Pippo Delbono has been
experimenting on stage for many years now, exploring the fertile ground between
public and personal, between
autobiography and history, shaping works that stand out on the international scene for their originality. Vangelo (Gospel) marks a further step along this path. In recent years, his experimentation has developed into an unusual form of
musical performance: an investigation into voice and words which has taken Delbono to meet musicians such as
Enzo Avitabile,
Alexander Balanescu,
Petra Magoni,
Antoine Bataille and
Piero Corso.
Together with these artists, he has created performances and concerts that tour in parallel to the Delbono group's repertory productions. His research delves into creation of a new personal language in
cinema, and the commitment already revealed in his films (
Amore Carne,
Sangue,
La Visite,
Vangelo) can also be found in his more recent productions,
Dopo la Battaglia,
Orchidee and
Vangelo, which are strongly influenced by this musical and cinematographic exploration.
Vangelo is a choral work, which began as a contemporary opera: it first took shape in Zagreb, performed by the orchestra, choir, dancers and actors at the
Croatian National Theatre together with the acting company that has been working with Pippo Delbono for many years.
Vangelo takes its cue from the atmospheres of Enzo Avitabile’s music. It is rich in poetic overtones but also markedly reveals the memories of its Croatian performers who lived through the traumatic events of a cruel war that has reshaped the history, places and boundaries of their native land. Boundaries that even during the creation of Vangelo were shaken by the arrival of ten thousand men, women and children desperately seeking a Promised Land.
VANGELO conceived and directed by Pippo Delbono
with Gianluca Ballarè, Bobò, Margherita Clemente, Pippo Delbono, Ilaria Distante, Simone Goggiano, Mario Intruglio, Nelson Lariccia, Gianni Parenti, Alma Prica, Pepe Robledo, Grazia Spinella, Nina Violic, Safi Zakria, Mirta Zecevic
with the participation - in the films - of the refugees of PIAM reception centre in Asti (Italy)
images and films Pippo Delbono
production: Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione and Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
coproduction: Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, Maison de la Culture d'Amiens-Centre de creation et de Production, Theatre de Liege
video.