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| Festival della Taranta | |
|---|---|
| Name | Festival della Taranta |
| Location | Salento, Apulia, Italy |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founders | Concertone Salento |
| Dates | Late August–Early September (varies) |
| Genre | Folk, World music, Pizzica |
Festival della Taranta is an annual music festival rooted in the pizzica tradition of Salento, held primarily in Provincia di Lecce within Apulia. The festival brings together performers from Italy, Spain, Greece, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Latin America and culminates in a large finale concert that attracts audiences from Europe, North America, and Asia.
The festival emerged in 1998 from initiatives linked to Concertone Salento, local cultural associations, and civic institutions in Lecce responding to renewed interest in southern Italian folk repertories and the revivalist movements inspired by groups such as I Tarantolati di Tricase, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Pino De Vittorio, and Enzo Avitabile. Early editions were shaped by collaborations with ethnomusicologists associated with Università del Salento, folklorists connected to Istituto Centrale per i Beni Sonori e Audiovisivi, and producers who had worked with ensembles like Almamegretta and artists from Festival di Sanremo. The festival’s growth paralleled European circuits including WOMAD, Roskilde Festival, and Sziget Festival and drew institutional attention from bodies such as the European Commission, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, and regional administrations of Regione Puglia.
Programming takes place across multiple towns in Salento including Melpignano, Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli, Maglie, and Tricase, with the final "concertone" frequently staged at venues like the Piazza del Popolo (Lecce), amphitheaters, and municipal squares used for events such as Notte della Taranta. The festival typically runs in late August into early September, overlapping with municipal patronal feasts, tourist flows to Porto Cesareo, and regional cultural calendars coordinated with entities like Assessorato alla Cultura and municipal tourism offices. Satellite workshops and lectures have taken place in institutions such as Palazzo dei Celestini and cultural centres affiliated with Fondazione Mediterraneo.
At its core are performances of pizzica, a southern Italian folk genre historically associated with tarantism lore and ritualized forms documented by folklorists and ethnomusicologists from Giuseppe Pitrè studies to contemporary researchers at Università di Bari and Museo Etnografico. Instrumentation emphasizes tamburello, violin, accordion, mandolin and percussive ensembles linked to traditions performed by groups like Officina Zoè and Malandrino. Repertoires draw parallels with Mediterranean practices seen in flamenco-influenced repertoires from Andalusia, Greek folk forms from Pontic Greeks, and North African rhythms found in Gnawa traditions, reflecting transnational exchanges documented alongside comparative studies referencing Alan Lomax collections. Dance sessions often feature tarantella offshoots and improvised trance dances contextualized in works by scholars of ritual performance.
Artistic directors over the years have included figures from diverse backgrounds such as Ludovico Einaudi-adjacent producers, ethnomusicologists affiliated with Franco Battiato-era collaborations, and international curators who previously worked with Björk, Manu Chao, Goran Bregović, and Dengue Fever. Notable performers and guest musicians have included members of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, solo artists like M° Raffaele Casarano and M° Mauro Durante, and invited world music stars comparable to Totò la Momposina, Cesária Évora, Dhafer Youssef, and ensembles similar to Tarika and Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio. Cross-genre collaborations have brought conductors and arrangers experienced with La Scala-trained musicians, producers with credits for Peter Gabriel's world music projects, and DJs who have opened sets at Sonar Festival.
The festival is organized by a network of local producers, cultural associations, municipal administrations of Provincia di Lecce, and regional offices such as Regione Puglia’s cultural department, often in partnership with foundations like Fondazione Puglia and private sponsors from the tourism and agri-food sectors headquartered in Brindisi and Bari. Funding streams have included municipal budgets, regional grants tied to Programma Operativo Regionale, sponsorship agreements with corporations based in Milano and Roma, ticketing revenues, and European cultural initiatives run by the European Cultural Foundation and Creative Europe-type programs. Production logistics involve collaborations with broadcasters such as RAI and independent promoters experienced with tours to festivals including Montreux Jazz Festival and BBC Proms.
The festival has been credited with reviving interest in pizzica and boosting cultural tourism in Salento, influencing regional identity campaigns and collaborations with gastronomy festivals in Ostuni and Alberobello. Scholarly attention has come from departments at Università del Salento, Bocconi University researchers studying cultural economies, and commentators in publications like La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, and Il Sole 24 Ore. International visibility increased through coverage on networks such as BBC World Service and Euronews, and through exchanges with festivals like WOMAD and Rosklide. The festival has also inspired pedagogical projects at conservatories such as Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi (Milano) and community music programs coordinated with UNESCO local initiatives.
Critics have debated issues of commodification, authenticity, and commercialization, echoing academic critiques from scholars influenced by Clifford Geertz and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett about the staging of heritage. Local debates have involved municipal budget priorities in Provincia di Lecce, disputes over artistic programming relations with private sponsors headquartered in Roma and Milano, and tensions between purist performers and fusion artists who collaborate with international pop and electronic acts associated with festivals like Sónar and Glastonbury Festival. Legal and labor discussions have referenced contracts modeled on agreements used by touring unions in Italy and Europe, provoking coverage in outlets such as Il Fatto Quotidiano and La Stampa.
Category:Music festivals in Italy Category:Salento Category:Apulia