Beatrice Venezi’s BLOG –
Conceiving an Italian cultural imagination is a complex, challenging and fascinating subject all at once. But above all, it is essential; one that must be analysed and addressed, now more than ever.
The imagination is that metaphysical dimension which is the opposite of, yet complementary to, reality. A metaverse, to put it in modern terms. It is an illusory supplement that aids thought, a psychological function common to all human beings, capable of actively permeating every aspect of culture and creativity. Every people has its own collective imagination, made up of symbols, concepts, customs and cultural expressions that are embedded in its collective memory and define its identity.
What is the current state of our collective imagination, and what image are we Italians projecting to the outside world?
I fear that the image of Italy widely held abroad — with its typical symbols of sun, sea, good food, fashion, art and great beauty — is gradually fading, overshadowed by the grey hues of latent chaos and the sense of mistrust, insecurity and fear instilled in its citizens. Even the myth of the Italian ‘Latin lover’ has been forced to give way to a new masculinity. All this projects the image of a country bewildered by the nihilistic fury of globalisation, which is eroding our national identity.
And yet we know how to create imaginary worlds. We’ve done it before, and to understand how, all you have to do is listen.
There is one fact that should give us pause for thought whenever we talk about Italian identity around the world: in every conservatoire on the planet, music is taught in Italian. Allegro, andante, crescendo, da capo. A student in Tokyo, Buenos Aires or Helsinki speaks Italian every day without realising it, because our language has become the language of music itself. No diplomatic treaty, no promotional campaign has ever achieved so much: it was the prestige of generations of musicians that established this, note by note.
Those musicians were, to all intents and purposes, ambassadors of a cultural world. Giovanni Battista Lulli, a Florentine, arrived at the court of Louis XIV and became Jean-Baptiste Lully: an Italian who invented nothing less than French opera. Luigi Boccherini set out from my hometown of Lucca and spent his life in Madrid, at the Spanish court: he brought with him the Italian cantabile style, absorbed the fandango and Iberian guitars, and forged a musical style that is both deeply rooted and open-minded. His famous Minuet is still recognised by everyone today, even by those who could not say where it comes from. Luigi Cherubini, also a Florentine, went on to head the Paris Conservatoire: for decades, French musical education was in the hands of an Italian.
And then there is Rossini, who in Paris became the most famous Italian in the world: his name is synonymous with genius, verve and that crescendo which we still refer to today as “Rossinian”. His legacy is so all-encompassing that it even extends into the world of gastronomy: a dish is named after him, the Rossini-style tournedos, as if to say that Italy was exporting both music and the art of good living. Verdi, whose very name became an acronym and a rallying cry of the Risorgimento: music that literally shapes a nation’s identity whilst that nation is being born. And Puccini, who in 1910 staged the world premiere of the A Girl from the West At the Metropolitan in New York: a Tuscan composer who tells Americans about America, and they queue up to hear him.
These musicians did not export postcards. They exported a way of feeling. And this is the lesson we must rediscover: music is the most powerful vehicle of identity we possess, because it needs no translation. It comes before words, and remains after them. The image of Italy around the world did not come about by chance: it was composed, performed and directed.
When I think about what needs to be done for our nation, I cannot help but envisage a new renaissance: a place of beauty where people once again come to see the State as a friend and guide, grounded in a genuine ethic of trust.
I like to imagine that the countless wounds that have opened up in our society can be healed, especially those that have opened up in its two primary spheres: the family and the school. And that is where we must take action, because the world we know is inevitably our own creation. A key driving force is culture in all its forms, which must be placed at the centre and disseminated widely throughout every section of the population, because culture creates a beautiful, noble collective consciousness. And also because the concept of culture encompasses that of identity, which is the capacity for self-expression as individuals and as a community, as a vision and a collective imagination, as a memory of the past and a projection of the future, and a thousand other things besides. It is more necessary than ever to promote and protect our cultural roots with determination, because without cultural identity there is simply no national identity, no shared imagination, and no people.
It is clear that cultural imagery, too, evolves in line with the development of a nation and its identity. We must be able to embrace those roots and distinctive characteristics that have shaped our uniqueness and, at the same time, build upon them and adapt them through the sensibilities of a society that is increasingly scientific and technological, whilst remaining true to the principles of creativity and uniqueness that set us apart and for which we are recognised worldwide. After all, this is precisely what Boccherini did with the fandango and Puccini with the West: taking their roots into new territories, without ever severing them.
The alternative is to become a formless, colourless mush in the blender of a globalised world governed by a single mindset.
In conclusion: free culture is a rebellion against conditioning. It defends one’s mind, nurtures critical thinking and free will, and fosters imaginative, intellectual and moral independence. Our music has already demonstrated this to the world for three centuries. It is up to us to take the lead once more.
Beatrice Venezi