By Rosina Fracassini & Sebastiano Pedani
Greve in Chianti wrapped up its summer with a touch of magic. In a lively Piazza Matteotti, under the warm glow of a late-August evening, music met the world of the circus and transformed into a journey through imagination. Guiding the audience through this unexpected experience was pianist and composer Giovanni Vannoni, a familiar face in the local music scene, who brought “Il Circo” to life alongside the Badabam company.
The project began long before that night, almost like a game of reflections between sound and images. “It’s my first solo album,” Vannoni explains. “I wanted to create a concept, a story where each track felt like a scene.” Part of the inspiration came from albums like Museica by Caparezza, where every song is a painting that moves. In Vannoni’s hands, every piece becomes a circus character, a moment in motion, a small story illuminated by imaginary spotlights.
Even before entering the studio, Giovanni decided to test the emotional impact live. It was during an evening in Panzano, at the Pozzo dell’Oblio, that the project found its first scenic form. A sort of experiment that sparked a question: what if the circus truly entered the music? The idea grew quickly. By January 2025, it became a collaborative process with Monica Toniazzi and Alessandra Molletti, leading to the decisive encounter with Badabam, a Tuscan company known for its physical theatre and circus arts.
With the artistic guidance of Tommaso Negri, the show found its rhythm: lights, movements, scene changes—all in dialogue with the piano, never overshadowing it. “Everything had been in my head,” Giovanni recalls. “Seeing those characters come to life was like watching a dream take shape.”
The full debut happened right in Greve, where Giovanni teaches at the local School of Music. And that, for him, made the moment even more meaningful. “I’m happy it happened here. Where culture grows, new art is always born,” he says. On stage, surreal figures blend with acrobatics and moments of pure suspension. Even the fire-eater performed without a complete rehearsal, adding to the charm of a first-time performance.
And this is only the beginning. “Il Circo” will continue to travel, evolve, and grow show after show. A living creature made of music and poetry, shifting shape every time it meets a new audience.
Because that evening in Greve, something rare happened: not just a performance, but an encounter. Between an artist and his community, between a square and a dream, between a note and a leap into the unknown. A season finale that truly left its mark.