From 7 July the programme of I suoni delle Dolomiti 2017 gets under way — the festival in Trentino that offers outstanding music on the summits of the most beautiful mountains. For those who love walking and being filled with wonder.
After the great success of the 2015 and 2016 editions, on 7 July I suoni delle Dolomiti returns — the festival that for 23 years has been offering trekking, music and emotions at altitude. 24 concerts through to 31 August in the most enchanting settings of Trentino, reached on foot by both audience and musicians who then, having unpacked their instruments from their rucksacks, perform across every genre imaginable. By now a summer fixture for those who love to savour beauty in its many forms.
Among the wide and varied programme on offer again this year, the events that simply cannot be missed are the dawns — a "ritual" that has been repeated since the very first editions of the festival and is, in our view, the most sublime experience of all. Here is how it works: everyone makes their way to a summit together (by trekking and/or by cable car) in the dead of night, and once they arrive, they watch the dawn unfold a step away from the sky alongside the musicians, who begin to play as the sun rises. A unique experience, for the emotion, the effort and the sense of achievement it brings.
There are two scheduled in 2017:
– Saturday 15 July at Col Margherita in Val di Fassa, L'Orchestra di piazza Vittorio will perform — a musical and social project with 15 years of history behind it, which has established itself as a virtuous example of dialogue between ethnicities and cultures in the name of that universal language that is music. The Orchestra will present a work dedicated to the theme of faiths and the encounter between religions. Here you will find all the information, including in the event of bad weather.
– Sunday 23 July at Pra Castron di Flavona in Val Rendena, Mario Brunello (one of the organisers of I suoni delle Dolomiti) and the Kremerata Baltica will present a programme alternating celebrated works by Mozart and Tchaikovsky (Divertimento and Serenade for strings) with Bach's Chorale, the Adagio from the Concerto for two violins and Messiaen's Louange à l'immortalité de Jesus.
For both excursions, the departure is around 04:00 so as to arrive comfortably at the summit by around 06:00. The events are free of charge, and at the end of the concert it is possible to book a guided excursion with the expert local guides, at a cost.
Amid clearings, natural hollows or the most extraordinary natural formations near mountain huts, alpine farms, summits or forests, for two months musicians from the most diverse corners of the world will take turns bringing to the top not only their art but also their different cultures. This, too, is the magic of music: its ability to bring together and unite people from distant lands.
From the I suoni delle Dolomiti 2017 line-up, we highlight:
– on 7 July, the festival's inauguration is entrusted to a stunning ensemble: the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philarmoniker, the embodiment of one of the world's most celebrated musical institutions and true ambassadors of music, will perform against the backdrop of the Gruppo Costabella – Cima Uomo in Val di Fassa.
– on 28 July, Bella Ciao at Buffaure in Val di Fassa will take the audience on a genuine journey through time across the last fifty years of Italian song — not just music, but also a telling of the joys, myths, aspirations and dramas of our country. A touch of wholesome patriotism in musical notes among the Italian mountains.
– on 10 August, an altogether different genre arrives in the Dolomites: Sarah Jane Morris — one of the most celebrated voices from across the Channel — together with guitarist Antonio Forcione, will tackle old and new hits at Malga Canvere in Val di Fiemme on 10 August. A mix of jazz, rock, rhythm & blues.