Modo Antiquo Baroque Orchestra – Planking for Vivaldi

It was only a couple of weeks ago when we first reported on planking in Barga.  We asked then  if the planking phenomenon which was gradually creeping up on this area was a sport or an internet meme or just a crazy pastime for the summer (article here)

Since then the whole planking phenomenon has just exploded into what would appear to be the trendiest thing to be seen doing in this area with plankers being spotted in various places right throughout the city.

It also seems to have taken on a strange cultural veneer as the first mass planking that took place in Piazza Angelio last week was performed by a group of people calling themselves the Plankers for Pascoli,  and all were proudly wearing t-shirts with the face of the poet Giovanni Pascoli. Quite what Pascoli had to do with planking was somewhat difficult to pin down but as quickly as they had arrived and started laying down, suddenly they had all disappeared again and the piazza was once again back to normal …. or was it ?

The giornaledibarganews photographers were not allowed in the Teatro dei Differenti during the performance of Vivaldi’s Il Tigrane –  this year’s opera from Festival Opera Barga (article here) but just before the curtain was raised they did manage to document the conductor of the Modo Antiquo Baroque Orchestra, Federico Maria Sardelli practising some vertical planking back stage. His enthusiasm for the sport seemed to have been infectious as within minutes other members of his orchestra and also some of the technicians from Opera Barga were to be found in various places around the theatre planking merrily away.

Later that evening as members of the Opera Barga Festival were relaxing in Riccardo’s L’osteria after the performance, it was once again the musicians and conductor of  the Modo Antiquo Orchestra who took to the piazza for a midnight Plankers for Vivaldi session, this time involving even more members of the cast and technicians from Opera Barga

no images were found

Planking

Just to recap – the phenomenon of planking involves lying face down in a public place – the stranger the better – and posting photos on social networking sites such as Facebook. Aficionados lie expressionless with a straight body, hands by their sides and toes pointing into the ground.

Two groups claim to have invented the prank – either in Somerset, UK in 2000 as the “lying down game” or eight years later in South Australia as planking. Both groups have rival Facebook sites boasting more than 100,000 fans.

Planking has grown in popularity, particularly in Australia where there has been huge media coverage. An Australian rugby league player David “Wolfman” Williams celebrates scoring by planking, while one of the nation’s leading chatshow hosts Kerri-Anne Kennerley opened a show recently by planking on the TV sofa.

In the same week police served a trespass notice on a man caught planking on a squad car.

Planking for Vivaldi in Teatro dei Differenti – Barga

no images were found

Rules of Planking

According to the official Facebook page, the following rules should be kept in mind:

1. You must always lay face down, ensuring your face remains expressionless for the duration of the Plank.
2. Your legs must remain straight, and together with toes pointed.
3. Your arms must be placed by your side, held straight and fingers pointed.
4. You must make it known that you are Planking. Saying ‘I am Planking’ usually get this across. Sternly announcing it will ensure a good result.
5. Your safety should always be considered. Properly thought through Planking procedures should always go to plan. Never put your self at undue risk.
6. Every Plank that is captured must be named.

Despite its Australian popularity, the earliest practitioners were Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon in 2000, who started lying down in public places in Taunton, UK in order to be photographed. They called it the lying down game.

Planking for Vivaldi in Piazza Angelio in Barga Vecchia

no images were found

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso (“The Red Priest”) because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instrumental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over 40 operas. His best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons.

Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi worked from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some success with stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna hoping for preferment. The Emperor died soon after Vivaldi’s arrival, and the composer died a pauper, without a steady source of income.

Though Vivaldi’s music was well received during his lifetime, it later declined in popularity until its vigorous revival in the first half of the 20th century. Today, Vivaldi ranks among the most popular and widely recorded Baroque composers.

Modo Antiquo Baroque Orchestra

The Baroque orchestra Modo Antiquo is regarded as one of the leading ensembles on the international early music scene. Their site is here

Founded by Federico Maria Sardelli, Modo Antiquo brings together specialists in Baroque music who share a taste for instrumental virtuosity and an in-depth knowledge of historical performance styles and languages.

