MUSIC AND FABLES TO GO ON LIVING AND ... DREAMING

Well, it has been a different Saturday night, moving and amusing at the same time.

You must know I love music, classical music, opera, poliphony as well as Brit pop or good Italian music. I studied singing for many years and I used to sing in a choir with whom I toured all over the world. Just wonderful memories now: when I had my first child I stopped, cause it was too complicated to cope with my job (teaching), my family ( husband and a baby son), my house and my beautiful but "time wasting" hobby. So I had to give up. Anyhow, any time they organize concerts or cultural events I'm invited to take part in ... the audience. So they invited me for this evening at 7 p.m. telling me that three young people from L'Aquila would perform in a melodrama show based on fables. One of them is one of my best friend's daughter, the other two friends of hers.

I went, entered the big hall with a bit of nostalgia, sat among the crowd of familiar faces - colleagues, ex-colleagues, some students of mine, my ex-singing mates- and waited for the beginning of the show reading the leaflet with the curricula of MIRIAM, DIEGO and VALENTINA. What extraordinary young people! They've really achieved a lot in their young lives: diplomas, degrees, drama courses and so on. What a pity that on 6th of April the earthquake shattered down their houses and greatly complicated their lives and their expectations. What luck they are still here safe and sound. Valentina did her latest exam at University just few days ago among several difficulties. Miriam had to come back and live in our small town in Lazio -100 km from L'Aquila- and commutes whenever she needs to by car. Diego has been living in a small house in the countryside with the rest of his family since then.

The lights turned off and Miriam led us, with her beautiful persuasive voice, into the fantasy worlds of Babar the elephant and the little Paddington Bear. Yes, she told us good fables, and first Valentina, then Diego, commented those stories at the piano with incredibly fit music by Francis Poulenc and Herbert Chappell. What was their message? The earthquake shattered their houses to pieces but NOT THEIR DREAMS. They are going to "become king" like Babar or to "sing their song at the Royal Albert Hall" like Paddington Bear. They want to make their dreams come true and don't want anybody or anything to stop them. I wish Miriam, Diego and Valentina success and happiness. May all their dreams come true, first of all that of going back living and working in L'Aquila with no more fear and, possibly, in a new house.

Miriam plays the flute, the piano, is a good actress and is the only one of the three to have stuff of hers in the Net. I've found this clip with her playing a melody at the piano by Giovanni Allevi.