The Battle of Pietramelara (cont)
Toward the end of our stay, I was to play in Pietramelara, up in the mountains above Caserta. We were driven there
by two young friends of the concert's organizer, who was himself on tour. We had never even heard of Pietramelara,
though we had been to Naples and the surrounding area many times. However, the fee was excellent, and I was assured
the organ was wonderful.
When we arrived, we were enchanted by the charm of the town. From an ascending street rose an impressive stairway to
a large porch, beyond which lay a beautiful church from 1400. With its tall bell tower, the approach had a
breathtaking upward sweep.
Once inside the church, however, goodbye to the 15th century! I have been to Italy maybe 16 times, but have only
seen such an interior in Italian movies. Brightly colored ceramic statues of the Virgin Mary, blood-spattered
martyrs, sentimental sacred paintings and prayer cards filled the side altars all around the interior. Thick
floor-to-ceiling red velvet drapes framed the main altar. Discretion restrains me from describing the crucifix.
I felt I had been transported to 1890. The church was filled with flowers for an upcoming wedding, absolutely
completing the picture. But the 1901 Inzoli organ was as good as promised and better, filling the fine acoustics
with thrilling sounds. Full organ just about blew the roof off. I happily practiced for a few hours before
the wedding began. At that point we had three hours to kill before the recital, so we set off for dinner.
This is a "piece of cake," I thought.
Little did we know. More >>
