Trianon Viviani, with 'Totò Poetry Culture', the homage to the Prince of Laughter on the 125th anniversary of his birth

Trianon Viviani, with “Totò Poetry Culture”, the tribute to the Prince of Laughter on the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Gianni Valentino and Lello Tramma interpret the poetic production of the author of “Malafemmena” in electronic music

Tomorrow, Friday 24 February, at 21 pm, the Trianon Viviani presents “Totò Poetry Culture”, an original tribute to Antonio de Curtis and his poetic production on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his birth (the artist was born on 15 February 1898). On stage the duo of the same name, summarized in the acronym TPC, which includes the poet/performer Gianni Valentino and the musician/producer Lello Tramma.

The poems of the Prince of Laughter, aka Totò, are reworked in electronic music. The show also gradually features some narrative interludes in which the relationships between Totò and Federico Fellini, Lucio Dalla and Pier Paolo Pasolini emerge, as well as pages from the Prince's intimate diary. From this archive, spectators will be able to listen to the forms the electronic-literary experimentation has taken to understand the genesis, research and creative process of the idea, up to its evolution on stage, which at the Trianon Viviani will see the intertwining of visuals coordinated by Giovanni Ambrosio. The musical performance will live on synesthesia and multiple perceptive waves between the recited pieces, the sonic suites and the projections of an abstract-narrative structure.

The dynamics of these connections make a historical heritage pulsate thanks to the new digital apps to create music and images and manifests the desire not to forget one of the most magnetic artists that Neapolitan culture has expressed in the 900th century and beyond. Among the titles composed by Totò, brought to light on electronic soundscapes, here in a scattered sequence Voglio bene ê ffemmene, Si fosse n'auciello, Core ilfabeta / Ammore perduto, 'E pezzienti, 'A chiù sincera, La preghiera del clown, Che me manca, 'A 'nnammurata mia (the verses are collected in the book Antonio de Curtis Il Principe poeta, edited by Elena Anticoli de Curtis and Virginia Falconetti, published by Colonnese). Finally she: Malafemmena, the will of the actor-puppet who died in 1967.

“Poetry and electronic music find their symbiosis – says Gianni Valentino, creator and performer for Totò Poetry Culture –. The spoken word and the sound groove were created in unison. It wasn't about composing the music and, later, passively, interpreting the verses as if it were a song. Nor vice versa. We worked esoterically in the studio and in our respective homes, enraptured by this poetic abyss, exchanging tons of music and finding the most balanced solutions that such an adventure could require. In a moment of human, social, spiritual and creative darkness, triggered especially by the second covid lockdown, the arrival of this idea was a miraculous light to get me up again”.

For his part, Lello Tramma claims: “After twenty years of productions, albums, concerts, collaborations with Italian and international artists, I am happy to have finally participated in a project in which I do not play the role of leader. It makes me feel more relaxed and more responsible because I have grown musically and I am more aware. It is pleasant to remain slightly behind the scenes. Always playing”.