarding this to a friend or two. It’s a big help.