Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio
presents
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea,
at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.
(Saint Augustine)
It is evening at the moonlit Port of Belesh. A raft is moored at a dock. The crew is singing a song led by a woman in a red dress. She looks like she has just left a party. She sings to stay awake, “I don’t want to sleep, I just want to hold you and dream.” In the shadows, a young, princely looking African man watches the scene and begins to sing quietly along with her. He does not want to be discovered. He is holding a strange instrument that looks like a fishing rod. He begins to play.
The next day at the Coliseum, a man dressed like a gladiator reads an advertisement:
“Tonight at 9:00 a ship is setting sail for a long and wonderful journey to destinations unknown. The only requirement to board is to bring a song. You are allowed only one suitcase…”
Simon, the man’s name, looks at his watch and realizes he only has 80 minutes to get there. That isn’t a lot of time. His dream is to go far away, but he doesn’t have his things with him; except for his “work clothes”. He works at the Coliseum dressed as a gladiator posing for photographs with tourists. The journey is his way out.
Meanwhile at the dock, it is almost sunset and preparations are being made on the raft. The first travellers arrive.
A young Cuban with a huge suitcase from which musicians come out. Two Arabs , one of which tries to bribe the ship’s captain in order to bring more than one suitcase on board. A dubious-looking tango singer. A skeptical South American. An African with a tiny, magical suitcase that gives him the gift of singing in any language. Each traveller has something extraordinary in their suitcase. This story is as imaginary as it is autobiographical where the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio shares its way of making and interpreting music.
You can travel thousands of miles in your life without ever scratching the surface of your own life or learning anything from the people you encounter. The meaning of the journey lies in stopping and listening to whoever has a story to tell.
With all this said, will Simon make it on time?
Il Giro del Mondo in 80 minuti (Around the world in 80 minutes) is a theatrical concert that tells of a human journey through the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio’s unique way of playing, living, and experiencing music.
A ship is sailing to destinations unknown, and the only prerequisite to board is to bring a song. Time passes and after various ups and downs and unexpected occurrences, the musicians climb on board singing about far away places and memories. Each story is a tile representing a part of the world that the OPV places in a touching and realistic mosaic of sounds and images.
A Vagabundos S.r.l. production
Download
Around the world in 80 minutes (.pdf)
Poster (.jpg)
