Didjeridoo

When coreographer, director and dear friend Betty Lo Sciuto asked me to work on the soundtrack for her production Clinamen, inspired to Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura, with the understanding that I would write part of the music and be on stage doing overtone singing and playing didjeridoo, my first reaction was “o.k. for the composition and the overtone singing, but re. the didjeridoo I’ll find you someone better than I am.” In fact I knew the instrument since 1972, when the Australian composer and didge player Ron Nagorcka gave me one and introduced me to it. I bought my second instrument in Australia in 1986, and I used in my CD Memories of the Rain-Forest (see discography), but on the whole, until Betty’s invitation (spring 2001), the didge had remained an instrument I sort of knew how to play but never really sat down and played. And yet Betty was very convincing, to the point I began to think that finally that was a chance to really learn it. Therefore I set down to practice, following Claudio Ricciardi’s advice, and ex-PRIMA MATERIA member, also struck by the didjeridoo virus. A few days later I received an e-mail from Ron, whom I hadn’t heard from in years, saying he would be in Europe in June for some concerts and would be glad to visit. “Here’s-I thought at the time-a true sign of destiny at work!” So, after a whole week on almost incessant playing with Ron, for the first time I felt sufficiently able to play in public and I was ready to be on stage for the show (which, incidentally, was beautiful) with some degree of tranquillity. Then there came participation to Djalu Gurriwiwi’s master class at the Rripangu Yirdaki Festival (Eisenbach, July 2002), and seminars with Darryl Dikarnna e Mark Atkins (Didjin’ Oz Festival, Forlimpopoli, July 2005).

What I can say today is that my approach to this instrument has been and remains to incorporate it in my music, in a respectful and ecologically sound perspective, in recording as well as live projects.

Selected Performances

• Teatro con bosco, danza e animali. (Perugia, 25-26-27.07.03)
• Metavoice, con Ilaria Drago. (Presentimenti, Festival dell’arte contemporanea di confine, Ciampino, 29.11.2003)
• Linguaggi, Festival Nazionale della Performance. (Pescara,11.09.04)
• Ja Ku Jam, con Ardit Gjebrea. (Tirana, Palazzo dei Congressi, 14-15.02.04)
• Ke, di e con Patrizia Lo Sciuto, coreografia e danza. (Trapani, 18-19.06.04)
• Uroboros, CD e DVD, musica per le poesie di Grazia Debé. (2005)
• Dreamtime Project (v. performances), concerto per voci, suoni e immagini di Ilaria Drago (testo e voce), Roberto Laneri (musiche originali e live) e Alberto Tessore (multivisione). (Roma, Teatro Vascello. 8-9.10.05)