Ravenna Festival 2023 Opens with Laurie Anderson Concert

The 34th edition of Ravenna Festival runs from June 7 through July 2023 in Ravenna and surrounding towns. The festival is titled after Italo Calvino's 'Le città invisibili' (1972), marking the centenary of the writer's birth. The opening night on June 7 features Laurie Anderson in concert at Pala De André, her only Italian date of the 'Let X = X' tour, accompanied by the Sexmob led by Steven Bernstein. Anderson, a multimedia artist and NASA's first artist-in-residence (2002), will reinterpret past hits and two Lou Reed songs. The program includes Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky performing Beethoven, Debussy, and Chopin on opening day; Frank Zappa's 'The Yellow Shark' suite by PMCE on June 9; Fatoumata Diawara on July 13; readings from Calvino by Sergio Rubini in Cervia; a tribute to Grazia Deledda with Sandra Petrignani; and a live screening of Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' (1940) with restored score conducted by Timothy Brock leading the Filarmonica Toscanini. The festival also involves towns like Cervia, Lugo, Russi, and Riolo Terme, recovering from recent floods.