Mostra Gianni Neri Ricordi Di Un Musicista Che Contribuito A Portare La Musica Italiana Nel Mondo 861e85e5a5913ceffc02602821801f95

Monferrato Castle Piazza Castello Casale Monferrato (AL) June 6-28, 2026 Saturday and Sunday, 10:00-12:00 and 14:30-18:30 A journey through music and history, to the tune of "Arrivederci," the hit by Don Marino Barreto Jr. that enchanted Italy, topping the charts for eight weeks in 1959. The exhibition "Arrivederci, Gianni," curated by Cristiano Gian Luigi Raffaldi, which opens on Saturday, May 16, at 5:00 pm, pays tribute to Gianni Neri, musician and soul of the most prestigious Italian and European nightclubs between 1950 and 1965. Among many other songs that have become part of the collective imagination, he orchestrated this song, which sold over a million records. Held at the San Michele Auditorium in Villanova Monferrato, his hometown, the exhibition, open to the public free of charge until May 24th, will continue with a second stop at Casale Castle (from June 6th to 28th). It recounts Gianni Neri's life and career through a rich collection of images, including numerous period images and exhibition posters that evoke the magic of nightclubs and the desire for entertainment in the Dolce Vita. The exhibition retraces the colorful and exotic years of the economic boom and the serious and composed years of the great RAI orchestras in the years that followed. Hundreds of black and white photographs speak to the music of the post-World War II era and the great professionalism of nightclub musicians. Born in Villanova Monferrato in 1930, Gianni Neri played in the most exclusive clubs in Italy and the Middle East, from Casale Monferrato to Rome, from Milan to Cortina, including the Capannina in Forte dei Marmi and the Bussola in Viareggio. His music has accompanied the evenings of stars such as Grace Kelly, Soraya, Gina Lollobrigida, Walter Chiari, and Ava Gardner. The event is rounded out by the illustrated book "Vengo dal night" by Cristiano Gian Luigi Raffaldi, printed in rotogravure format, which tells the stories of nightclubs and their protagonists. On Sunday, May 17, at 5 pm, a jazz concert organized by the Antonio Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria is scheduled. "Gianni Neri, in the photos, is always with a musical instrument in his hand and his eyes intent on seeing if the person in front of him is drawing a moment of happiness from his work," comments curator Cristiano Raffaldi in the preface to the book "Vengo dal Night." Because Gianni, with his work, brought happiness. In front of him, under the stage, danced Princess Grace Kelly with Rainier, the former Empress of Persia Soraya after being repudiated by the Shah, Gina Lollobrigida, and then Walter Chiari with Ava Gardner, the Agnellis, the Fürstenbergs, Farouk, former King of Egypt with his very young girlfriend Irma Capece Minutolo. Everyone was there to have fun, and his success was confirmed by their laughter, a whisper in their ears, or a mambo danced without restraint. Those were the carefree years, the war was over, just recently, but it was over, and no one wanted to think about it anymore, ignoring other crises and flashpoints that were still flaring up around the world. People wanted life to be "sweet," and everyone had truly deserved it, and they danced. "I Come from the Night" is printed in rotogravure format not by chance but by choice: to recall the magazines of the golden age of NIGHT CLUBS, legendary places that come to life in the book (60 pages, free at the exhibition) through the singular figures who frequented or worked there. Numerous anecdotes highlight Neri's life intertwined with the events of nightclubs, where the real show took place mostly in the stalls rather than on the stage. The exhibition is promoted by the Municipality of Villanova Monferrato, with the patronage and contribution of the Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation and the support of the Antonio Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria.