In the previous post I addressed the complex topic of Humanism, and how we badly need to reclaim it to avoid sliding into a technocratic society. I listed Desiderius Erasmus as the most prominent humanist of the Renaissance and undisputed…

It’s been too long since my last blog entry. In that post I wrote about the increasing isolation and polarization shaping our reality, and made a reference to the lack of real, meaningful communication that preceded WWII. It is fair…

The past three months have been a whirlwind, due to the shock-and-awe policies set forth (but not always implemented) by the new administration. Whether real or theoretical, the effects of those policies have already started to trickle down our system…

I read an interesting opinion piece written by Peter Gelb, general manager of the MET (Metropolitan Opera) in New York. Today, he claims, due to multiple factors (Covid-related closures, dwindling ticket sales, rising costs etc.) opera as an art form…

My ever-so-imaginative Facebook feed today presented me with the following picture, made by the famous Italian illustrator Roberto Innocenti for a 1988 edition of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio. 

After Pinocchio refuses to take his medicine because it is too bitter…

When I began studying music, I did it all by myself; while my parents loved listening to classical music, they never expected me to take music lessons, let alone pursue a career in music. All they did was buying a…

I am often asked to share my opinion on contemporary piano music by “minimalist” or “new wave” Italian composer-performers like Ludovico Einaudi, Giovanni Allevi and (more recently) Luca D’Alberto. My short answer usually goes something like this: I…

The feeling of “sweet sadness / longing,” called “saudade” in Portuguese, is a well-established concept in immigration studies, where it is usually linked to the colonial empires built by Spain and Portugal in the 16th century. When I first read…

Ciao! 

In these posts I wish to share some insights on music-related matters and life in general. Honestly, I don’t know what this blog will become, how often I will post, or if anyone will ever read what I post…

On October 16 and 17, 2024, at John Carroll University, where I have been teaching Italian language classes for around 6 years, 155 people, most of them students, were treated to a free performance of art songs and operatic excerpts…