‘Cosmic’ concert at Teatro Verdi in Pisa to celebrate 20 years of Virgo

At the Pisa Theater, the “Music from the Cosmos. The Sound Universe of Sir John Williams”: the finest soundtracks from science fiction and adventure films performed by a special orchestra of All Stars from Italian theaters, and a special tribute to Giacomo Puccini

The discovery of gravitational waves announced in 2016 and awarded a Nobel Prize in 2017 has been recounted many times as the first time we listened to the ‘sound’ of the Universe. This started a new era of Astronomy and triggered a scientific revolution in our way of observing the Universe comparable to that of Galileo with his telescope. 

To celebrate twenty years since the inauguration revolutionary Virgo experiment, the Fondazione Teatro di Pisa in collaboration with EGO-Virgo presents the unique event “Musiche dal Cosmo. L’Universo sonoro di Sir John Williams”. On Friday, Dec. 29 at the Teatro Verdi (9 p.m.), the All Stars Orchestra, composed of the first parts of some of the most important Italian theaters, after the incredible success in 2022 with the concert Per Ennio, comes together again exclusively for the city of Pisa conducted by Maestro Carmine Pinto and the musical advice of Maestro Lorenzo Corti. 

“Musiche dal Cosmo. L’Universo sonoro di Sir John Williams” will be an extraordinary musical journey exploring the connections between science and art, between the Universe and human creativity. The program will trace some of the most celebrated scores from the extraordinary repertoire of Sir John Williams, whose songs are considered one of the high points of orchestral film music of all time.

The All Stars Orchestra will perform excerpts from the soundtracks of milestones in the history of science fiction films and beyond, such as Star Wars, Superman, Jurassic Park or Schindler’s List. The concert program will also guide the audience to recognize Williams’ inspirations in the music of great composers. In fact, a special tribute will be reserved for Giacomo Puccini, in advance of 2024 and the centenary celebrations of his death, with the performance of one of his early works, the Symphonic Prelude in A and the very famous Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut whose final notes are recognized, as a quotation, in the very famous melody from Star Wars.

Tickets are on sale at the Pisa Theater box office, www.vivaticket.it and by calling 050.941188 telephone box office. Info: 050.941111.

STATEMENTS:

Massimo Carpinelli, director of EGO – European Gravitational Observatory:

Talking about Virgo and its scientific results means sharing their significance for science and reflecting on the broader echo that these new horizons of knowledge have on our vision of the world and humanity, exploring contaminations with the art and culture.

With this spirit, the European Gravitational Observatory celebrates the 20th anniversary of Virgo’s official inauguration by sharing with the city of Pisa, its Theater and the audience of enthusiasts a great concert linked to some of the most extraordinary and visionary cinematic tales between space exploration and science fiction. The hope is that these musics and stories will inspire especially younger people to cultivate the deep imagination and hunger for knowledge that drive those who do science not to be satisfied with what they already know, but to broaden their horizons, daring new visions. With the ambition that extraordinary stories like that of Adalberto Giazotto, one of the fathers of Virgo, and the many scientists who accompanied him may one day become their own story.

Patrizia Paoletti Tangheroni, president Fondazione Teatro di Pisa:

“Musiche dal Cosmo. L’Universo sonoro di Sir John Williams”marks the return to Pisa of a wonderful experience that thousands of people had with us in September 2022: listening to a star orchestra, what is rightly called the All Stars Orchestra, composed of the first parts of the most important Italian theaters.

The stars are now the center of gravity, we might say, of this new experience with which, together with EGO, we intend to celebrate twenty years of Virgo. What other orchestra, if not the All Stars called to perform Sir John Williams’ award-winning soundtracks, could better celebrate this extraordinary scientific experience that makes us proud in the world? We will be transported to the cosmos by the music of the most famous science fiction and adventure films and such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Superman.

The concert we will experience on the evening of December 29 is the first and official moment of a new collaboration that the Fondazione Teatro di Pisa has happily begun with the European Gravitational Observatory and which was born under a good star, the twenty years of Virgo, and which finds its meaning precisely in the stars.