Florence at the centre of artist Hershey Felder's film on Tchaikovsky
Sunday 20 December sees the web debut of the video-show on the life of the Russian composer filmed in Florence
The city of Florence is the backdrop for the new video by Canadian artist Hershey Felder in which music, theatre and history intertwine to tell the story of the life of Russian composer Tchaikovsky. The debut is Sunday 20 December on the web.
The show was filmed over the past few weeks in Florence, in the places that were an important part of Tchaikovsky's stay in the city: Piazzale Michelangelo and Villa Bonciani. An emotional journey through a city emptied by the pandemic, filmed by an all-Italian crew. A choral tale, thanks to the involvement of the international community living in the city, who are involved in the role of extras.
TCHAIKOVSKY IN FLORENCE
Tchaikovsky arrived in Florence in February 1878, following a disastrous marriage that lasted only three months with a former student of the Moscow Conservatory: he hoped that the stay would help him overcome the difficult moment he was going through. He was housed at Villa Bonciani in Via di San Leonardo, 64, thanks to patroness Von Meck who lived at Villa Oppenheim, now Villa Cora.
On the facade of Villa Bonciani there is a plaque commemorating his stay. His biographers say that Tchaikovsky loved Florence very much. It was here that he was inspired to write Souvenir de Florence, String Sextet, Op. 70, and to oversee the composition of a new opera: Orleanskaja deva (The Maid of Orleans) and the "Lady of Spades".
WHO'S HERSHEY FELDER
Hershey Felder is a scriptwriter, director and designer of numerous shows performed all over the world. He was a teacher in the Department of Music at Harvard University and is married to Kim Campbell, the first woman Prime Minister in Canada. He now lives permanently in Florence, Italy, actively contributing to the cultural life of the city. His previous show, George Gershwin Solo, was filmed last September at the Teatro della Pergola. Felder has a large following in the United States, where his shows have been performed thousands of times. For a couple of years now, the artist has been moving to a castle in the hills of Florence, but with his live streaming shows he always manages to stay close to his audience.