Associazione da Bach a Bartok Presents Emilia Romagna Festival Itinerari musicali 2001 July - August 2001 With the birth of a new millennium comes the rebirth of a festival. An Italian event that isn’t limited to one location but is multi-centred, regional by nature and now by name: Festival “da Bach a Bartok” is henceforth known as the “Emilia Romagna Festival”. This year the festival will again play host to over forty concerts during the summer, in one of the most attractive and tourist friendly areas in Europe. The richest concentration of prestigious, historical theatres in Italy today is found between Bologna and the Adriatic coast, in towns situated along the ancient Roman road ‘Via Emilia’ built to connect Milan and Rimini. The focal point of this year’s festival is Forlì. It constitutes an important event for this city, capital of the Romagna region, which regained its own theatre in 2000 after the long and painful absence of a suitable venue for musical activities. Thus the Emilia Romagna Festival is able to ‘examine’ the very territory it inhabits and offer cultural interpretations: a modern, active form of dialogue with music. The festival gives a wide-open space to the production of the concerts without limiting itself to act as a simple intermediary among the choices on offer. The festival therefore confirms its own established commitments: the presence of upcoming young musicians alongside some of the most important names from the world of contemporary music, and an extremely varied programme which is increasingly concerned with both a pre-classical repertoire and the latest innovations. The net of the Emilia Romagna Festival 2001 covers Forlì, Bagnara di Romagna, Bologna, Borgo Tossignano, Casola Valsenio, Castel Guelfo, Castel San Pietro, Dozza, Faenza, Imola, Lugo, Solarolo, Tredozio and Rimini. These cities and their citizens will offer music and provide plenty of occasions to get to know or rediscover their places of historic and artistic interest. Among the themes of this year’s festival are: the centenary of Giuseppe Verdi’s death, the bicentenary of both Bellini’s birth and Domenica Cimarosa’s death (concerts are also being held in places important to her life and work: Aversa, Venice, Vienna and St. Petersburg) and the outstanding “Exiled music”, beginning a series of events dedicated to composers persecuted by political regimes, a repertoire of extraordinary artistic as well as symbolic and social value. The festival is able to take place thanks to the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Emilia Romagna Region, Bologna Province and local council authorities, and those of a group of private sponsors. Themes of the Emilia Romagna Festival 2001 - The centenary of Verdi’s death - “Exiled music” a series of events dedicated to composers persecutes by political regimes - The bicentenary of Vincenzo Bellini’s birth - “The life and times of Cimarosa” concerts in places important to her life and work: Aversa, Venice, Vienna and St. Petersburg - A première, Festival committees