La Nef: The Beauties of Sicily

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La Nef’s Sicilia Bella concert features madrigals and villanelles by Italian composers Sigismondo d’India (1582-1629) and Antonio il Verso (1565-1621), alongside traditional Sicilian pieces, such as tarantellas.

Singer, harpsichordist, actress and dancer Dorothéa Ventura is the concert’s musical director. Italian on her father’s side, Ventura reveals the inspiration behind her programming: “I’ve never been south of Rome,” she says, “but, for various reasons, I find the cultures of southern Italy fascinating.” Casual music-listening led her to “dive into Sicily” which she calls “a very special part of Italy”given the island’s turbulent history, which has seen many different peoples come and go. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Jews and Normans have all contributed their culture and customs to Sicily’s rich musical heritage.

La Nef is perfectly suited to exploring these influences, because of its philosophy of “hybridizing styles with a background of early music,” explains Ventura. One of the concert’s goals is to bridge the gap between 17th-century art music and traditional Sicilian music. “La Nef is really the perfect place to twist things up a bit,” she suggests. The ensemble’s experience with—and knowledge of—early music allows them to “make traditional music with an early-music twist, and early music with a more popular twist.”

Ventura’s spirit of openness and exploration is shared by her collaborators, including tenor and guitarist Nils Brown and accordionist Steve Normandin. In addition to vocals, guitar and accordion, Ventura will play two portable keyboard instruments, the ottavino (17th and 18th centuries) and the melodica (20th century), alongside several colleagues on violin, mandolin, viola da gamba, recorder, and percussion. Despite this mix of instrumentation, the music will be interpreted “with a knowledge of early music, and respect for historically informed performance practice,” says the director.

Unlike today’s musicians, who often have narrow areas of specialization, musicians of the baroque era played several instruments and practised several art forms. This crossover of disciplines is reflected in Ventura’s artistic practice: “I like to surround myself with people who are equally versatile,” she says. “The idea of versatility, for me, isn’t just a scattering, it’s a way of thinking (that) leads me to understand many more things, with my related knowledge.”

And will Ventura share her dance talent with her audience? “I don’t have any plans to dance yet,” she says, adding: “but I’m not closing the door—a little tarantella could be a lot of fun!”