The third edition of MITO Settembre Musica, the music festival that has seen the cities of Milano and Torino, Italy join forces for a monthlong musical extravaganza each September for the past three years running, came to a close on September 24 at Milano’s Linate Airport. What a swinging grand finale it was! A first-time ever concert held inside a hangar there! A fitting end to yet another successful and innovative program. This year’s final MITO notes in Torino were played on September 23, with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Palaisozaki for an audience of over 9,000. On September 25 repeat performance by the Reigakusha Imperial Orchestra dedicated to Japan’s gagaku tradition was held in Genova, as MITO goes beyond regional boundaries to spread the “music bug” and dabble in more broad-ranging collaboration, with one of the oldest Japanese musical forms. 

MITO president Francesco Micheli said, “Massive audience influx occupied more that 90% of available seating, and that’s the best recognition of the concrete support and precious attention that both mayors, and both culture commissioners and city governments in Milano and Torino, in spite of this moment of economic crisis, provided for MITO Settembre Musica, through the Association for the Milano International Music Festival and the Foundation for Musical Activities in Torino, which they promised and instituted.”

Over 200 events (4 or 5 per day, half of them with free admission) rocked Torino and Milano for 21 consecutive days and evenings. One hundred seven venues were flocked to by audiences that have become increasingly interested and fervent about all the art forms that MITO serves up – classical music, art music, contemporary, jazz, pop, avant-garde, plus film series, “art and music” discussions, conferences, book presentations. The MITO festival also proved to be a container for a series of mini festivals, from a cycle of concerts dedicated to Prokofiev to the Focus on Japan series, from concerts held in churches to jazz, classical and piano marathons, and children’s performances. Audiences were able to carve out their own personal itineraries, there was so much high quality to choose from, and so many different genres. This year some 240 additional free-admission performances were added to the official program for a series entitled MITO Fringe in Milano and MITO for the City in Torino. These performances were held in a whole range of locations in both host cities, including piazzas, prisons, hospitals, subway stations and parks.

Despite the slightly shortened schedule – 21 days, as compared to last year’s 24 – total MITO 2009 attendance, between officially programmed events and those as part of MITOfringe and MITO cities, surpassed the 200,000 mark. Some 165,000 people attended official MITO performances (95,000 in Milano, 70,000 in Torino), while 35,000 attended the 240 fringe performances (20,000 in Milano, 15,000 in Torino).

The two symphony concerts at Palasharp and Palaolimpico Isozaki, with very affordable ticket prices considering the high level of music quality, were sold out weeks in advance. An audience of 9,000 was on hand for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, conducted by Ralf Weikert, in Torino, while 8,000 packed the house at Milano’s Palasharp for an evening of Rossini, Verdi and Mussorgsky, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. That’s a total of 17,000 people united for listening pleasure – warm and attentive audiences that rose to standing ovations in both cities. For many, this was their first classical music experience.

The Focus on Japan series was a big success, and featured contemporary music with concerts dedicated to the compositions of Toshio Hosokawa, as well as traditional Japanese music. Audience response in Torino and Milano was excellent, as concert-goers were rewarded with enchanting performances by the Nō Theater, taiko drum jamborees, gagaku dancing and even a tea ceremony.
 

Concerts by great international orchestras were of particular interest to audiences in both cities. The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yuri Temirkanov, opened this year’s festival. There were performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit, with Salvatore Accardo on violin, and The Academy of Saint Martin in The Fields (sold out), with Murray Perahia on piano, and Daniel Harding conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (sold out). Antonio Pappano was forced to cancel his performances, and was replaced by bright new Venezuelan star Diego Matheuz, who received heaps of applause in both cities. Another strong MITO point – the concerts held in the cities’ churches, which orderly and respectful crowds flocked to. Such as the one dedicated to Matteo da Perugia at Milano’s Duomo.

The double-header with Italian piano man Paolo Conte, and a concert by fellow Italians Enrico Rava and Stefano Bollani in Torino (both sold out), and Milano’s warm welcome for Gino Paoli and his show, confirmed all our great expectations. Crossover and avant-garde music also gathered consensus in both cities. There was the Italian premiere of Versus by Carl Craig, international electronic guru, teamed up with Orchestra Les Siècles, who captivated his Milano audience. Also of note, electronic music and videos by Ryoji Ikeda of Japan (sold out in both cities). Lots of curiosity and participation – that’s what Milano’s response was to Mixed Reality Performance, a project created by MITO in collaboration with Stanford University: an avant-garde technological experiment bringing together performers in different locations online – including an actual laptop orchestra – through the use of new open source Sirikata software. Two successful evenings in Torino for Canto del vuoto tagliente, a revelation in musical experimentation, as well as for the Teatro Regio Orchestra concert (sold out), featuring Holst’s Alder Planetarium Video Suites.

Children’s performances were also a big hit. The diversified collection included small ensembles and orchestras, some featuring dancers and original scenery. An important and rare opportunity for kids to be exposed to music.
 

Crowds flocked to events that were part of MITO’s new educational project. The program featured six appointments for adults – three in Milano, three in Torino – and a students’ program which gave 4,000 Milano youngsters the opportunity to attend six symphony concerts.

Presentations and roundtable discussions were also well attended, from the Brain and Music conference at Milano’s Bocconi University, followed by a concert with music by Ravel (standing room only), to an in-depth look at music in Japan, and book presentations.

Filippo Del Corno gave us a theater performance in a Milano world premiere of I, Hitler (sold out), produced by MITO and Franco Parenti. Another theatrical world premiere was hosted in Torino, with Andrea Liberovici’s Transparency of the Word, book by Emilio Jona, based on writings by Primo Levi.

Milano’s Navigli Canal zone was the perfect setting for an evening of Music on the Water, with alluring tangos performed by the Scaligero Instrumental Ensemble aboard a boat in motion, with concert-goers dancing along the shores in one of the city’s most beautiful locations. In Torino the Zen garden of the Museum of Oriental Art hosted an enticing and entertaining Japanese tea ceremony. And to underscore MITO’s longing to go beyond the usual performance space concepts for quality music, this year’s grand finale was an evening of unadulterated fun in a truly unusual location: a hangar at the Linate Airport, on this occasion transformed into an enormous dance hall and decorated in 1930-40s style. The Swing Dance Orchestra cranked out irresistible rhythms as a group of professional dancers got the packed house shakin’ a leg right off the bat.

The new MITO website, completely revamped for this, the festival’s third edition, provided live streaming for 12 concerts (9 in Milano, 3 in Torino), and recorded broadcasts of three concerts in Milano. MITO’s focus on new technologies was also reflected in expanded online communications, with daily news updates, a well-focused and constantly updated blog, and the use of social networks to boost participation of new and young audiences.

Great music at popular prices and events of the highest quality, with the participation of 3,400 artists coming from 27 countries around the world, are the keys to MITO’s winning formula and success. Thanks to discerning management, a young and professional work team, and close collaboration between city agencies and the private sector, MITO SettembreMusica was once again able to reach-out to infrequent concert-goers, especially youth not accustomed to certain genres of music, with events of the highest quality and originality that involves them in an impactful way.