A triumph of music and words to celebrate Calabrian popular tradition and identity and to remember the great artistic legacy of Otello Profazio. The Cuore Cantastorie festival in Catanzaro, now in its fourth edition - supported by the Calabria Region as part of the cultural activities notice and with the participation of the Municipality of Catanzaro - gave the city an intense and moving concert yesterday, which saw a group of storytellers representing all of Calabria take the stage at the cloister of the San Giovanni Complex. The idea and artistic direction of the project was signed by Francesca Prestia, the only female Calabrian storyteller, whom Profazio himself publicly named as his “successor,” having also participated in the Festival before his painful passing. It is no coincidence that the first official tribute to the late artist from Reggio was born from Cuore Cantastorie.
In front of a large audience in the historic center, for the first time together live, alongside Prestia, performed Rocco Jenco, Nino Racco, Biagio Accardi, Nando Brusco, and Fulvio Cama. Each of them had their own space to pay a personal tribute to Profazio’s most beautiful songs, which still retain their precious relevance today and represent a piece of identity and culture capable of telling the authentic story of Calabria around the world. The brigand Musolino, U ciucciu, Donna Candia, Guvernu Talianu, Amuri, La Baronessa di Carini, The Legend of Colapesce: unforgettable verses and notes came back to life thanks to the original reinterpretation of the six storytellers and traditional instruments, including guitars, flutes, and tambourines. A heartfelt and passionate tribute that reached its climax, in the finale, with a choral “Qua si campa d’aria,” in the spirit of the proverbial irony that made Otello Profazio’s Calabrian folk iconic.
The two-day Cuore Cantastorie also offered the opportunity to visit the photographic and documentary exhibition “Grazie, carissimo Otello!” curated by Gian Paolo Borghi, a well-known scholar of popular traditions and ethnologist. At the National Storytellers’ Conference, Profazio was discussed again, through the lens of the present, with contributions from Giuseppe Tripodi, writer and friend of the artist Profazio, Massimo De Pascale, author of the book “Otello Profazio. A viva voce,” and Rai journalist Paolo Bolano. The musical performance of the well-known Sicilian storyteller Mauro Geraci, a great friend of Otello, allowed the audience to rediscover the ballads dedicated to the myth of Orlando. Not only music and culture, but also enhancement of the territory and promotion of food and wine with Catanzaro’s signature dish, morzello, which festival guests were able to discover in a special tasting at “Vecchia Catanzaro” in collaboration with the Antica congrega Tre colli. Sounds, traditions, dialects, taste: nothing was missing at Cuore Cantastorie, a festival unique in its kind, which continues to give meaning and value to popular roots.
Assoformac and Francesca Prestia would like to thank all the institutional partners and sponsors who contributed to the realization of the event. “Cuore Cantastorie” is financed with PAC 2014/2020- Az. 6.8.3. resources provided as a result of the “Cultural Activities 2023” notice by the Calabria Region - Department of Education and Equal Opportunities – Culture Sector. The event is co-organized by the Municipality of Catanzaro, tourism department led by Vincenzo Costantino.