Back in 1979 I was invited along with many students at the various music colleges in London to go to Montepulciano to take part in their annual music festival. We were hosted by locals in their houses, fed in a canteen by local women, both wives and Nonnas, the food was incredible, long tables seating about 16, every few people there was a large bottle of local wine, decanted from straw wrapped, enormous containers of wine, it was delicious, the food was to die for, regional specialities, nothing fancy, just great Tuscan local food.
We played our concerts in their small but impeccable opera house, the year i attended we performed Donizetti's Don Pasquale, conducted by (we didn't realise at the time how mega he would become) Ricardo Chally now one of the best conductors in the world, he was learning his craft as were we, also performed in the local church, an amazing building, with brilliant acoustics.
I wish I was wiser and realised what an opportunity it was, but at age 19 you go with the flow. It was a month of learning both about orchestral playing, but also about Italian food, simply cooked, from few local ingredients, made by the local women with decades of history. I will never forget the experience and if I could go back in time I would go back to that month.
After concerts ,always late in the night, me and my fellow students would descend on the town square, various bars and places to eat, but one place in particular, a really simple bar made huge rectangular pizzas by the ton, we couldn't get enough, troughed those with bottles of beer or a carafe of montepulciano red wine was heaven, Just the smell of a simple pizza, oregano, tomato..nothing fancy, takes me back there.
In the mornings we had to source our own breakfast, so stroll about this amazing ancient town, it was summer so tables, tin, with simple metal chairs would be outside, a fab coffee, some local bread, maybe some cured meat and cheese, but my memory is of local grizzled farmers, black caps, rustic clothes having some bread...but they would drink watered down local wine with it, never forgotten it as was so strange to my strait laced 19 year old eyes.
I will never forget that experience, maybe it has played some part of my love for food and in particular Italian food, but above all, being with my peers, sharing a month in the sun in Montepulciano. and of course making music in the land of melody.
Saluti....TC
