On the wall, in the house that is not in Via dei Matti n ° 0 like the imaginary one of the cult TV program, but certainly evokes it, there is the Native American amulet, the dreamcatcher, the dream catcher, which filters nightmares, and thus protects from demons and negativity. It is the message of harmony, spiritual and esoteric, that comes from the couple formed by Stefano Bollanicomposer, pianist and showman, and his partner Valentina Cenni, singer, actress now also director. Together they are back on TV on 5 September on Rai 3 for fifty episodes of their program.
The Summer Special, an evening of music and cinema, was titled Via dei Matti Picture Show and at the Venice Film Festival, Elle will meet them to digress on the strength of attraction between notes and seventh art. Nothing happens by chance, Stefano and Valentina experience cinema as a constant current, an underground river that sometimes, as it happens now, rises overwhelmingly on the surface: he, who among composers for cinema especially loves Nino Rota and Fiorenzo Carpi, has written the soundtrack de The pataffio just out in the room; she makes her directorial debut with the short film Being gold, the protagonist is a little girl who connects the world of the living and the lost loved ones and thus soothes the pain and keeps bad dreams away.
More and more cinema: will the new episodes of Via dei Matti n ° 0 also be steeped in it?
NOTES «We are both very passionate about films and, between meetings and jam sessions, we put all our loves on the table in the program. Cinema and music, books, philosophy have done us a lot of good; the best we can do is to transfer this joy to others, to share it. The imaginary house where we welcome so many guests is a space of freedom ».
For Bollani, it seems strange, that of Il pataffio, based on a novel by Luigi Malerba, is the first soundtrack for cinema.
BOLLANI «I had set to music for the TV film Carosello Carosone and, with great fun, two masterpieces by Buster Keaton published on DVD, but Il pataffio is the first to be released in theaters. I experimented a lot, transformed two poems that were in the novel into songs. I was intrigued to recreate an imaginary Middle Ages in sounds, I ranged from the harpsichord, which at the time of the film did not exist, to the lute, the flute, the ancient percussions, with the seriousness of the piano I tried to accompany the intimate journey of the characters comic to tragic. I wrote the musical themes before, not on the edited as is usually done, I wanted the protagonists to feel that emotion right from the set, the special moment in which you see the seed you planted sprouting and taking up space in the world. The really lucky coincidence is that Valentina and I love Malerba very much, I had read all of his books over time, even the lesser known ones. We like his light, witty and clear irony, and yes, if he were still with us, we would like him as a friend ».
The musical commentary on Valentina’s short film is also hers.
BOLLANI “I passed some exams, you don’t think the first proposed theme was good” (laughs).
NOTES «I had a great desire to direct a film, a crew, a story of my own, and this really is it, it goes deep inside. The child protagonist, Nina, is a precious being and her wisdom, her whiteness, are gold. And like gold, even in a difficult condition, it resists corrosion and aspires to always remain bright and vital. Thanks to her inner sun, he caresses the pain of her mother, nourishing her with divine light and gold. Nina’s path in this story is an alchemical process that is guided by the strength of Stefano’s music towards harmony and acceptance of death. For me, the title Being gold is also a wish. To be resplendent in the face of drama, ruin, death. All time. And have faith in the fact that everything goes exactly as it should go. “
When the passion for cinema is born in you, do you remember the first film you saw?
BOLLANI «I think about it, nobody has ever asked us. Valentina?”.
NOTES «The neverending story and Labirinth with David Bowie. A bit of a fantasy start ».
BOLLANI “I, on the other hand, went to see in the parish Ciccio and Franco, Bud Spencer and Terence Hill and those French comedians, Les Charlots, in Italian 5 crazy at the supermarket, 5 crazy at big maneuvers”.
And now?
BOLLANI «Now time has passed and our passions, without denying anything, are different. We are crazy about Anders Thomas Jensen’s films like Adam’s Apples or Men and Chickens, with that group of crazy Danes led by the magnificent Mads Mikkelsen. We Fall in Love with Crazy Works as God Exists and Lives in Brussels by Jaco Van Dormael … ”
NOTES «… but also of Martin Eden by Pietro Marcello and Alice Rohrwacher’s films».
BOLLANI «And I have an absolute cult, a poetic and surreal musical film, Attila Marcel by cartoonist Sylvain Chomet, the same as Appointment in Belleville. I don’t mind that very few have seen it, I want to recommend it to everyone ».
You make television but you don’t have a television, a nice contradiction.
BOLLANI “We do not have it because it is a waste of time, it takes away life and hours that must be used otherwise”.
NOTES «We love silence, just a moment, a background buzz to pollute everything, reflection, creativity. We have a video projector and that’s enough. Yes, it is a great contradiction but television is a wonderful, popular medium, it reaches everyone and if used with awareness it is truly a great opportunity. We started a bit like this, lightheartedly, it went very well, a family was created and now we can’t wait to go into the studio to record ».
The great thing about your program is that you never know what’s going to happen.
BOLLANI «Sometimes we don’t even know it, I think that one of the secrets of success lies precisely in that taste of narrating something not knowing exactly which path it will take, keeping alive not only the spectator’s attention, but also ours. It applies to everything, even for a love story, you don’t know where it takes you but you rely on it. This container that we invented gives me the possibility to put together many things, all those that I used to do “scattered”, let’s put it this way. I have found that I want to be there everything, entirely, also in the future and in everything I do. For this I have to thank Valentina, for her the “presence” is very important, I have always been in the present but without realizing the importance of living it. Spirituality, meditation, awareness, are the new words arrived with her and now after 12 years together, finally, I use them too ». |
Elle in Venice
Piera Detassis will meet Stefano Bollani and Valentina Cenni on 6/9 at 7 pm at the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido: the cocktail party is one of the 5 events of Talk to Elle, which will accompany the exhibition. The first, on 2/9, is entitled The extraordinary history of the exhibition told by Gian Piero Brunetta with the participation of the President Roberto Ciccutto and Alberto Barbera. And then, Andrea Pallaoro, Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson (on 4/9); Rocio Munoz (on 5/9); Stefania Sandrelli (on 7/9). Elle will also follow events and protagonists with the Elle Daily newspaper (distributed on the Lido), with interviews and reports on Elle weekly, on Elle.it and on our social networks.
And now cinema. Stefano Bollani and Valentina Cenni make a stop in Venice