EUROPEAN DAY OF JEWISH CULTURE: LOVE IS TALKED TO CASALE RITORNA WITH WEDDING DRESSES AND A MUSIC PREMIERE

On Sunday, September 6th, the European Day of Jewish Culture will, as always, be an opportunity for several events within the Jewish Complex of Casale Monferrato. In addition to free access to the museums in Vicolo Salomone Olper, the public will be able to participate in the activities of a community that has participated in the "Day" since its first edition in 1999, in keeping with its tradition of hospitality. The day will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a welcome from the institutions and the inauguration of an exhibition in keeping with the theme chosen for the day: "Love." The exhibition, titled "The Ketuboth of the Casale Monferrato Jewish Community Archives," will feature ancient wedding contracts (Ketuboth) preserved in the Community Archives. Archivist Michele Castelli will introduce the event. The following moment also celebrates love and union. At the Museo degli Argenti in Casale, Annetta Treves Levi's precious wedding dress is unveiled, back on display after a lengthy restoration. It was worn by the mother of physician, writer, and painter Carlo Levi in 1897, at the Turin synagogue to marry Ercole Raffaele Levi. It is a precious gown, made of ivory silk satin, with a bodice lined with the same material and boned interior. Chiffon ruffles adorn the cuffs, while the inner hem is a lace flounce. The restoration was carried out by the Agata La Spina textile workshop in Turin, in collaboration with restorer Tiziana Assogna. Presenting the dress will be Daria Carmi, President of the Casale Jewish Community, Annie Sacerdoti, Bianca Gabei, and Tiziana Assogna. Bianca Gabei's presence is significant: the dress's restoration was made possible thanks to a significant donation from the Casale Jewish Foundation ETS in memory of the late Notary Roberto Gabei, its President. At 4:30 pm, the Day hosts a new event of Musica nel Complesso Ebraico, the series created by composer Giulio Castagnoli, which brings Jewish-related authors and pieces to the Casale Synagogue. The program features the violin duo of Alberto Bologni and Cristina Papini, who have included a prestigious world premiere in the program. In addition to Telemann (Gulliver Suite), Castagnoli's Kaddish, and Eugène Ysaÿe's Sonata in A minor, Jerome N. Margolis's "Yom Hashoah" will be performed for the first time. This piece, written to commemorate the Holocaust on the day Israel commemorates its victims, will be performed. Margolis was born in Philadelphia in 1941 and is the author of over two hundred and fifty works in various genres, including orchestral music, chamber music, theater music, jazz, electronic music, ballet, choral music, modern dance, and even band music. He has long collaborated with Italian Jewish institutions, and today a large collection of his scores is available at the American Music Documentation Center in Prato. Alberto Bologni, who graduated from the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence and specialized at the Rotterdam Conservatory, and worked with leading European violinists, is considered one of the most versatile violinists of his generation. Bologni's solo and chamber music repertoire ranges from rarities and rediscoveries to well-known masterpieces, as well as a substantial collection of contemporary compositions, often dedicated to him or commissioned by him. He performs regularly in major Italian and European venues. He is the director of the MaDAMM (Master in Artistic Direction and Music Management) in Lucca and holds the chair of violin at the Luigi Boccherini Conservatory in Lucca. Cristina Papini, who graduated under Bologni at the Lucca Conservatory, continued her studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, with Maestro S. Tchakerian. She has won several overall prizes in both solo violin and chamber music competitions. She is a co-founder and member of the Aeonium Piano Trio and has been a member of the Guadagnini String Quartet since 2017. She is also a guest professor at the Tolima Conservatory in Colombia and holds a violin teaching position at the "N. Paganini" Conservatory in Genoa. She plays a Raffaele Fiorini violin, Bologna 1895, on loan from the luthier L. Frignani. Admission to the events is free. For information, call 0142 71807 www.casalebraica.org