Italy goes to Manchester
NewsOver 40 Italian music organisations are showcasing the country’s live music sector this week at WOMEX, Manchester’s big trade fair.
The Italian music industry last year contributed 255 billion euros to the country’s economy. It employs 1.5 million+ people. The Italian Pavilion at WOMEX has six partners: Assomusica, Emilia-Romagna Music Commission, Italia Music Export, Italian World Beat,
Puglia Sounds and Italian World Music, as well as over 40 participants representing all areas of Italian music.
Or so we are told. Not a single opera house or orchestra is represented.
And your point is??
‘WOMEX the leading networking platform for the world music industry. Its musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase performance market, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures as much as urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe.’
What would the purpose of an opera house or orchestra attending this sort of trade fair be??
Hmmm, I wonder why. Could it be maybe because WOMEX is the Worldwide Music Expo… based on… world music? Shocking isn’t it. I’m clutching my pearls as we speak.
As per their about section : (WOMEX’s) musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase performance market, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures as much as urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe. Don’t know what classical music would be doing there – this isn’t Classical Next.
Problem everywhere, even in Germany! The lucrative Pop industry reigns. Given Manchester is such a cultured city full of classical music, you’d expect better homework done by the Italians to showcase. People moan here about the BBC Radio 3 designated classical music station in the UK, Classic FM, plus Lyric FM in Ireland, but when in Milan in June, I struggled to find anything of worth with continuous classical music – unless the middle of the night! C’e’ la vita nuova!
Radio RAI 3!
The German organiser of WOMEX also presents an annual classical music version of WOMEX called Classical NEXT, which will take place in Berlin in May next year.
Some genre-defining people participate in both.