After giving his own unique spin to the “Notte della Taranta” (Taranta Night) last year, Ludovico Einaudi -one of the most famous Italian pianist- is bringing this special event to the Barbican on 25 and 26 June.
The “Notte della Taranta” is a Festival founded in 1998 in order to rescue the popular Italian folk dance “pizzica” from Salento peninsula (area of the south-east of Italy) and to mix it with other music styles such as rock, jazz or symphony music.
“Pizzica” is a part of the large family of “tarantella” dances.
According to the tradition, it’s said these were danced (solo) by victims of a supposed tarantula’s bite.
Einaudi has revisited the tradition of these popular dances by writing new music and inviting International guests to perform on stage with him, such as the Turkish multi-instrumentalist and DJ Mercan Dede, the Greek singer Savina Yannatou and the Malian multi-awards winner kora player Ballake Sissoko.