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Culture When Bologna was named a European City of Culture in 2000, it brought much attention from those who previously had known little about the city, although Bologna’s cultural life has been thriving for centuries. Bologna has strong musical links, earning the epithet ‘Italians, salute! Musical Bologna is passing!’ Mozart and Rossini both studied in the city and the former was just 14 when he became a member of the city’s Accademia Filarmonica, one of Europe’s leading musical academies, founded in 1666. Rossini, who hailed from nearby Pesaro, made his operatic debut here in 1814, with Tancredi and The Italian Girl in Algiers. Both works received a cool reception, in marked contrast to the Italian premiere of Wagner’s Lohengrin, which delighted the Bolognese audience and ran for a record 18 performances. The rapturous plaudits stunned even the egocentric Wagner, who declared such success was only possible in a city whose motto was Libertas (Freedom). Wagner was later made an honorary citizen of Bologna, adding further lustre to the city’s musical reputation. Today, the musical tradition continues to flourish. Regular concert cycles are performed, ad hoc, in the Sale Mozart at the Accademia Filarmonica and in various churches around the city. Posters are pinned up outside the venue and tickets can be bought at the door. Bologna holds her own on the popular music front as well – national and international rock stars frequently perform in the football stadium outside the city. Tickets can be bought at record shops around the city. Monthly cultural listings are available from Bologna Online (website: www.televisual.it/bolognaonline). Music: The Teatro Comunale, Largo Respighi 1 (tel: (051) 529 999; website: www.comunalebologna.it), is the primary venue for opera and classical music in Bologna. Since 1763, the theatre has welcomed some of the world’s greatest composers, including Rossini, Verdi and Wagner. The opera season, reckoned to be second only to Milan’s La Scala, begins at the end of November and continues through to the end of June. Tickets start at €13 for a place in the gods but are often difficult to come by. The Teatro Comunale organises prestigious concerts, both in the theatre and in local churches from September to June. Music is also featured at the Accademia Filarmonia, Via Guerrazzi 13 (tel: (051) 222 997) and the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, Via dei Borsaglieri 1 (tel: (051) 261 710). Theatre: Bologna has 14 theatres in total, offering a wide selection of drama, from Shakespeare to experimental theatre. All performances are conducted in Italian and often include dialect, so a good understanding of the language or a selfless interpreter is vital. Tickets are available at the respective box offices. The Teatro Duse, Via Cartoleria 42 (tel: (051) 213 836; website: www.alinet.it/duse), is the most traditional of the playhouses and, from November to May, attracts Bologna’s middle class with its popular repertoire of classical drama. The recently renovated Arena del Sole, Via Indipendenza 44 (tel: (051) 291 0910; website: www.arenadelsole.it), offers a more diverse programme, ranging from the conservative to the avant-garde. Teatro Dehon, Via Libia 59 (tel: (051) 342 934 or 344 772; website: www.teatrodehon.it), is the top spot for comedy. The Teatro Testoni, Via Matteotti 16 (tel: (051) 377 968; website: www.testoniragazzi.it), specialises in shows for children every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Dance: The ballet season is organised by the Teatro Comunale, Largo Respighi 1 (tel: (051) 529 999; website: www.comunalebologna.it), while Teatri di Vita, Via di Pratello 90/92 (tel: (051) 523 113; website: www.teatridivita.it), holds performances of contemporary dance and often hosts visiting dance companies from overseas. Film: Bologna is a city of students and, inevitably, cinema is the paramount art form. Films usually reach Italy before the UK, so visitors can enjoy a sneak preview of the latest Hollywood blockbuster or take in an arthouse picture in its original language. The Nosadella, Via Nosadella (tel: (051) 331 506; website: www.nosadella.it), shows films in their original language and the Adriano, Via San Felice 52 (tel: (051) 555 127), shows films in English on Mondays, while Tiffany, Piazza Porta Saragozza 5 (tel: (051) 585 253), has a Wednesday showing. Films are shown outdoors at the Arena Puccini, Via Serlio 25, in summer. Cultural events: Bologna hosts many international festivals and concerts. Among them are I Grandi Interpreti, a cycle of concerts from April to June, featuring the best soloists, orchestras and musical groups in the world, as well as Suoni dal Mundo, a series of concerts taking place in November and December, dedicated to world music, and Sintonia d’Assoli, a festival of jazz and contemporary music, during the summer months. The Cineteca Comunale, Bologna’s Municipal Cinema Library (website: www.conetecadibologna.it), organises two international exhibitions dedicated to the visual arts. The first is Cinema Ritrovato, at the end of April, which looks back at the history of cinema with a series of screenings and lectures. The second is the biannual Cinema dei Paesi Arabi, celebrating Arabic film making, with the next event in January 2004. Bologna Sogna is a summer-long festival comprising art exhibitions, experimental theatre, cabaret, rock, poetry and puppets, often performed outdoors. Literary Notes ‘I know of no other city with such a distinctive character,’ said the German writer, Herman Hesse, on his visit to Bologna in 1901. Many writers passed through Bologna on their Grand Tour of Italy in the 18th century. Goethe was enchanted by ‘the wide porticoes that meander through most of the town, providing shelter from the sun and rain,’ although he wrote that ‘the leaning tower is a disgusting sight.’ Stendhal meanwhile eulogised Bologna as ‘a city of spirit.’ Today, the city is home to the postmodern and visionary author, Umberto Eco, most famous for Il Nome Della Rosa or The Name of the Rose (1980), which was turned into a Hollywood movie starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater, and Pendolo di Foucault or Foucault’s Pendulum (1988). Victor Crowther’s The Oratorio in Bologna 1650-1730 (1999) is a thorough and colourful investigation of this 17th- and 18th-century musical phenomenon in Bologna. |
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