3 of VMP’s musicians were honored to collaborate on music for this wonderful mini-documentary by Milton Kam, featuring the poetry of Anna Toscano. Federico Toffano wrote and performed original music Liesl Odenweller, soprano, and Ivano Zanenghi, lute, perform Tarquinio Merula’s “Foll’e’ ben che si crede” at 5 minutes.
The film observes the lagoon city and its residents during the relative scarcity of tourists in its streets. From the lustre of its famous spots to the anonymity of its quiet alleys, Venice feels as if ‘the future did not come,’ to borrow a line from the poem, which the film is based on.
Nella mia città is written by Anna Toscano and was taken from her book Doso la polvere, Milan, La Vita Felice, 2012
With music by Federico Toffano (cello), Liesl Odenweller (soprano), and Ivano Zanenghi (lute).
IN MY CITY
The future does not exist
the future does not come
in my city:
however long my step is
however much you have the favor of the wind
the number 2 does not go more than 22 km per hour.
How to get beyond the past
how not to look back
(at this speed)
with your neck always at three quarters:
time stops in piazzale Roma
so we live entangled
in the stories of peoples.
We stand, happy,
in a rearview mirror.
NELLA MIA CITTÀ
Il futuro non esiste
il futuro non arriva
nella mia città:
per quanto il mio passo sia lungo
per quanto si abbia il favore del vento
il 2 non va a più di 22 km orari.
Come oltrepassare il passato
come non guardarsi indietro
(a questa velocità)
con il collo sempre a tre quarti:
il tempo si ferma a piazzale Roma
così si vive invischiati
nelle storie dei popoli.
Noi si sta, felici,
in uno specchietto retrovisore.
in “36 hours in Venice”