Stefano Valanzuolo and Enrico Fagnoni will be the protagonists of the next event "Sorrento Classica," a prestigious festival artistically directed by maestro Paolo Scibilia. The event is scheduled for August 12th, when Valanzuolo and Fagnoni will present "Off Side Story," an opera featuring Fagnoni's reworking of Leonard Bernstein's famous music, based on a text by Valanzuolo.
Modern Reworking of a Classic
“Off Side Story” draws inspiration from the legendary "West Side Story," itself a modern reinterpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet," adapted in the 1950s by Leonard Bernstein, Steven Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents to the New York setting. The 1957 musical and 1961 film, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, left an indelible mark on the history of music and cinema, garnering enormous success with audiences and accolades, including ten Oscars for the film.
A New Key to Reading
Valanzuolo explains: "I've always deeply loved 'West Side Story' for its brilliance and subversion. 'Off Side Story' aspires to revisit this timeless tale in a way that's even closer to us, while maintaining respect for Bernstein's original work. It's a bold, modern, romantic, and scathing project, which seeks to evoke the atmosphere of football right from the title. As a chamber tale, 'Off Side Story' seeks to recreate images and sensations with simplicity and affection, through a voice and piano that play freely with the music.
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The Event Program
The evening's program will include iconic songs such as: Prologue, Jet Song, Something's Coming, The Dance at the Gym, Maria, America, Tonight, I Feel Pretty, One Hand, One Heart, A Boy Like That, Somewhere, and the Finale.
The protagonists
Enrico Fagnoni: a talented pianist, Fagnoni began his career as a child and trained under the guidance of maestro Vincenzo Vitale. His musical versatility has allowed him to range across various genres and roles, participating in numerous television programs and collaborating with actors, soloists and orchestras of international fame. He has received important awards and holds concerts and masterclasses worldwide.
Stefano ValanzuoloA music critic and contributor to Radio 3, Valanzuolo is a prominent figure in the Italian music scene. He is the artistic director of the "Maggio della Musica" Association in Naples and has collaborated with numerous leading artists. His plays have been performed at prestigious venues such as the Venice Biennale Teatro and the Ravenna Festival. He is also the author of opera librettos and has contributed to the Treccani National Institute's Encyclopedia of Music. The "Off Side Story" performance at the "Sorrento Classica" offers an extraordinary opportunity to rediscover a masterpiece of twentieth-century music in a new and fascinating light.
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