8 PM Performance with commentary by Anna Celenza; with The Orchestra Now, conducted by James Bagwell; Blair McMillen, piano; and others

Sosnoff Theatre

Kelly Newberry will sing the popular Italian tunes Tornerai and Giovenezza.

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924), Scossa elettrica (1899); Francesco Balilla Pratella (1880–1955), from La guerra (1913); Alfredo Casella (1883–1947), from Cinque Pezzi (1920); works by Luigi Russolo (1885–1947), Franco Casavola (1891–1955), Silvio Mix (1900–27), Zez Confrey (1895–1971), and others. With a screening of Nino Oxilia's film Rapsodia satanica (1917), score by Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945), performed live

The festival's second weekend opens with a concert featuring The Orchestra Now, among others. Glorifying modernity in an attempt to liberate Italy from the weight of her past, the Italian Futurist movement saw the rise of composers including Francesco Pratella, Franco Casavola, and Luigi Russolo. Their music spanned a wide stylistic range, Pratella's betraying little sign of the radical views he espoused in print, while Russolo's – and the custom devices on which he performed it – introduced a truly original new aesthetic that brought everyday noises into the concert hall. The program will also include Puccini's Scossa elettrica, written for a celebration of scientistAlessandro Volta; his favorite jazz tune, Dumbell, by Zez Confrey; and selected popular songs of the day. To conclude the concert, Bard presents a rare screening of the silent film Rapsodia Satanica, a female spin on the Faust legend from Nino Oxilia, accompanied by a live performance of its original score, which marks the only film music by Pratella’s teacher, Mascagni.