Padre Cicogna
symphonic tale for four voices, narrator and orchestra
text Eduardo De Filippo music Nicola Piovani
Nicola Piovani conductor
Toni Servillo narrator
voices Sara Di Fusco, Pino Ingrosso, Tony Nežić, Susy Sebastiano
Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini
coproduction Ravenna Festival, Teatro Romano di Verona
At the heart of Eduardo’s theatre lies an insight into the human condition, exploring the causes of suffering and how to overcome it. There is also a deep sense of compassion for the most vulnerable, a stubborn contempt for injustice and a spirit of rebellion against the hypocrisy of society. Even in his shortest and seemingly “minor” works, such as Padre Cicogna (1969), he offers a glimpse of humanity: the story of a priest who gives up the cassock, marries the woman he loves and, stripped of his clothes and standing before the cross, makes a vow he cannot keep, resulting in his social isolation. Back in 2009, Piovani collaborated with Luca De Filippo to turn it into a score of strong dramatic and lyrical tension. Today, he revisits it with Toni Servillo, arguably the most intense voice in Italian theatre.
