Cartolina 18 & 23 March

Wednesday 18 March at 7.30 pm, repeated on Monday 23rd at 10.30 am: La Malafemmena, or the bad woman (usually called so for just not reciprocating the singer’s love...). Our true Neapolitan-in-residence, Tilde Romano, explains the peculiar attitude of Neapolitan men that inspires the Malafemmena phenomenon. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of songs to play!

Farewell Frank

This week we received the sad news that Frank Harvey has passed away. Frank was a member of our committee from 2002 to 2007, and also vice-chairman of the Italy Star Association. Frank was a soldier in Italy during the war and was at Cassino and Trieste.  In later years he often visited his many friends in Italy. Wilma read an eulogy at Frank's funeral on behalf of the Dante Society.  Wilma's eulogy is printed here:

Una vasca da bagno piena fino all’orlo di polenta ...

A bath tub filled to the rim with maize flour, to be sold on the black market by the family where Frank had his officer’s lodgings. He had become friends with them, and the villagers around, and a few signorina, the young girls.
This is the image that most remained with me after I interviewed Frank for the Italian radio programme, Cartolina. (I’m Wilma Laryn and I’m speaking on behalf of the radio program and of the Italian Dante Alighieri Society of Christchurch).
Not the gory recollection of the mud mixed with blood at Cassino, or the entry of the first armoured tank in Trieste. The polenta-filled bath tub was more like Frank’s witty humour.
After the interview, all of a sudden he added: “you know, I could have stayed and married a signorina!”.
I answered, cynically, that in that case he would have loved Italy much less, because he would have had to put up with the Italian traffic and the Italian bureaucracy, more fearsome enemies than the ones with uniform and rifle that he had encountered at war.
Still, the question lingered: what if…..

It seems science is seriously considering a concept that writers of science fiction have been playing with for a long time: parallel universes. It seems possible in the field of great numbers, that somewhere an Earth-like planet, with Earth-like people may have evolved, where each of us may have led a similar, but slightly different life. In one such parallel universe Frank may have settled in a Tuscan village, and his children would have called him babbo, and his great-children would have called him nonno. He would have come to New Zealand at least once a year to visit relatives and friends, and he could have seen a beautiful girl, called Margaret, and wondered: what if….

As all the Italians who now call New Zealand home know very well, having your heart in two places is difficult, sometimes painful. Still, that gives you the ability to look at things and at people from various angles, to understand them better, to interact with them better. It requires strength and humility, brain and heart. Frank had all of the above, aplenty.
Frank was one of the many New Zealanders who went to Italy to fight, and came back with great enthusiasm for Italy and the Italians. It’s from experiences like his that New Zealanders have started to know Italy and love it.

To say that Frank was an active member of the Dante Society Committee is an understatement. For many, many years he has given advice and worked hard on every project we had: from designing the shelves-on-wheels for our library, to envisaging the friendly raffle to raise money at our monthly meetings (using his well-worn Cassino hat to keep the tickets to draw).
For his 90th birthday we gave him a mega-lecca lecca (a huge lollypop): it was an affectionate recognition of his youthful vitality. We knew his age, but somehow that didn’t mean much to us. We were all expecting a new birthday bash, ten years on. We are very sad, but somehow we can’t be really sad. Our real feelings are of love and gratitude; our real memories are of his energy and humour.
Personally, I like to think of Frank living at the same time in those parallel universes, able to be here and there as he pleases. It may seem impossible, but… what if….

.

Culture Galore 14 March

On Saturday 14 March we will again join the other ethnic communities for Culture Galore . Please come and taste some bruschetta and coffee at our stand. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Date: Saturday 14 March
Time: 12pm – 4pm
Location: Ray Blank Park, Maidstone Road
If wet: Event will be cancelled.

Cartolina 4 & 9 March

Wednesday 4th March at 7.30 pm, repeated on Monday 9th at 10.30 am: Lorenzo Buhne: the past and future of Neapolitan song Wellington-based Italian singer-song writer Lorenzo Buhne talks about the past and future of Neapolitan song. We play: Il ritornello delle lavandaie del Vomero, with the unmistakeable sound of Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, and Lorenzo's version of Dicitencello Vuje. 

Lorenzo Buhne's new album

Lorenzo Buhne's new CD "Buon Giorno" is now available online at Marbecks.co.nz and cdbaby.com. Lorenzo's lastest CD updates the Neapolitan and Italian traditional music and blends it with Brazilian, Arabic, and Rock influences. 





Here are Lorenzo's commments about the songs:

Tu Si Na Cosa Grande
The title humorously and literally translated is “You are a large thing.”
Of course it’s his love for her that’s large. A beautiful song by Domenico Modugno and a huge hit from 1964.

Nebbia
My father does not play an instrument but this doesn’t stop him from writing songs.
When it was time for me to go to bed, or if I needed comfort, he would cradle me in his arms and sing “Nebbia” until I’d fall asleep. This song is within me and I’m happy to have finally recorded it.

Buon Giorno
When Nico was born I greeted him by saying Buon Giorno! This song has a traditional Neapolitan feel, and is recorded largely with toy instruments. Buon Giorno means “Good Morning!” and is about singing, playing and dancing and to make some noise, to celebrate life and death whenever possible. This song is dedicated to both Cav. Remiro Bresolin and my son Nico.

Mina
…is a girl who is hot and dangerous, a bandit and a lover. A femme fatale.

San Valentino
When I visit my father we hug and he says “here” and hands me his latest poem.
While I was reading it for the first time, I stopped, grabbed his guitar and began singing. This track was recorded the following day.

Egli & Il Fantasma
When I visit with my brother Paolo he also says “here” and hands me his latest poems. Egli and Il Fantasma are similar in their view that “the world is at the doorstep of doom,” though Egli is humorous, and Il Fantasma is bleak and cold.

Federico’s Caper
Federico is a bit of a prankster. Fun to be with, spiritually satisfying and always up to something. Dedicated to FDL.

Tu
Tu is the song I identify with most. The lyrics are of a traveler who searches the world over, finally finding the one to love.

Cartolina 18 & 23 February

Wednesday 18 February at 7.30 pm, repeated on Monday 23 at 10.30 am:

continuing the series on Neapolitan song, this programme's topic is love. Our Neapolitan-in-residence, Tilde Romano, tells her love story (in pure Neapolitan dialect!), to co-hosts Wilma Laryn and Denis Walker.

We play wonderful Neapolitan songs of love: La ricciolella Antonia (1750), Maria Mari` (1899), O surdato ‘nnammorato (1915), Tititi`, Tititi`, Tititi (1935), Anema e core (1950).