With its specific approach to performance of Italian Baroque music, and of Vivaldi in particular, Modo Antiquo has become established as a benchmark ensemble in this field.

Appena un paio di settimane fa abbiamo registrato la prima manifestazione di planking a Barga, e in quell’occasione ci eravamo chiesti, dato che iniziative di questo tipo erano in aumento, se si trattasse di uno sport, di un fenomeno della rete o solo uno sciocco passatempo dell’estate.

Da quel momento il fenomeno del planking è esploso e sembra essere diventato la cosa più trendy da fare da queste parti, con plankers avvistati in diverse zone di Barga.

Sembra anche che abbia preso una sfumatura culturale, forse per il fatto che il primo planking di massa si è tenuto in Piazza Angelio con il “Planking for Pascoli”, realizzato da un gruppo di persone che hanno fieramente indossato magliette con il volto del poeta Giovanni Pascoli.

Cosa avesse a che fare Pascoli con il planking è difficile da dire poiché così come sono arrivati i plankers sono velocemente spariti, senza avere grandi spiegazioni.

I fotografi di giornaledibarganews non sono stati fatti entrare al Differenti durante il Tigrane di Vivaldi andato in scena venerdì scorso per Opera Barga ma, un momento prima che il sipario si aprisse, sono comunque riusciti a documentare il direttore d’orchestra Federico Maria Sardelli mentre praticava planking dietro le quinte.

L’entusiasmo del direttore sembra essere stato contagioso, dato che in pochi minuti altri membri dell’orchestra ed alcuni tecnici di Opera Barga sono stati trovati in diverse aree del teatro mentre praticavano allegramente planking.

Più tardi nella serata, dopo lo spettacolo, mentre i membri di Opera Barga si stavano rilassando all’Osteria di Piazza Angelio, i musicisti e il direttore dell’orchestra barocca Modo Antiquo si sono di nuovo cimentati in questo sport, coinvolgendo diverse persone in un “Planking for Vivaldi”.

no images were found

Planking?

Il fenomeno del planking (dal sostantivo asse, tavola quindi letteralmente fare la tavola, “attavolarsi”) prevede che ci si debba stendere a faccia in giù in luoghi pubblici per poi postare le foto dell’evento su social network come Facebook.

I veri artisti di questa assurda disciplina restano stesi senza espressione con il corpo rigido, le braccia lungo il corpo e la punta dei piedi rigida per alcuni interminabili minuti.

Due gruppi in particolare rivendicano l’invenzione di questa pratica, uno dal Somerset, UK, che nel 2000 ha lanciato il “lying down game”, e l’altro dell’Australia, da cui deriva il nome attuale di planking.

Entrambi i gruppi comunque hanno pagine facebook che raccolgono più di 100mila fan.

Il planking ha guadagnato popolarità particolarmente in Australia, dove i media ne hanno a lungo parlato; David “Wolfman” Williams, giocatore di rugby di serie A, festeggia ogni suo punto con il planking, mentre uno dei più seguiti talk show australiani ha aperto una puntata del programma con una sessione di planking.
Nella stessa settimana la polizia ha accusato di violazione un uomo che stava facendo planking proprio sulla loro auto.

Regole del planking:

Stando alla pagina ufficiale di facebook, queste sono le regole per un buon planking:

1. Sempre stendersi a faccia in giù e rigorosamente senza espressione sul volto.
2. Le gambe devono rimanere dritte, unite e con i piedi a novanta gradi.
3. Le braccia devono essere stese lungo il corpo, distese così come le mani.
4. Far sapere che si sta facendo planking. Dire “sto facendo planking” di solito è sufficiente. Dirlo in modo brusco funziona ancora meglio.
5. La sicureazza viene prima di tutto: progettare come e dove fare planking, e soprattutto mai mettersi rischio.
6. Ogni sessione deve avere un nome.