Pianist Gueresi applauded at the Ducal Chapel for the event dedicated to the Poles

When man comes into contact with hostile and spectacular natural landscapes, majestic yet as fragile as those of the Poles, he can do nothing but start listening. It is difficult to translate these seemingly sacred image into words: they are “Cattedrali di Ghiaccio” ("Cathedrals of Ice"), the title of the event that entertained a large audience in the Ducal Chapel of the Farnese, in collaboration with Geofest and sponsored by the Municipality. The initiative is part of the activities of Piacenza’s Committee for the International Polar Year: “Piacenza Difende i Poli” (this is the name of the project) for the occasion has created an effective attempt to give sound to that polar silence through the notes of the Mantuan pianist Stefano Gueresi, who accompanied the projection of photos of the Poles: crystalline sounds, flowing tinkles rule the leaden skies; affectionate sounds describe the animals' resistance to a relentless cold. Sometimes in the images men appear, small, listening, willing to study to preserve this resource for humanity.
Not everyone knows that Italy has been present in Antarctica for 20 years to do research: the ice of the Arctic pole in fact decreases by 9% every 10 years. Present at the event, in addition to Amanda Castello, organiser and presenter; the councilor for culture Paolo Dosi, who recalled how the end of the collateral exhibition at the event organized in the Museum of Natural History on Italian research at the Poles was postponed for the growing attention on the theme; Getty Bisagni, author of the painting Esodo (“Exodus”), the leitmotif of the year which will soon be auctioned and the proceeds will go to the peoples of Greenland. I racconti del lago ("Tales of the Lake"), “La città del principe” ( "The Prince’s Town"), “Ali della notte” ("Wings of the Night"), “Le stelle di Cluj” (“Stars of Cluj"), Fiori nella nebbia ("Flowers in the Mist") , Nato libero ("Born Free"), Cattedrali di ghiaccio ("Cathedrals of Ice") and, as requested and applauded encore, La neve e l’amore distante (“The Snow and the Distant Love"): Gueresi’s notes slide on the skin as the master's fingers fly over the keys. The penguins are Hamlets on the scene that reflect on the broken waves. The sounds slip between suspensions and volume shots, the ice accompanies them in the warmth of mother earth who listens to the complaints of her children.

"Hopefully there will be less missiles and more ice," said Gueresi. Each piece ends with a distinct and clear note, a strong and masterful punctuation mark at the end of a speech that spoke of collective responsibility and individual emotion.

Elisa Malacalza (La Tribuna di Piacenza) - 8/12/2008